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2026 Honda Ridgeline ReviewVW Bus Returns as the New ID.Buzz EV
Tree huggers and van lifers rejoice! Volkswagen’s new electric van, the ID.Buzz, is a perfect balance of green tech and feel-good nostalgia.
A New Age of Aquarius
The original Volkswagen Bus, a.k.a. the VW Type 2, microbus, Vanagon, and/or simply, the hippy van, is an automotive icon with a storied history. Volkswagen’s new foray into electric propulsion updates the classic VW Bus with a fully electric drivetrain and a modern spin on the original’s unique charms. The new ID.Buzz recently made its European debut and is slated to arrive stateside sometime in 2024.
Though the ID.Buzz will have a lot in common mechanically with Volkswagen’s ID.4, the new electric van looks to be charting its own path that includes a load of interior innovations and an overall design that both preserves and updates that of the original VW Bus of the 1960s and ‘70s. Speaking of those hippy-dippy sensibilities, Volkswagen is keen to point out their use of animal-free faux leather upholstery and a cobalt-less battery pack in the ID.Buzz (the latter avoids cobalt’s unethical mining practices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Specs
Important for this week’s reveal, the ID.Buzz shown to the North American press is still a European spec vehicle. Significantly, this is a short wheel-base version of the ID.Buzz, of which there will be both a passenger van and a cargo van in Europe. The North American ID.Buzz will be a long wheel-base version, adding some fifteen inches between the two axles (thereby maintaining the classically short overhangs from the original Type 2). This will allow the North American version of the ID.Buzz to come in three rows, set up in a 2/3/2 configuration. The #vanlifers among us will undoubtedly hope Volkswagen does the sensible thing and bring a cargo version, long or short wheelbase, to the US.
Underneath, the ID.Buzz shares its platform with the ID.4. The current shorth wheel-base version features the same 82-kWh battery pack and single rear-mounted motor as the ID.4. This system makes 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. The long wheel-base version coming stateside will likely carry a larger battery pack and an additional electric motor situated in the front (again like the ID.4), providing for all-wheel drive and up to 295 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque in total.
Volkswagen hasn’t released specific ranger numbers yet, but estimates put the current short wheel-base version at around 270 miles to a single charge. Charging rates will max out at 170-kW for a 5-to-80-percent charge in approximately 30 minutes. Speed is electronically governed at a 90 mph.
Design and Interior Details
The ID.Buzz’s mechanicals are largely incidental compared to its thoughtful and endearing design. With the ID.Buzz, Volkswagen manages to evoke the classic microbus without skimping on modern convenience nor ignoring aesthetic sensibilities. Foremost is the preservation of the original’s forward-control design, which, in the case of the ID.Buzz, ensures spectacular outward visibility. The boxy shape provides for a tall greenhouse and big windows, as well as copious cargo room. It’s an airy cabin well suited for sightseeing family vacations.
The ID.Buzz’s exterior design goes a long way to separate it from today’s stodgy minivans. Two-tone paint is available, another old-school reference. The lower grille work features a diamond pattern design, a motif repeated throughout the interior of the ID.Buzz. Both in front and in back, there are large VW logos, now with the newly updated black and white color scheme. Modern touches include a full lightbar stretching across the rear hatch and optional 21-inch wheels (the default being 18 inches).
Inside, the ID.Buzz does indeed borrow from the ID.4, but with a number of unique design touches. The center console is removeable. Making moving from the front to the rear a breeze if you so choose. This isn’t the center console’s only trick either; dividers also double as an ice scraper and a bottle opener, respectively. Interestingly, Volkswagen designers positioned some of the ID.Buzz’s USBC ports in the door card for ease of access. Likewise, they station two of these same USBC ports directly to the right of the steering wheel, along with a cubby for your smartphone, complete with an optional wireless charging pad.
Infotainment, including HVAC and stereo controls, are contained in a standard 10-inch (or optional 12-inch) touchscreen. Though it lacks physical buttons, the HVAC controls are at least haptic, for some physical feedback. One of the biggest complaints reviewers have had with the ID.4 has been its lackluster infotainment interface. Since the general layout of the ID.Buzz is nearly identical to the ID.4’s, this raises the specter that it too, will suffer from similar owes as the ID. 4. But all is not lost. Considering the flak Volkswagen has received on the ID.4, the updates they say they’ve already implemented for the ID.Buzz, and the years between now and the ID.Buzz’s arrival in the US, we have to assume Volkswagen will have worked out the infotainment kinks.
Given the rapid rate of change in the industry, two years feels like a lifetime away. And with what we’ve seen thus far, the new Volkswagen ID.Buzz can’t get here soon enough.
