Here's What You Need to Know About the U.S.-Bound VW ID. Buzz
June 2, heretofore just another day, the 153rd day of most years and the 154th of a leap year, has now been designated as International Volkswagen Bus Day. Who did this designating? Apparently, there’s a thing called the “National Day Calendar” where such things can be somewhat officially certified and kind of cataloged. Sounds like a good racket – though how a day expands from “National” to “International” is a mystery.
What inspired this designation is the debut of the longer, three-row version of the new ID. Buzz sort-of-revival of the bus at an event held this seaside in Huntington Beach, California this Friday. This is the version of the all-electric van that will go on sale sometime next year in the United States of America. Yes, comedian Gabriel Iglesias was there with all his Fluffy-ness and notorious van-obsessiveness to goose up interest. And interest was goosed.
By now, the ID. Buzz is familiar. It was first shown in concept form back in 2017 at the North American International Auto Show and the two-row version has been on sale in other parts of the planet since 2022. This was the first chance to see the Stateside version. And it won’t go on sale for another year and a half… in the fall of 2024 and likely as a 2025 model.
That will be almost eight years after the concept was shown. This is such an agonizingly long and teasing vehicle launch, what’s surprising is that it’s not for a Tesla.
With about 400 vintage buses on hand, the love for the original, air-cooled, internally combusted Microbus is amazingly widespread, intense, genuine and ongoing. Not leveraging that affection would be marketing malpractice. So here is a VW event that references Woodstock (incessantly), surfing (intensely) and even the appearance of a van in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (obliquely). A crowd of maybe 2000 showed up to ogle the new van and bask in Vee Dub solidarity. Social media representation ranged from gyroscopically stabilized high-definition cameras down through hundreds of smartphones and way deep to that most elemental social media, dogs sniffing each other’s butts. Lots of good vibrations.
Lofted up on the crowd’s goodwill, the ID. Buzz long wheelbase appeared looking immensely attractive. The longer wheelbase – just shy of ten inches compared to the two-row – flatters the van’s shape. There’s almost a Disneyland monorail/Japanese bullet train air about it. Even if it didn’t have a huge, lighted VW logo embedded in its nose, it would look cool and sleek.
Tempering that enthusiasm, the preliminary specs announced for the U.S. market van include some lackluster numbers. The 260-mile range for a 282-horsepower, rear-drive version may have been impressive a bare few years ago, but not so thrilling a bare few months from now. The 91-kilowatt/hour battery pack is bigger than the current Euro-spec ID. Buzz (at 82 kwh), and competitive in the current market. But this is a big beast at 195.4 inches long (for the stretch) and the version crash tested for Euro NCAP hit the scales at 2384-kilograms. That’s 5256 pounds American. The larger U.S. market machine should weigh more. And with only 282 horsepower, it isn’t likely to be among the quicker electrics.
The twin motor, all-wheel drive version should come in at 330 horsepower but weigh even more. VW vans have always been slow – the original in 1950 had a 1.1-liter flat-four rated at 24 hp – so at least that Anti-Destination League tradition may carry forward.
The interior is flexible, almost avant-garde in its details and full of the expected tech. There’s a lot of white leather in the vehicles on display; though more filth-hiding shades may be more practical. The center row seating is almost lavish in its room, but the rearmost row legroom isn’t generous. Expect that many owners will stow the rear sofa and leave the tail open for cargo.
No one outside VW has driven the U.S. ID. Buzz yet. So, it’s an open question how it will perform in the real world. But even with those reservations about range and acceleration, it’s natural to be eager to pilot such an attractive and potentially practical machine.
VW isn’t anywhere near announcing pricing, but our Hearst Autos colleague Mark Vaughn at Autoweek made the logical argument that, considering how the current VW ID range is structured, that a base in the $60,000 range seems likely with the prices going up from there. Considering the mania out there for this vehicle, expect dealers to express no shame in asking for more. A lot more.
It's going to be (at least) another year until VW finally pays off the buzz on the ID. Buzz with some press exposure. So, hang tight. Or, more in the bus vernacular, hang loose.
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