At Niels van Roij for a design review with the T1 next to it
Attention guaranteed with the Volkswagen ID Buzz. If you go shopping with it, it can take twice as long. Everyone wants to watch and know something about it. That will be another social period, that six-month endurance test with the electric MPV. But we kick off the endurance test with the ID Buzz at Niels van Roij, who was critical of the retro EV earlier in this design review. How should it have been then? Ideal for explaining this on the basis of a video with the original next to it!
The Volkswagen ID Buzz, isn’t that a kind of Transporter? Well no, because it is on the same basis as the other ID models from Volkswagen. This makes it in fact an electric counterpart to the Multivan, which in turn stands on the so-called MQB platform for the passenger car line with an internal combustion engine or plug-in hybrid powertrain. The ID Buzz uses the MEB platform. That may be a bit much information, but don’t worry, after this endurance test you will know exactly how to best use the ID Buzz. And what you better leave. That is why we will soon bring in the Multivan. That’s much more of an MPV than a van and it has a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Indeed, those looking for a lot of space in combination with a plug can choose from two different models at Volkswagen.
Volkswagen ID Buzz is not yet a seven-seater
The ID Buzz is certainly practical with its angular construction. It has more than 1,100 liters of luggage space, but despite its size it is not a seven-seater. There will still be a seven-seat ID Buzz, but it will have a longer wheelbase. Our endurance tester has a platform on supports in the luggage compartment, which you can fold in so that the floor can also be lowered. This allows you to divide the gigantic cargo space into two compartments. If you need all the available space, for example to fit a bicycle with a crate and all, you can remove that platform. It is screwed into the bottom, so creating maximum space takes some effort. The gigantic sliding doors are handy, especially for getting into the back seat. After a week we realize that we also use them to lay down the charging cable for the rear seats. The plug connection is located at the rear right and then it is most logical to park the VW with the butt to the rear for charging. Only then can the gigantic tailgate no longer open. Sometimes the wallbox gets in the way, sometimes the charging column. Awkward.
Does the ID Buzz look like the T1?
And then the retro aspect. Does the ID Buzz look like the famous Spijltjesbus or not? There is definitely a certain recognisability with that T1; it is not for nothing that many people spontaneously become happy with the ID Buzz. We’ll definitely hit the road again with its early ancestor, the first-generation VW Transporter.
ID Buzz against a Mercedes EQV
At the end of last year we already put an ID Buzz with the same 1st Max decoration against a Mercedes EQV in a comparison test. At the time, we discussed the driving characteristics of the MPV in detail. It basically drives like a big ID.3. That is a compliment, because it drives like a passenger car. The enormous wheel angle makes it sufficiently manoeuvrable, although you will notice that the van weighs 2,400 kilos. Then 204 hp is enough, but super fast acceleration times are not included. At the traffic light you keep up with fat Transporters. Moreover, you are just as high up in the ID Buzz. In the first weeks of March it was very cold and windy and then you see that the Volkswagen achieves a consumption of 25 kWh per 100 kilometers with difficulty. The factory specification is 21.3 kWh/100 km. When the weather becomes kinder, there will certainly be an improvement. The first weeks we got 330 to 340 kilometers away on a battery charge.
Second endurance test with an electric Volkswagen
This is our second endurance test with an electric Volkswagen from the ID family. Two years ago we drove an ID.3, the electric hatchback that you can think of as the electric counterpart to the Golf. The displays in the ID Buzz are similar to those of the first Volkswagen developed entirely as an electric car, but we now benefit from the software improvements that have been made. The system works faster and that’s nice, because there are a lot of control options in the touchscreen menu. As a result, there is a minimum of buttons on the dashboard and that is actually a bit retro. After all, there was almost nothing in an early T1. The ID Buzz has storage compartments here and there and between the front seats is a center console that you can remove if you need to transport a surfboard, for example. The console contains a pull-out drawer and a separate storage compartment. We are very curious to what extent a heavy load affects the range. After all, that aspect is of great importance with the ID Buzz Cargo, the delivery van variant. We’re going to figure it all out in the next six months
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl