The long-awaited Volkswagen ID. Buzz arrives.
Ever since Volkswagen started their electric journey with the ‘ID.’ family of products, the one vehicle many have been waiting for is the electric microbus which has been teased as a concept since 2017. Now, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and its commercial variant, the ID. Buzz Cargo, have been given an official reveal.
For now, there ID. Buzz is offered with just 2 rows of seats in the standard wheelbase with either 2 or 3 seats up front. There will be an extended wheelbase model for the US market that may bring an additional row of seats, but these plans haven’t been fully shared yet.
For now, the ID. Buzz’s selling point is its roominess for passengers and their luggage, with 1121 litres of space available even with 5 people sitting comfortably.
With the second row of seats folded, load capacity is effectively doubled. The ID. Buzz Cargo has a fixed partition seperating the cargo area from passengers, freeing 3.9m³ of cargo space.
The ID. Buzz is based on the Modular Electric Drive Kit known as MEB and features the latest ID.-branded software with over-the-air updates available. It also features Car2X connectivity for real-time hazard warnings. The ID. Buzz is touted as the first MPV with the aerodynamics of a car. Its drag coefficient is just 0.285, about as good as a 2016 Chevrolet Volt or a Volkswagen Passat CC from a few years back.
Standard safety features include Front Assist emergency braking and Lane Assist lane-keeping assistance. Optional is a semi-autonomous driving feature with assisted lane-changing on motorways called ‘Travel Assist with swarm data’. Automated parking on previously saved routes is also a new feature on the ID. Buzz.
There will be a single battery option for the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo which is rated at 77 kWh and is positioned in the floor. This sends power to a rear-axle mounted 150kW electric motor with 310Nm of torque. Top speed is limited to 144km/h. Charging can be done via an 11 kW AC charger or with a DC rapid-charging station up to 170 kW to get battery percentage up from 5% to 80% in just 30 minutes. Bi-Directional charging is possible to vehicle-to-home applications.
Order taking for the ID. Buzz are due in May 2022, with the car being produced at the Hanover plant.
