In Australia, we call it the Kombi. But in Germany, it’s known as the Bulli. The Americans? They refer to it as the Microbus. While in England they prefer to label it as the Caravelle. Whatever your preference of name, there’s no escaping the enduring appeal of Volkswagen’s original multi-seat van.
The mobility of choice of a generation of family car buyers, tradesman and flare wearing hippies alike, the Kombi has long entered motoring folklore. Its overall roominess and practicality, the result of its windscreen being mounted as far forward as possible and air-cooled engine being sited underneath the floor at the rear, is considered key to its lasting appeal.
Over the years, Volkswagen has often considered resurrecting the packaging ideas behind the original Kombi on a contemporary van model as a sibling to the modern-day Multivan, as the Microbus concept of 2001 as well as the BUDD-E concepts from 2011 and 2016 attest.
However, it wasn’t until the development of the German car maker’s dedicated MEB electric car platform and its ability to house an electric motor at the rear that its plans really began to take shape in earnest.
It was the second-generation version of the Volkswagen van, the T2 as it is known to hardcore fans, that the company’s designers draw inspiration from when they were asked to present proposals on how to expand its range of ID. badged electric models to include a new van model offering varying seating layouts and the basis for a commercial vehicle derivative.
Their original design ideas were aired on the ID. Buzz concept car, which immediately drew praise when it was revealed at the 2017 Detroit motor show.
Just over four years later, that concept has now matured into a production car. Given the reception it has received up to now, people all over the world are clearly ready to buy the ID. Buzz – and today we can finally tell you what it is like. There’s still some disguise covering its exterior, but the prototype we’ve been pointed to is described as being “very close to the final specification.
Produced in the same commercial vehicle factory as the seventh-generation Multivan in Hanover, Germany, the new Volkswagen model is planned to be sold in Australia in both civilian and commercial vehicle versions – the latter called the ID. Buzz Cargo.
Pricing is yet to be made official, though in Germany they are expected to start at around €45,000 for the more spartan commercial vehicle and increase to around €63,000 for more comprehensively equipped civilian model, hinting at local pricing of between $70,000 and $100,000 when sales begin in 2023.
The civilian version driven here offers a similar set of body styles to the Multivan. Alongside the five-seat standard-wheelbase model set to reach European customers in October, Volkswagen also plans to introduce a seven-seat long-wheelbase variant later next year. Both feature conventionally hinged front doors and sliding doors on either side at the rear, along with a large single tailgate that opens at bumper level to reveal a generously dimensioned luggage area.
The more rugged two-seat commercial vehicle model is set to offer the choice of one or two sliding side doors and either a single tailgate or so-called wing doors at the rear.
As hinted to on various teaser photographs issued by Volkswagen in recent times, the exterior styling continues the retrofuturistic reimagining of the original Kombi first established on the ID. Buzz concept revealed at the 2017 Detroit motor show. The production version shares the same boxy profile but with a slightly more rear set windscreen for added crash protection and a more angular design overall. Details such as the LED headlamps, which come with optional ID Light functionality, and full width LED tail lamps have also been reworked, giving them a more technical appearance.
The upright design is aimed at providing maximum interior space and the sort of practicality unmatched by any existing ID. badged model.
Smaller than the original concept, the standard wheelbase ID. Buzz measures 4712mm in length, 1980mm in width and 1938mm in height. This makes it 192mm shorter, 76mm wider and 32mm lower than the Multivan.
A 2988mm wheelbase is the longest yet for a car based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which also underpins the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5. This is just 12mm shy of the 3000mm wheelbase of the Multivan, albeit some 217mm longer than that of the ID.4.
Volkswagen is yet to provide dimensions for the long-wheelbase model, though officials suggest it will receive a 250mm longer wheelbase, providing it with the scope to accommodate up to three rows of seats and accommodation for up to seven.
The rear-wheel drive ID. Buzz prototype we’ve been entrusted to drive has a 77kWh battery. The lithium-ion unit, the same as that offered with the ID.4, is concealed wholly within the floor structure, providing it with a comparatively low centre of gravity for such a tall car.
Propulsion comes by way of a rear-mounted synchronous electric motor. Again, it is shared with the ID.4, developing 150kW and 310Nm of torque.
When you step up into the ID. Buzz you find a comfortable and ergonomically sound driving position in a largely uniquely styled cabin. The front seats are set 261mm higher than those of the ID.4, giving you a commanding view of the road and excellent all-round visibility thanks to upright glass ahead of you and to either side. Armrests are also included, giving them a true captain’s chair like feel.
Eventually, there will be a number of different interior layouts with up to seven seats on the long-wheelbase model, though the initial standard-wheelbase model driven here offers five seats and a considerable 1121-litres of luggage space beneath the cargo blind at the rear.
The high mounted dashboard is uniquely designed and houses both a small digital instrument display and standard 10-inch infotainment touch display – the latter optional at 12-inch. Whereas other ID. models use a rocker style controller mounted high up on the end of the instrument display for gear selection, the ID. Buzz receives a steering column-mounted lever. It is also used to control the primary drive modes: D (Drive) and B (Battery). The steering wheel is the same multi-function affair with high gloss black controls used by the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5.
There is a minimalist look to the facia, with a conspicuous lack of buttons and switches. The materials used throughout are a little sterile in look, but they’re mostly agreeable to touch and should wear well with time. To help break up the large surfaces, Volkswagen offers a range of different colour schemes, including a two-tone treatment. There is also optional ambient lighting to brighten various elements. The perceived quality of the pre-production prototype was fittingly high, though a final assessment on the fit and finish will have to wait until we get to drive true production versions of the ID. Buzz later this year.
With a compartment that hinges down from the base of dashboard to reveal two large drink holders as well as a pod-like centre console between the front seats and large door bins, there is no shortage of oddment storage space. Volkswagen also says it will offer its latest electric model with up to seven USB ports and a well an optional inductive smartphone charging pad. In line with other ID. models, it also gets OTA (Over The Air) software update functionality via an embedded SIM card, allowing Volkswagen to update various functions as they are developed without the need for the customer to return the ID. Buzz to a workshop.
Perched up high on firm, broad and supportive seats with generous adjustment, you get a real impression of spaciousness in the front. It is in the rear, though, that the packaging advantages inherent in the MEB electric car platform are really obvious. The second seat row offers loads of legroom, and a flat floor means the middle seat occupant is not forced to straddle a transmission tunnel-like in more conventional combustion engine cars. As part of Volkswagen’s efforts to make it as practical as possible, it has also integrated folding plastic tables in the backrest of the front seats.
The rear seat backrests fold in a 60:40 configuration. Oddly, though, the rear seat cannot be removed to extend luggage capacity, which is put at a copious 1121-litres underneath the cargo blind in the standard-wheelbase model. To allow a flat loading compartment up to the back of the front seats when the three-across rear bench seat is not in use, Volkswagen will offer the ID. Buzz with an optional raised boot floor. The upcoming long wheelbase model will also form the basis of a new ID. Buzz California camper, which is planned to see sale in 2024.
The rear-mounted electric motor is not exactly overflowing with power. However, the instant effect of the torque helps to propel the ID. Buzz off the line with great response and good deal of purpose. The bluff nosed Volkswagen initially feels quite brisk as it accelerates away. However, the underlying potency begins to tail off slightly once you’ve pushed beyond typical urban limits as both rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag builds.
Dig deeper to unleash the maximum electric reserves, and the performance continues to feel compellingly authoritative up to typical highway speeds. Volkswagen promises more powerful versions, including a dual-motor, four-wheel drive GTX model boasting up to 220kW and 460Nm.
The electric driveline is pleasantly smooth and very quiet, the primary source of noise coming from the generously 235/50 R20 profile tyres worn by the prototype and a lick of wind around the exterior mirrors. All of which makes the ID. Buzz a pleasingly relaxing car to drive.
We’ll need more time behind the steering wheel to fully judge the handling, but the new Volkswagen is precise with lightly geared steering that requires little effort but is characteristically short on feedback. With a turning circle of just 11.1 metres, it is highly manoeuvrable and quite agile in city driving for such a heavy and tall car. In this respect, it actually feels a lot smaller than it is. A multitude of parking sensors and Volkswagen’s Park Pilot system makes parking an easy affair.
It also impresses out on the open road. There is a well-planted feel and confidence-inspiring stability to the way the ID. Buzz gets along. It grips well and possesses sufficient body control for it to retain your chosen line when driven quickly through roundabouts and over winding roads. It also tracks well at higher speeds out on the highway with resistance to gusty side winds up to a limited top speed of 145km/h. While its dynamic expectations are perhaps not as high as those for lighter and smaller electric-powered ID. models, it proves assured and stable.
With adaptive damping, the ID. Buzz prototype we drove possessed a nicely compliant and composed ride on smooth road surfaces. With half a ton of battery concentrated within its wheelbase, though, it can sometimes stumble over shaper and more pronounced bumps. The overall control, however, is very impressive. Even when the MacPherson strut and multi-link rear suspension is defeated on rougher roads, it manages to settle quickly and authoritatively.
In D (Drive) mode, the ID.Buzz rolls on without any discernable mechanical drag when you lift off the throttle at speed. Twist the gear selector to select B (Battery), and it pulls up quite smartly as the electric motor acts as a generator, accumulating kinetic energy and stowing it back into the battery for added efficiency, with quite a noticeable braking effect as a result.
Official figures are not planned to be made public for a few weeks, though Volkswagen suggests the 77kWh battery, which operates at 400-volts, provides the latest ID. model with a range of around 400km on the WLTP test cycle.
It can be able to be charged at up to 22kW on an AC system and at up to 170kW on a DC system. A so-called Plug & Charge function allows the ID. Buzz to communicate credit card data with the charger on suitable stations. It also supports bi-directional charging on a DC wall box, allowing you to use the ID. Buzz to directly power household appliances or top-up home batteries.
If you’re looking for an electric car to do everything, and perhaps more importantly in which to do everything, including eat, sleep, play, work and much more, the ID. Buzz should be high on your list of prospective purchases. It is not without its rivals – Mercedes-Benz’s EQV, for one, offers a similar experience and overall versatility. On the strength of this first drive, though, it fails to offer quite the same agreeable level of interaction and sheer fun to drive factor as the new Volkswagen.
We’ve waited a long time for a true rear-wheel drive successor to the original Volkswagen Kombi. The ID. Buzz does not disappoint. Its size and electric driveline clearly won’t suit everyone, but its sheer functionality and practicality bring great appeal. It is a pleasing car to drive with both brisk and agile qualities in everyday driving. It also offers outstanding refinement and a comfortable ride. After over four years of development, it feels very complete and well-engineered.
Keyword: 2022 Volkswagen ID. Buzz review: Quick Drive