{"id":33520,"date":"2024-10-24T14:49:13","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T18:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33520"},"modified":"2024-10-24T14:49:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T18:49:13","slug":"payne-lavish-lively-lectric-id-buzz-transforms-the-vw-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/payne-lavish-lively-lectric-id-buzz-transforms-the-vw-bus","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Lavish, lively, ‘lectric ID.Buzz transforms the VW Bus"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Francisco<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The 2006 movie classic \u201cLittle Miss Sunshine\u201d showcased the iconic, affordable, 1960-70s Volkswagen Microbus to a new generation of fans, complete with manual transmission, manual sliding door, unsafe driver position, and snail-like pace on the road.<\/p>\n

The all-new 2025 Volkswagen Microbus is nothing like that.<\/p>\n

In a reboot of V-dub\u2019s most famous family hauler for the electric age, the Microbus \u2014 now dubbed ID.Buzz (see what they did there?) \u2014 has been completely transformed as a dual-motor, electric van with single-speed automatic transmission, auto-sliding doors, a cocoon of safety features, and 0-60 mph acceleration time of 6.0 seconds that would embarrass a 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage (6.3).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 2025 VW ID-Buzz comes in a variety of two-tone colors – or solid colors.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Call this Buzz fancy, fast, and … not very \u2018ffordable. If the original VW Microbus (Type 2, produced 1950-66 and Type 2 Gen-2, 1967-79) and its sibling Beetle were cheap, volume plays to capture American market share, the ID.Buzz and sibling ID.4 (VW\u2019s first EV in the U.S. market) are an acknowledgment that the EV market is a niche segment aimed at luxury buyers.<\/p>\n

Like the Hoover family, I traveled to California to put the latest V-dub to the test.<\/p>\n

My ID.Buzz 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Edition testers cost a whopping $67,045 (rear-wheel-drive) and $71,545 (all-wheel-drive). Compare that to the Hoovers\u2019 1978 Type 2 bus that would have cost (inflation-adjusted) $31K today. The 1966 model? A mere $23K.<\/p>\n

But for all that dough, you get a lotta\u2019 Buzz.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
The 2025 VW ID-Buzz comes in AWD or standard FWD.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The tech-tastic Teuton is \u2014 perhaps more than any EV since the introduction of the Tesla Model 3 in 2017 \u2014 a testament to how much the automotive world has changed in the last 60 years. It\u2019s also a testament to how difficult it will be to convince customers to reject the efficiency advantages of the internal combustion engine as automakers like VW rush towards an all-EV future.<\/p>\n

The Hoovers\u2019 dysfunctional family trip west to chase Olive\u2019s beauty pageant dream nearly stalled because father Frank has a business conflict \u2014 and only\u00a0he knew<\/em>\u00a0how to drive the Microbus\u2019 stick shift. He eventually agreed to the trip.<\/p>\n

If they had been headed to San Francisco instead of Redondo Beach, even Frank might have reconsidered. Frisco\u2019s steep hills are notorious graveyards for manual transmissions. Comedians have made entire routines on the horror of starting in first gear on, say, Chestnut Street pointing straight up at the sky. STALL. GROOOONCH. STALL. AUUHHHRGGGH!<\/p>\n

The Buzz made mincemeat of Chestnut.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
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The 2025 VW ID-Buzz features two digital displays and an optional head-up display.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

With a simple rotation of the wrist, I shifted the Buzz\u2019s single-speed automatic stalk on the steering column into DRIVE and sailed up the sheer face of Chestnut. Not just sailed \u2014 charged!<\/p>\n

With 282 horsepower (335 for the AWD model) from its big, 86 kWh battery, the V-dub reared back on its haunches and accelerated\u00a0with purpose<\/em>. Had I run Chestnut\u2019s stop sign (not a good idea), I might have gotten air like Steve McQueen in “Bullitt.” The ol\u2019 Hoover Microbus likely would have wheezed to the summit in first gear for fear of losing momentum from a 1-to-2 upshift.<\/p>\n

Merging onto Route 101 headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge, I even challenged a bigger Ford Lightning EV to drag race at a stoplight. They cost about the same, after all.<\/p>\n

The Bay Area is politically green and loaded with green money, and there is a premium EV war on. Lightning, Audi e-trons, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Kia EV6 GT, BMW i5, Porsche Taycan, Tesla Cybertruck, Tesla Model X, Model Y Performance \u2014 heck, even the Waymo driverless taxis are Jaguar iPaces.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
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Look ma, no stick. The 2025 VW ID-Buzz charged up Frisco hills with its peppy, automatic EV drivetrain. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At $70K, the VW is actually at the low end of this premium mall (Made in Germany, it is not eligible for the $7,500 federal EV credit), yet it is every bit as distinctive as its peers. It caused as much whiplash as any Cybertruck during my day in the Bay area. The Buzz\u2019s classic design is smartly updated with two-tone colors \u2014 just like the OG \u2014 complementing the modern design and sci-fi 20-inch wheels.<\/p>\n

Like the Bug\u2019s recreation in 1997, the look skews female as a cute minivan amongst squared-off SUVs like the Bimmer and Audis. But awake, the automatic handles and the sliding doors reveal an interior tech playground for us guy geeks.<\/p>\n

The twin, hoodless, digital dash tablets are choked with technology from ambient lighting choices to multiple ECO, SPORT, NORMAL, and TRACTION (in the AWD model) modes. After crossing the Golden Gate, I activated adaptive cruise control and the V-dub virtually drove itself (that would have dropped Grandpa Hoover\u2019s jaw!) to the coast. Exiting Route 101, I took Route 1 twisties on the way to Stinson Beach like a proper hippie bus \u2014 twisting the shift knob from D (Drive) to B (Regen) so that I could one-pedal drive, the electric motor braking the VW when I lifted off the accelerator.<\/p>\n

The center console can be uprooted and moved to the back row. The second and third rows are as spacious as a Chevy Suburban, so dysfunctional families have more spacing from one another. I sprawled in the third row \u2014 flattening Row 2 as an Ottoman. USB-C ports, storage cubbies, and cubby dividers are everywhere. Even cubby dividers doubling as an ice scraper\/bottle opener.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
\n
The simple cabin of the 2025 VW ID-Buzz.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Want to store grandpa\u2019s body in back like the Hoovers? Take out third-row seats like a Chrysler Pacifica. Want to stash his naughty magazines? Check out the storage bin under the tailgate seat. Tailgate seat? I could go on and on.<\/p>\n

All these goodies reside under an (optional) two-way panoramic roof that changes from clear to opaque with the swipe of a button. The two-tone paint too girly for you? Choose a single color like black. Darth Buzz.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Pacifica minivans, they\u2019re cool, too, and would be a better choice for road-trippers like the Hoovers. The $50K Pacifica plug-in hybrid\u2019s 500-mile range dwarfs the Buzz\u2019s 234, and you can refuel 500 miles in 2 minutes compared to the Buzz\u2019s 164 miles-in-30.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
\n
The third row seats of the 2025 VW ID-Buzz can be removed.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Hoovers lost their clutch on the way to Cali, but charging delays would surely have made it hard to meet their 3 p.m. pageant sign-in. Then they\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0would have hated each other (and EVs). No, the Buzz is a local car for upper-income families who can afford airplanes for family trips.<\/p>\n

I covered the Bay Area easily with the Buzz\u2019s range. I plugged in at a 240-volt Rivian charger at Stinson Beach for a little extra charge while lounging on the sand. Charging is a lot easier to learn to operate than a stick shift.<\/p>\n

Next week:<\/em>\u00a02025 RAM RHO pickup<\/em><\/p>\n

2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz<\/h2>\n

Vehicle type:<\/strong>\u00a0All-electric, rear and all-wheel-drive, six-or-seven passenger minivan\/microbus<\/p>\n

Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$61,545, including $1,550 destination fee ($71,545 AWD 1st Edition AWD and $67,045 1st Edition RWD as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant:<\/strong>\u00a086 kW lithium-ion battery pack mated to rear or twin electric motors<\/p>\n

Power:<\/strong>\u00a0282 horsepower, 413 pound-feet of torque (RWD); 335 horsepower, 512 pound-feet of torque (AWD)<\/p>\n

Transmission:<\/strong>\u00a0One-speed direct drive<\/p>\n

Performance:<\/strong>\u00a00-60 mph, 6.0 seconds (mnftr. AWD); top speed, 101 mph<\/p>\n

Weight:<\/strong>\u00a06,197\u202fpounds\u202f(AWD as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy:<\/strong>\u00a0234-mile range (RWD); 231 (AWD)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/h2>\n

Highs:<\/strong>\u00a0Nothing like it on road; feature-rich, roomy interior<\/p>\n

Lows:<\/strong>\u00a0Pricey compared to comparable Atlas gas model; wonky steering wheel controls<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a04\u202fstars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Francisco\u00a0\u2014 The 2006 movie classic \u201cLittle Miss Sunshine\u201d showcased the iconic, affordable, 1960-70s Volkswagen Microbus to a new generation of fans, complete with manual transmission, manual sliding door, unsafe driver position, and snail-like pace on the road. The all-new 2025 Volkswagen Microbus is nothing like that. In a reboot of V-dub\u2019s most famous family […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33521,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33520\/revisions\/33521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}