Volkswagen ID Buzz

After more than two decades of teasing, Volkswagen has finally reinvented the van beloved by so many communities As Volkswagen’s effort to electrify its model range gathers momentum, a new, different and vaguely recognisable kind of electric family car has entered its showrooms, and unlike with other VW ID cars so far (which have spawned Audi, Cupra and Skoda siblings), this one will be VW-only.After a stronger start, European sales of the supposedly epoch-making VW ID 3 have slowed to around 4000 cars per month (a fraction of those of piston-engined heavyweights like the Golf, Polo and T-Roc). But VW’s other EVs are proving more popular. And with two new entry-level EV superminis due within a year or so, right now the firm is hoping that by ‘going large’ and adding greater diversity to its zero-emissions range, it can tempt families with active lifestyles – and some with longer memories and more sentimental tendencies, perhaps – to convert.The VW ID Buzz, says the brand, is “the new face of future-orientated, sustainable family mobility”. In principle, and leaving aside how it’s powered, it’s a five-seat, full-size monocab MPV of a kind that found favour on our roads 20 years ago but has since fallen out of it. Call it a ‘minibus’ if you like, but it’s unlike key rivals, because it adopts a relatively sophisticated passenger car platform rather than being adapted from a commercial vehicle.You might be more inclined to call it a ‘microbus’, of course, or a ‘hippy van’. The Buzz’s name is a play on that of VW’s famous Type 2 ‘Bus’ of 1949, which inspired a cult following that lasted decades and permeated popular culture widely. So can the new Buzz achieve something similar, so many years later, for a new generation?Range at a glanceThe ID Buzz range will fill out extensively over the next 24 months, with long-wheelbase, four-wheel-drive and California-style camper versions already mooted. But for now, the choice is between the Cargo commercial version (2+1-seat cab, black bumpers, low equipment spec) or the passenger version, which is offered in three trim levels: Life, Style and 1st Edition.Life spec gets digital instruments, Discover Pro nav, wireless device charging and adaptive cruise control as standard. Style adds ambient cabin lighting, a multi-flex boot board load-bay divider, IQ Light LED matrix headlights and 20in alloy wheels.VersionPowerVolkswagen ID Buzz Cargo Commercialid b 77kWh201bhpVolkswagen ID Buzz SWB Life Pro 77kWh201bhp