After a steady drip of concept cars and teaser pictures, Volkswagen has finally revealed the ID.Buzz, which will be sold as an electric alternative to the new Multivan and will be available both as MPV people carrier, a van and a campervan. The ID.Buzz goes on sale on 1 May with the first UK deliveries expected in autumn, rivals include the Mercedes-Benz EQV and the Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life.
You can have your Volkswagen ID.Buzz in short and long-wheelbase configurations and with five, six or seven seats. Right now, though we've only seen the short-wheelbase, five-seater model.
Prices for it haven't been confirmed, but it is expected to cost from around £50,000 when it goes on sale in May. The rest of the range is expected to go on sale in 2023 and will likely cost from around £60,000.
The commercial van will be called the ID.Cargo. It has a maximum payload of 650kg and will likely cost from around £40,000. The campervan isn't set for reveal until the end of 2023 and is expected to be the priciest of the lot with a £60,000 entry point.Best electric family cars to buy in 2022
The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has styling inspired by the iconic Type 2 van which went on sale at the end of the 1940s. It has the same two-tone paint job that's layered in a V shape at the front of the van and finished with a huge VW badge on the centre of the bonnet.
Short overhangs with a stubby bonnet give the van a bubble shape and allow Volkswagen to squeeze out as much interior space as possible.
The wheel-at-each-corner design should make the ID.Buzz easy to park, while a pair of side sliding doors will give you excellent access, without fear of banging the doors against a nearby parked car or wall.
The ID.Buzz is 192mm shorter than the Transporter, measuring 4712mm in length. The ID.Buzz should also glide into your local multi-story car park with all versions being less than two metres high.
The ID.Buzz features a huge Volkswagen badge at the front flanked by sweptback LED headlights. All versions of the ID.Buzz get LED lighting as standard while high spec models also get animated LED indicators.
The front bumper features a honeycomb grille that houses all of the car's semi-autonomous driving tech. The bonnet sits flush against the front of the vehicle, owing to the fact there is no combustion engine, but you will still be able to pop it open to refill the washer fluid or lift up the wiper blades when you wash the car.
All of the EV tech is hidden from view, with the battery pack located under the car's floor to maximise interior space. And depending on which model you choose, a single 150kW electric motor will drive the rear wheels or a twin motor - one at the front and another at the rear - which will provide 4Motion four-wheel drive.
The ID.Buzz is available in single or two-tone paintwork finishes for the vehicle body. The colour spectrum consists of a total of eleven single colour variants and four two-tone paintwork finishes. No matter which two-tone paintwork you chose, the upper section - including roof and bonnet - will always be in ‘Candy White’. The areas below come in one of a choice of four metallic shades: ‘Lime Yellow’, ‘Starlight Blue’, ‘Energetic Orange’ or ‘Bay Leaf Green’.
The options list will be comprehensive with LED auto-dipping Matix headlights, tinted windows and mood lighting all available. Alloy wheel sizes will start at 19-inches for basic models and increase to 21-inches for the range-topping variants.
The ID.Buzz will set new standards for comfort and refinement, says Volkswagen. That means you can expect lots of LEDs and touchscreen tech, along with a whisper-quiet ride quality that will make a long journey a very relaxing experience indeed.
At launch, the ID.Buzz will be offered with five-seats only but you will have lots of interior space and a huge boot with 1,121 litres available with the rear seats in place. The load capacity increases to up to 2,205 litres with the second row lowered. You'll get even more space with the six- and seven-seat models, with these using a longer wheelbase.
Unlike the Volkswagen Caravelle, the ID.Buzz doesn't get a rail-mounted seating system. This is a surprise, given all of the prototype images of the car featured this tech. Instead, the ID.Buzz uses a system that's similar to the Sharan, with a flexible seating system that lets you fold or slide the second row to increase storage capacity.
The interior will provide a first-class travel experience, says Volkswagen, with customisable LED mood lighting with 30 different settings, climate control, heated seats and voice control for the ventilation and audio systems.
The materials used for some seat covers, floor coverings and the roof liner are created from a fabric that is made up of recycled ocean plastics and drink bottles. Volkswagen says the ID. Buzz consists 71% of recycled materials.
Volkswagen is an industry leader when it comes to class-leading touchscreen infotainment. In the ID.Buzz, you'll get the latest ‘Ready 2 Discover’ system fitted as standard with a 10-inch screen, while the optional ‘Discover Pro’ navigation system uses a high definition 12-inch display.
All of Volkswagen’s infotainment systems are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but many of these systems require you to plug your smartphone into the car via a USB cable. This won't be the case in the ID.Buzz - the new electric car will feature the very latest Bluetooth tech that will let you pair your smartphone and mirror its display on the infotainment screen completely wirelessly.
All versions of the ID.Buzz get a 5.3-inch digital instrument display behind the steering wheel, which will be customisable so you can keep an eye on the battery charge, vehicle speed and route maps.
Volkswagen has confirmed that the electric ID.Buzz MPV will be targeted at family car buyers while the VW ID.Cargo will be pitched to van drivers who need a capable load mover that will be exempt from clean air zone charges.
At launch, the ID.Buzz will be sold with a 77kWh battery, which powers a 150kW electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Volkswagen hasn’t released any details on the EV range, but we expect the 77kWh ID.Buzz to cover around 250 miles on a single charge. A powerful 111kWh battery will extend the range further when it is added to the model line-up in late-2022 while a 4Motion four-wheel drive variant is expected by 2023.
A full charge from a home wallbox will take around six hours, but you will be able to juice up the battery from 5% to 80% in around 30 minutes when hooked up to a public DC charger. The electric motor produces a maximum torque of 310Nm from a standing start, which means the ID.Buzz should be relatively quick from 0-62mph. We also expect it to be easy to drive with its 11-metre turning circle making it super agile for a vehicle of this size.
You’ll also get a comprehensive array of driver tech that'll make motorway and city travel a breeze. Not only will the ID.Buzz monitor your driving and warn you to take a break if it thinks you are getting tired, but it’ll also prevent you from drifting out of your road lane and apply the brakes automatically if it detects a front impact with another vehicle or pedestrian.
Reversing cameras, parking sensors and an auto park function will also be available, along with adaptive cruise control that will automatically control the ID.Buzz’s speed and distance from the vehicle in front on the motorway.
As with other cars in the ID range, the ID.Buzz’s battery will be covered for eight years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first). Volkswagen will guarantee that the battery shall retain 70% of its charge over this period, too.
If you can’t wait for the ID.Buzz to be launched in the UK then you may want to check out the latest deals for the ID.3 and ID.4. There is also the electric Volkswagen e-Golf and e-Up to tempt you into EV ownership, too.
Volkswagen has revealed the new Amarok pick-up truck, which is expected to reach showrooms in late-2022. MG is also expanding its range of electric cars with the new MG 4 hatchback, while Audi has unveiled its new EV, the Q6 e-tron SUV.
No, the Volkswagen Transporter will be sold alongside the electric ID.Cargo van. Volkswagen has no plans to end the production of the Transporter.
Yes, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz will be suitable for a range of camper van conversions. Most camper van specialists will choose the ID.Cargo for conversion projects, owing to the fact it is cheaper to buy.
Prices for the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is expected to start in the region of £50,000 when it goes on sale. in 2022. This will make it the most expensive car in the electric ID range.