U.S.-Spec 2025 VW ID.Buzz Hits Nostalgia Factors however Is So Fashionable

- The long-awaited U.S.-market VW ID.Buzz has the prolonged wheelbase, which makes room for a 3rd row, and seating for seven.
- It will be accessible with a alternative of 282-hp single-motor rear-wheel-drive or 330-hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrains.
- Vivid coloration combos inside and outside name again to the ’60s, however with a up to date spin and totally fashionable tech.
Whereas some patrons of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz can be making an attempt to revisit their time in Nineteen Sixties Haight-Ashbury—or a minimum of their fantasies of getting been there—you do not have to have been a counterculture hippie to really feel nostalgia for Volkswagen’s Sort 2 Microbus. The VW individuals hauler is a cultural icon that represents a way of life of taking part in guitars round a seashore campfire, street journeys with household, and mild rise up towards the established order. It was interesting then and it is interesting now, much more so with an electrical powertrain and a bunch of consolation and security choices.
VW introduced a return of the bus again in 2022. The primary U.S. variations of the electrical ID.Buzz must be on their approach to a supplier close to you by June of 2024.
Lengthy Method to Go, Brief Time to Get There
The European model of the ID.Buzz is a two-row machine with a shorter wheelbase than what we’ll get right here within the States. The U.S.-spec bus is stretched 10 inches, for a 127.5-inch wheelbase, so it retains these brief overhangs and makes use of all of that further area for inside room. The added size permits for a 3rd row, which suggests seating for seven.
Whereas it is significantly bigger than an authentic Sort 2 bus (they have been referred to as Microbus for a purpose), the ID.Buzz gives loads of visible cues connecting it to its ancestor. It isn’t fairly as flat in entrance, but it surely does have an analogous boxy, but rounded, profile, throwback “vent” particulars on the D-pillar, large entrance badge simply aching to get replaced with a peace signal, and cheerful, two-tone paint choices. A few of the colours are acquainted from earlier showings of the bus, like Energetic Orange, Pomelo Yellow, and Mahi Inexperienced, however others are new, just like the oceany Cabana Blue, Metro Silver, and Indium Grey. Do not get a grey bus when you will get a blue or orange one, we beg you.
The unique Sort 2 was charming in its appears, but in addition a helpful approach to carry associates and equipment. The 2025 ID.Buzz appears to hold on these traditions. Twin power-sliding rear doorways that go all the best way again to the third row make it straightforward to get individuals out and in. The horizontally sliding home windows are additionally powered, as are the heated facet mirrors and the tailgate. Different fashionable exterior particulars embrace 20-inch wheels.
Energy Play
Clients may have the choice to decide on between a single-motor, one-speed transmission, rear-drive powertrain or a extra highly effective dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Rear-wheel-drive buses make 282 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, whereas the dual-motor model places out about 330 horsepower. The ID.Buzz rides on VW’s Modular Electrical Drive (MEB) “skateboard” platform, so the battery is mounted low within the flooring. We get a bigger battery than Europe, with a usable capability of 86.0 kWh. Volkswagen hasn’t launched vary estimates but, however primarily based on different VW electrical choices we’re anticipating to see mileage numbers round 260 and charging instances of round half-hour to take a ten % battery to 80 % at a DC fast-charger.
The bump in energy is because of use of stronger everlasting magnets within the motor with improved warmth administration. With the brand new motor, the ID.Buzz has a high pace of an electronically restricted 99 mph in comparison with the two-row’s 90 mph, and an authentic Sort 2’s . . . strolling pace.
What’s Inside
The identical play of retro design and modern tech that makes the outside of the ID.Buzz distinctive can also be discovered within the inside. A number of design schemes can be found, from a deep shadowy blue with darkish wooden to a shiny coastal peach and silver. All interiors use non-leather seat covers and trim. The interiors are playful, and designed for comfort, with adjustable small compartments within the detachable console, rubber-lined shelving alongside the sprint, and large door pockets.
Commonplace options embrace ambient lighting; 12-way adjustable entrance seats which might be heated, vented, and massaging; and a heated second row. An optionally available 67.4-inch-long electrochromic sunroof can go darkish with the swipe of a finger.
With the usual second-row bench, the ID.Buzz seats seven, and with the optionally available captain’s chairs as a replacement, it is a barely roomier experience for six. The second row folds in a 60:40 break up and will be slid ahead or again by virtually eight inches. The rear row folds 50:50 and will be eliminated fully for extra cargo room. All three rows get local weather management vents, a welcome improve.
A small digital sprint and a 12.9-inch infotainment display screen deal with all the info wants, with commonplace wi-fi cellphone connectivity, wi-fi charging, eight USB-C ports, a 110V outlet, and a 12-volt plug within the cargo space supporting some other charging wants. Lights within the sprint illuminate to let you know the automotive is ready for instructions, or to offer updates on navigation and battery standing. The Buzz comes with VW’s IQ.Drive driver help bundle commonplace, which incorporates adaptive cruise management.
Every thing Previous Is New Once more
The ID.Buzz is bound to be a standout within the faculty drop-off line and switch heads within the early-morning coastal fog as you unload surfboards. VW’s new bus is pleasant and engaging, and now ID.Buzz additionally gives security tech, consolation, and fume-free electrical upgrades that make it a wonderful alternative for the fashionable free spirit.

Senior Editor, Options
Like a sleeper agent activated late within the recreation, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a younger age. Like many women, she deliberate to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and got here closest to that final one by attending UCLA artwork faculty. She painted pictures of automobiles, however didn’t personal one. Elana reluctantly bought a driver’s license at age 21 and found that she not solely beloved automobiles and needed to drive them, however that different individuals beloved automobiles and needed to examine them, which meant anyone needed to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for quite a few automotive magazines and web sites, protecting classics, automotive tradition, expertise, motorsports, and new-car evaluations.