Made other road users very happy, but are we too?
We made friends with the Volkswagen ID Buzz for six months. In 33 years we have never attracted so much attention with an endurance tester and it almost made us shy. Besides that enormous attention-grabbing effect, what else remains?
The ID Buzz drives like a large ID3, like a passenger car. The large wheel articulation makes it extremely manoeuvrable, even in the city. However, you should always be aware of the large dimensions, especially in parking garages. The height is especially remarkable. This initially suggested the worst for consumption, but during the endurance test the outside temperatures increased and the consumption figures decreased. At temperatures around 5 degrees you should take into account 25 kWh/100 km, in the summer less than 20 kWh/100 km is quite possible. With many highway kilometers you are probably just above that.
Faults: black screen and airbag module
Due to the originality of the ID Buzz, one idea after another emerged from our brains. We have made many stories with the electric MPV in recent months. We are not going to dwell on them all in detail, because the loyal AutoWeek reader has certainly seen the two-tone Volkswagen many times. Two failures occurred during the endurance test. The screens of the multimedia system and the instruments once went completely black, while the car otherwise worked fine. Speed ​​and battery percentage were not visible and the latter is certainly not nice with an EV. Now we know that 300 kilometers with a full battery is always possible and at pleasant temperatures it even went up to 400 kilometers. Yet you always want to know where you stand. After a software update, the system worked properly again. Furthermore, one of the airbag modules in the driver’s seat failed. The car also had to be returned for a few days for this.
Nice wheels, but be careful with curbs
Our ID Buzz was a 1St Max version, which included the enormous wheels. You have to stay far away from curbs, which is quite difficult due to the limited visibility of such a high carriage. We saw a damaged piece at the end of the leather-covered steering wheel. It was also noticed that the upholstery of the tray in the luggage compartment became pilled quickly. Another tip: if you, as an ID Buzz driver, often have to charge in tight parking spaces with little space behind the car, keep the charging cable in front of the rear seats as much as possible. The tailgate requires a lot of space behind the car.
Consumption and range Volkswagen ID Buzz
Winter consumption 25 kWh/100 km
Summer consumption 20 kWh/100 km
Range winter 320-330 km
Range summer 380-420 km
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl