Volkswagen is launching the ID. Buzz as a seven-seater version. The longer model was developed primarily for the US market and will mark the return of the VW bus to North America next year. Plus, the seven-seater also brings some technology upgrades to Europe.
Currently, VW Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) only builds the standard version of the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo in Hanover – both with a wheelbase of 3.00 metres and a length of 4.71 metres. The passenger version is available as a five-seater at most.
The ID. Buzz with long wheelbase (LWB), officially presented as a near-production study, will change that. Twenty-five centimetres of additional length are added to the space between the axles. The wheelbase thus grows to 3.25 metres, while the front and rear overhangs remain the same. That stretches the Buzz a little visually, creates more space on the inside, and improves access to the second and third rows of seats, as the sliding door is also larger.
The luggage compartment thus grows to up to 2,469 litres, compared to a maximum of 1,581 litres in the standard version. If all seats in the five-seater are occupied, one can still fit up to 1,121 litres in the standard ID. Buzz. VWCV has yet to specify the storage space in the seven-seater behind the third row of seats. Besides the seven-seater version with three seats in the second row, there will also be a six-seater with four individual seats in the rear.
And VWCV emphasises another innovation: thanks to the extended wheelbase, the ID. Buzz LWB will get a larger battery – the same battery with 85 kWh net that VW first introduced in the ID.7. By the way: VW itself says that the additional wheelbase creates space for the larger battery in its press release. However, the ID.7 comes has a wheelbase of 2.97 metres and the larger battery, which means that even the standard version of the ID. Buzz would have had enough room for it, as it has a longer wheelbase than the ID.7. VWCV does not specify the charging capacity for the larger battery in this case. But for the ID.7, it is up to 200 kW.
However, the larger battery is optional, and the 77 kWh battery with a maximum charging capacity of 170 kW remains standard. As this is still a near-production study, VW has yet to specify ranges for either battery according to WLTP or EPA standards.
ID. Buzz LWB gets 210 kW engine
The ID. Buzz LWB will get a new engine, the APP550. It offers 210 kW of power and 550 Nm of maximum torque. The APP550 is also more efficient and comes with a new heat pump.
Regarding performance, VW says it takes the long-wheelbase version 7.9 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 100 kph. The 210-kW model can also go up to 160 kph, while the speed of the 150-kW model currently delivered is limited to 145 kph.
ID. Buzz GTX launches 2024
In addition, VW announced the expected all-wheel drive version called ID. Buzz GTX. It will have an output of 250 kW and accelerate to 100 kph in 6.4 seconds. The 250 kW is a combination of the new APP550 and a 150 kW rear engine. Previous all-wheel drive models produced a maximum of 220 kW. Whether the APP550 will also be available in the short-wheelbase version or whether the ID. Buzz GTX will only be available as an LWB remains to be seen.
Even though the ID. Buzz has only been available since last year, the interior will also receive its first upgrade: at least in the long-wheelbase version. The new infotainment system introduced with the ID.7 will be installed – in the future, there will be a touchscreen of up to 15 inches in size. In addition, VWCV mentions a head-up display and remote-controlled parking via smartphone as new functions.
In memory of the legendary “Samba Bus” of the 1950s, the ID. Buzz LWB also features a newly designed high-tech panorama roof. With a surface area of 1.5 square metres, it is not only VW’s largest glass roof to date, and can be electrically adjusted from transparent to opaque and vice versa via touch slider or voice assistant thanks to “Smart Glass”. The North American versions will also have air-conditioned seats and an illuminated VW logo on the front.
The vehicles, which will be sold in the US and Canada from 2024, will be manufactured at VWCV’s Hanover plant for now. “Almost in parallel” to the North American launch, the long-wheelbase version will also become available in Europe. Volkswagen is not yet naming prices, but the European standard version with 77 kWh and a 150 kW engine is currently available from around €64,500.
Keyword: VWCV unveils ID. Buzz with longer wheelbase