All we know about the Volkswagen ID. Buzz so far

Late last week the folks over at Volkswagen finally pushed the production ID. Buzz into the spotlight, and fans of the original VW Microbus will likely find plenty here to rejoice about from its 21st century electric reboot. Aiming to combine design personality, sustainability, and plenty of practicality, the ID. Buzz — and its ID. Buzz Cargo van sibling — looks like little else in the EV space right now.

For the electric Microbus, Volkswagen will start with two different versions. Consumers will get the regular ID. Buzz, initially with a five-seat configuration; commercial customers will have the ID. Buzz Cargo, a van with up to three seats separated by a divider from a capacious rear. Similar to the Staria multicab launched a month ago. With the simple lines of the concept, it’s no surprise that the production Microbus EV has stuck pretty closely to what we first saw previewed a few years ago.

Short overhangs, plenty of glasshouse, and a general focus on practicality are key. The front gets LED headlights, daytime running lights, and a fascia-spanning lightbar; at the rear, there’s a similar lightbar to link the taillights. Eighteen-inch wheels will be standard; VW will offer wheels up to 21 inches on the passenger model.

Fittingly, in addition to seven single-colour finishes — Candy White, Mono Silver, Lime Yellow, Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange, Bay Leaf Green, and Deep Black — there’ll also be optional two-tone paint jobs. They’ll pair a Candy White roof and hood-V with a choice of four colours below the character line: Lime Yellow, Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange, or Bay Leaf Green, with matching side mirrors and handles.

Inside is where the biggest differences are found, unsurprisingly. For passengers, the standard-length ID. Buzz will have two regular front seats — that can slide 9.6 inches fore and aft — and a three-seat, second-row bench that slides 5.9 inches and can fold with a 60/40 split, accessed by twin sliding doors.

Down the line, VW says, there’ll be a six-seat standard wheelbase ID. Buzz, with three rows of two individual seats each; the extended wheelbase ID. Buzz will offer a 2/3/2 seven-seat configuration. For the ID. Buzz Cargo, meanwhile, there’ll be three seats as standard — a separate driver’s seat and a double bench — with two individual seats an option.

The dashboard has a pair of 10-inch displays as standard, one for the driver’s instrumentation and one for the infotainment. A 12-inch upgrade for the latter is available, with baked-in navigation. Underneath the center screen is a row of touch-sensitive buttons and sliders for temperature, volume, and summoning menus for the dual-zone HVAC, driver assist tech, driver profiles, and parking functions.

What Volkswagen isn’t saying, quite yet is how much all this will cost. We’ll have to wait until closer to the ID. Buzz’s arrival in the first markets for that, alongside the range estimates. The worst news, though, is that would-be owners in Mzansi are going to have to be very patient. While the European version of the ID. Buzz is set to go on sale from Q3 2022, there are no plans or official communication to bring this model to Mzansi.

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.