2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz review: Crowds will love it

I've never gotten so many stares and points in any car. Ever.

2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

If you're looking to just be seen, and money is no object, forget that vulgar and ultra-powerful McLaren or Koenigsegg. Like wearing an AP Royal Oak, most people won’t give a damn what's on your wrist anyways—or even notice. However, if you do crave real attention, whether you deserve it or not, there’s a new vehicle that leaves every exotic hypercar in the dust when it comes to being the star of stares. Meet the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, a modernized and electrified reincarnation of the classic microbus love child of the '60s. Though it immediately gets you in the mood to follow the next big indie band on tour, this buzz bus has a few dirty little secrets too many.

Picks

Again, if you like—or even thirst for—attention, this sits at the very top of the food chain when it comes to new cars. Luckily, it’s mostly the good kind of attention, as all those admiring eyes are just that: admiring. Here, it's not just attention, but a case of wonderment and awe. There’s also a wide variety of curious onlookers who flock to the ID.Buzz with good intention, so it seems to be quite the universally appealing vehicle. Unlike people pointing at Cybertrucks to mock their owners, the Volkswagen is a mass-appeal object of affection. And while other minivans are often the butt of jokes, the Buzz simply doesn’t carry the stigma of the traditional minivan thanks to the inherent cool factor.

It looks big on the outside—and at 195 inches long, it is. It’s also tall at 76 inches, and with its traditional boxy design, there’s certainly a lot of surface area. The good news? That translates to absolutely enormous interior space. Aided by the absence of a space-hogging combustion engine and large transmission and drivelines, the inner volume is maximized, making it one of the most spacious cars I’ve ever tested—if not the most spacious.

Because there’s no driveshafts or transmission for the engineers to hide away, the floor is properly flat and low, with only the batteries beneath. Combined with generous headroom and the optional glass roof, you can easily walk from front to back inside the ID.Buzz. Where most three-row SUVs or minivans have higher rear seats, that’s simply not the case here. And when you enter through one of the sliding rear doors—which is hands-down the most fun way to enter, regardless of seat preference—it really does feel like the practical and convenient bus it wants to, and does, become.

Around town, the dual electric motors offer perky and punchy acceleration. Whereas the original surfboard-laden VW microbuses struggled to hit 60 MPH as their terminal velocity even downhill, the new one gets there in about six and a half brief seconds. From 0–30 MPH, this thing can even embarrass clumsy stick-shift muscle car drivers. Acceleration is instant and smooth—as is the way with electric power.

Despite appearing like it should have the dynamic and handling prowess of a tugboat, the ID.Buzz navigates corners with surprising agility and grip. Its outright capability far outshines most past combustion minivans, especially when it comes to putting power down through corners thanks to a smart distribution of shove. Because it’s electric and has its battery weight situated low, the center of gravity is significantly better than most cars or SUVs and thus aids in direction changes and from feeling like its tipping over. The AWD system also does a solid job distributing power to mitigate understeer. That said, it's still quite boring to drive overall—as driving quickly yields no satisfaction or reward, so the dynamic benefits are more technical than truly enjoyable.

Nicks

There’s no easy way to say—or stomach—this: it costs over 70 grand. $71,545 to be exact. And yes, that’s a lot of money for a Volkswagen—a name that literally means "people's car." Manufacturer and government incentives might help it lease for less, but still, this is one pricey bus / minivan. This may be the highly-configured 1st Edition, but the starting price for any ID.Buzz is still over 60 grand.

Paying a lot is one thing; being worth it is another. And frankly, the Buzz bus is just too expensive for what you receive in a post-$70K vehicle. The front seats are nice enough, but much of the cabin is covered by typical Volkswagen hard plastics that could be lifted straight from a $30K Tiguan. Between the front seats you'll find removable console with zero inner storage—another oversight. Sure, it’s removable, but when you grab the release handles to remove, it feels like a plastic toy oven—cheap! Below the center display is a handle that reveals extra cup holders, but the soft-squeeze lever is so poorly made, I genuinely thought it was broken at first due to the difficulty to make it open.

Along the vast dash runs a laminate wood grain finish that's so obviously fake it practically winks at you. Worse yet, it creaks when touched and fits poorly, with uneven flow and visible gaps. The center display? A mess. Navigating menus to do anything is needlessly complicated.

And because it’s electric, we need to talk range. Despite a large 91 kWh battery underfoot, I only managed about 220 miles of real-world range, which at least isn't far short of the claimed 231 on the window sticker, but it's rather lackluster for what could and should be a road-tripping machine. My efficiency? Just 2.2 miles per kWh, a figure neither helped by the mass and inneficiently un-aerodynamic design. Also, when you do need to replenish energy, it can’t take advantage of the latest 350 kW fast chargers that competitors can, maxing out instead at 150 kW. That means longer charging times when on the road, which can be a drag. At least there are no unpleasant four-cylinder engine noises to suffer through.

Another downside: if you prefer flying under the radar, this isn’t the car for you. The attention is non-stop. Maybe it’s fun for the first few drives, but after a while, it may become tiresome for some.

Overpriced, but the style and vibe is real

There’s no denying how eye-catching the Buzz bus is. The name is silly, but “Buzz” sounds like “bus,” and I guess electricity does buzz, so someone in a boardroom probably patted themselves on the back for that one.

Besides the looks, the Buzz is a fresh-thinking EV that does ultimately and unfortunately does little to advance or revolutionize electric vehicles—except in terms of style and interior space. That style alone will sell plenty, but after the novelty wears off, there’s not much else going on. If you want massive cabin volume and actual walk-through room inside, that might be a reason to choose it—if regular minivans don't appeal to you.

Look, I like that Volkswagen finally has shown some real creativity and taken advantage of the design liberties that EVs can allow. The ID.4 was such a lazy and haphazard attempt, it's nice to see VW actually give a damn. Yet, at the end of the day, the creativities begin and end with the styling. It looks outrageous to believe it's actually real, and that will be enough to get some on the road. But besides what lease deals they may offer, this Launch Edition is frankly just not worth the tall retail price. Other minivans can be had for considerably less, and other much nicer and real luxury SUVs can be had for the same amount. It's a fun creation, but judged against the MSRP alone, it's just not good or nice enough.

2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz 1st Edition 4Motion

Price as-tested: $71,545

Pros: Hugely spacious interior; retro looks; gets all the stares

Cons: Gets all the stares; cheap interior trimmings; Weak range

Volkswagen ID.Buzz basic specifications and dimensions

Powertrain & Performance

• Motor Output: 335 hp, 413 lb-ft torque

• Battery Capacity: 91 kWh

• EPA Range: 231 miles

• Real world range: 220

• Charging Time (Level 2, 240V): Approximately 9 hours

• Top Speed: 99 mph

• 0–60 mph: about 6.5 seconds

• Maximum Towing Capacity: AWD: 3,500 lbs

Dimensions & Capacity

• Length: 195 inches

• Width: 78 inches

• Height: 76 inches

• Wheelbase: 128 inches

• Ground Clearance: 6 inches

• Curb Weight: about 6,200 lbs

• Seating Capacity: 6 passengers

• Cargo Volume:

  • Behind third row: 18.6 cu ft

  • With third row folded: 75.5 cu ft

  • Max (all rear seats folded): 145.5 cu ft

Efficiency

• EPA Estimated MPGe:

  • AWD: 87 city / 74 highway / 80 combined

• Real world miles/kWh: 2.2

Interior Features

• 12-way power front seats with memory

• Heated and ventilated front seats

• Heated outer rear seats

• Massage function (front seats)

• Three-zone automatic climate control

• 12.9-inch touchscreen display

• Harman Kardon premium audio system

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

• Wireless phone charging

• Customizable ambient lighting

Safety & Driver Assistance

• Adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go

• Active lane centering assist

• Blind spot monitoring with rear traffic alert

• Front and rear parking sensors with Park Assist

• Autonomous emergency braking (pedestrian & cyclist detection)

• 360-degree surround view camera

Warranty

• Basic Warranty: 4 years / 50,000 miles

• Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 miles

• Battery Warranty: 8 years / 100,000 miles

• Roadside Assistance: 3 years / 36,000 miles

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