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Buzz (in small numbers) is headed to U.S. dealers
By Dan Neil
It’s all happening. After eight years of promises and prototypes, second drafts and final revisions, Volkswagen has finally shipped the first of its all-electric retro-modern people-movers to the U.S. —the ID. Buzz. Several hundred should be arriving at ports any day now, longshoremen permitting.
Billed as the smokeless successor to VW’s microvans of the mid-20th century, the Buzz claims an obvious kinship to the nearly 6 million buses, microvans and campers built between 1950 and 2013: the breadloaf-like proportions; the panoramic front window and horizontal beltline; the two-tone paint scheme; the short front and rear overhangs; the big VW roundel on the nose—all connect the neo-bohemian Buzz with its venerated past.
If you feel yourself growing bewitched, my advice is, don’t overthink it.
The Buzz claims an obvious kinship to the nearly 6 million buses, microvans and campers built between 1950 and 2013: the breadloaf-like proportions; the panoramic front window and horizontal beltline; the two-tone paint scheme; the short front and rear overhangs; the big VW roundel on the nose—all connect the neo-bohemian Buzz with its venerated past.
If you feel yourself growing bewitched, my advice is, don’t overthink it.
“Of course I want one,” said Jennifer Marks, of Raleigh, N.C., one of my neighbors. “It’s just stinkin’ adorable! And it’s electric. I only wish somebody would do the same with the AMC Pacer.”
But the Buzz has a problem — a secret, if you will. Beneath its Bauhaus skirts and behind that half-baked grin, it’s a minivan. No, really! Note the flexible, foldable seating for six or seven; the enormous top-hinged rear liftgate; and the striking large and square sliding side doors.
The long-wheelbase version coming to North America (around Thanksgiving) is especially minivan-y, measuring almost 10 inches longer than the Euro-spec version in order to fit a third row of seats. The windows in the sliding glass doors are so large they have their own smaller windows built into them.
The problem? Americans have been told over and over that full-size minivans are somehow, in some way, uncool. No matter how high you pile your pompadour — and mine can really get up there — you can’t really put out the vibe while piloting the old family hauler.
It’s kind of a Michel Foucault thing. To be cool is to fight the power. To drive a minivan is to be the power, or at least to represent local authority on the ground. You kids shut up back there.
It was low and lazy group-think, but minivan- shaming actually became a sociocultural effect, » hastening the rise of the SUV and helping send minivan sales spiraling from a high of around 1.3 million in 2000 to about 300,000 in 2023.
In those years I often found myself recommending minivans to families with young children in car seats. Not infrequently the suggestion was huffily nixed, usually by the female partner. “I wouldn’t be caught dead driving a minivan,” or something very like. Then they would go out and get themselves an SUV.
It was like What’s the Matter with Kansas? only with minivans. Not only are they inherently more space efficient, lighter, safer, better-handling and more versatile than the SUV alternative, minivans come with the celestial blessing of two sliding side doors, through which kids, car seats, life itself can more easily pass.
As a father of twins, I too drove a minivan in those days. It never occurred to me to feel emasculated. On the contrary, I thought the Honda Odyssey made me look rather good. A casual observer could infer some decent woman would have me.
It isn’t a question of whether the Buzz can bring the sexy back to minivans. History is replete with kick-ass minivans, if you don’t mind: The Toyota Previa, the Renault Espace F1, or the Oldsmobile Silhouette, which you may remember as Chili Palmer’s ride in “Get Shorty.”
Obviously, sex — awkward, fumbling, uncomfortable sex, often involving sand — has played an essential part in VW buses’ appeal from the beginning. What vehicle in history could possibly have as many assignations-per-mile as the microbus? I mean, why the hell would anyone want to sleep in a van otherwise?
The 1st Edition units have the cabin layout of a typical premium minivan, with optional second-row captain’s chairs creating a center pass-through aisle to the rear. However, I note that the Buzz’s second- and third-row seats can be folded away in such a way that a typical full mattress can be laid on top, if you’ll pardon the phrase.
These units will also feature 20-inch wheels, a 700-watt Harman Kardon audio system and the delightful electrochromic glass ceiling that can change opacity at the touch of a button, from clear to cloudy.
Oh, it’s fancy, all right. Could the arrival of the chic, me-forward Buzz signal the reboot of the minivan as a bourgeois lifestyle platform?
Outside of the U.S., the common MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) is being mutated into all sorts of super-luxury jumbos, catering to the wealthy owners with extra-wide elbows. Among these sliding-door seraglios are the Lexus LM and the China-built Zeekr 009. Not content to color inside the usual lines, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg just revealed on social media that he had a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT converted into a three-row minivan, with sliding rear doors.
Is that cool enough for you?
The American release of the Buzz was delayed by more than a year while management sorted out upgrades to the ID. platform’s powertrain and to the in-cabin technology. The U.S.-spec Buzz benefits from VW’s latest vehicle architecture that is shared with the ID.7 crossover, bringing with it more efficient motors, a bigger and better battery, faster charging and longer range. Euro-spec versions of the Buzz rely on the less capable ID.4 running gear.
The figures of merit for the dual-motor Buzz include an EPA estimated range of 234 miles, out of a 86 kWh (net) pack. The upgraded battery system allows DC charging rates up to 200 kW. The 282-hp permanent magnet motor in the rear is paired with a 107-hp induction motor in the front to produce a system maximum of 335 hp.
With global production in Hanover, Germany, limited to a mere 100,000 units annually, availability will almost certainly be an issue. VW is advertising three trim levels in the U.S. — from the ID. Buzz Pro S ($59,995) to the ID. Buzz 1st Edition with 4Motion ($69,995) — with optional all-wheel-drive. I predict the dealer markup on these things will make the Sinaloa Cartel look like charity workers.
What a long, strange trip, etc. VW first pulled the silk off its flower-powered prototype at the 2017 Detroit auto show. Since then the company has struggled to deliver on a series of electric vehicles aimed at the mass market, including the ID.3 sedan and ID.4 crossover.
All but drowned out by #vanlife nostalgia is the fact that, despite its late arrival, the ID. Buzz will be the first all-electric, three-row minivan available in the U.S. market.
That’s cool. 
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- GOLF AT 50: A tour of the massive Wolfsburg factory plant, the biggest of its kind in the world.
- AN EV VIBE: Members of the Midwest media group get familiar with an assortment of EVs in two Chicago area events.
- WHY A BEETLE?: With regard to the newer generation model, the answer is “why not?”
PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND FEATURES:
- Small Talk – VW + Audi at a glance
- Retro Autoist – From the VWCA archives
- The Frontdriver – Richard Van Treuren
- Local Volks – Activities of VWCA affiliates
- ID.Insight – Todd Allcock
- Classified – . . . ads from members and others