The Volkswagen ID Buzz Is Finally Here. We Took the Electric Microbus for a Drive

With the 2017 unveiling of the ID Buzz concept, Volkswagen announced that the iconic VW bus—forever a symbol of beachy road trips and 1960’s hippie freedom—was returning to the market as an EV. The hype machine went into overdrive.

Jump to 2024, and the vehicle that has been on roads in Europe for about two years is finally, finally, making its way onto US shores.

The cost (around $60K) is maybe higher than many had anticipated, and the vehicle's range (around 230 miles) is likely lower than many had hoped. Throw in a very long wait from the unveiling to its arrival in the marketplace, and the hype has dwindled. After spending a day behind the wheel of one, however, I can say that the ID Buzz has rekindled some of that excitement I felt way back in 2017.

Home on the Range

A VW Bus can't be mentioned without thoughts of tie-dyed Deadheads behind the wheel. Likewise, an EV can't be unveiled to the public without mention (and scrutiny) of its range. The ID Buzz arrives with EPA range numbers that are sure to harsh some mellows: 234 miles for the rear-wheel-drive variant, and 231 miles for the all-wheel-drive model. That’s on par for an electric van but far short of most family vehicles, which can top 300 miles per charge.

During my drive—which took me through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate to Marin County, on some Bay Area freeways, and along the region’s scenic backroads—the RWD version of the ID Buzz averaged 2.8 miles per killowatt-hour over 54 miles. I should note that automotive journalists tend to push vehicles to their limits, testing acceleration, stopping frequently, judging the handling, and so on. Based on the vehicle's 91 kWh gross capacity pack (of which, 86 kWh is available), the van was posting 240 miles of range. In regular use, it's likely it will hit 245 to 250 miles of range.

That discrepancy between reported range and real-world range isn't completely unexpected, as the Volkswagen Group has a history of underreporting its numbers. It did so with the Audi E-Tron, Porsche Taycan, and VW ID 4.

The AWD version posted an even more impressive 3.0 miles per kWh, bringing its range up to 258 miles, as measured over 40 miles. During this portion of the day's drive, more of the route was on freeways; I experienced moderate traffic during this period and rarely got above 65 miles an hour. In fact, my average speed was 42 miles per hour.