are you going for more seats, more horsepower or both?

We love spacious family cars, but that space has to make sense. In the five-seater Volkswagen ID. Buzz, you have a trunk of over 1,100 liters and you have so much space with five passengers that you can organize salsa dancing workshops and handball tournaments. But the target group for such activities in a car is limited. The sales figures also prove this.

Sales figures Volkswagen ID. Buzz

In 2023, only 439 units of the ID. Buzz sold and until September 2024 there were only 110. Fortunately for Volkswagen, the commercial vehicle version, the ID. Buzz Cargo, the better. But how broad the regular ID. Buzz is also that in order to create more seats, Volkswagen was forced to extend the wheelbase by 25 centimeters. The total length increased by the same amount and to prevent boarding traffic jams, the sliding doors on either side became 19 centimeters wider.

No breakneck speed

To reach the back row of seats, you don’t have to do breakneck speed like Epke Zonderland or Adriaan van Toor. By the way, you are not required to have an ID. Buzz LWB can be ordered as a seven-seater. Instead of a second-class three-seater sofa, you can also have two luxurious captain chairs installed in the middle row. In that case, the LWB offers space for six occupants.

“If desired, all occupants of the ID. Buzz participating in Nederland in Beweging.”

The rear two seats are removable, the middle row is not. No matter how many people you are on the road with, everyone can sit comfortably, without anyone having to adopt the typical EV sitting position with their knees drawn up. If desired, all passengers can even participate in Nederland in Beweging without bothering others.

Lean back

But you can also sit back and admire the starry or cloudy sky through the gigantic, electrochromatically darkened panoramic roof. The driver has to make do with a slightly larger infotainment screen, which responds a lot faster and more adequately due to improved software. The smart voice control also contributes to ease of use.

How much luggage space with 7 passengers?

What is disappointing for a 4.96 meter long and 1.93 meter high car is the luggage space. With a seven-man crew, 306 liters remain. The seven-seater also does this Kia EV9 (333 l) in Volvo EX90 (310 l) slightly better, while those cars are clearly lower. On the other hand, the third row of seats is less spacious than in the ID. Buzz.

In addition, the Swedish-Korean couple looks as warm and sympathetic as the tax office in Amersfoort. If you really want to, you can go in, but if there is such a friendly, two-color ID. Buzz is next to you, you’d rather go through the sliding door there.

Despite the increased vehicle length, the turning circle has been limited to 11.8 meters. That’s only 70 centimeters more than the ID. Buzz with the normal wheelbase needs. Only when the streets become extremely narrow and the bends become very tight do you realize that you are on the road with a juggernaut that is almost two meters wide and weighs more than 2.5 tons.

The chassis handles bumps firmly but neatly. We do hear a rattle and a creak on cobbled streets. There is also more wind noise reaching our ears than we can remember from the first driving impression.

More range for ID. Buzz

Besides extra millimeters, the ID. Buzz LWB also received more kilowatt hours between the front and rear axles. Volkswagen immediately uses the arrival of the extended bus to introduce a new, larger battery pack. This package also supplies its power to a new electric motor. At the ID. Buzz GTX there are even two.

The long Buzz will have an 86 kWh battery, giving it a range of 453 to 487 kilometers. In the short version, one battery module fits less, but thanks to the improved technology, the net capacity also increases there: from 77 to 79 kWh. This increases the range from 415 to 423 to 461 kilometers, depending on the version.

Fast charging is faster

Not only has the car become faster, this also applies to the on-board charger. The 79 kWh battery can be charged with 185 kW, so you can go from 10 to 80 percent power capacity in less than half an hour. Thanks to the even higher fast charging capacity of 200 kW, this is just as fast with the large battery.

BMW driver bites the bullet on electric Buzzje

The new electric motors make the standard power of the regular Volkswagen ID. Buzz a big leap. Actually, 204 hp was quite fine for a car like this, but with the current 286 hp you are completely well equipped. This is also what the young driver of a somewhat older BMW 1-series noticed when he stood next to us at a red traffic light.

Despite his false start, we showed him that times have changed. Especially the acceleration times of multi-colored Volkswagen vans. In the long version, the regular ID.Buzz LWB sprints to 100 in 7.9 seconds, the short version only needs 7.6 seconds for this exercise.

ID. Buzz GTX crushes cap brigade

For those who want even faster, Volkswagen has the sporty ID. Buzz GTX created. Equipped with two electric motors with a combined 340 hp, this super bus reaches 100 speed in 6.1 and 6.5 (LWB) seconds respectively. Without drama or wheelspin, because all four wheels are driven. For example, he makes entire hat brigades with old GTIs bite the dust of their fake fur steering wheel covers while sweating.

But they were warned, because the GTX is clearly recognizable by the different front bumper with black details and daytime running lights in boomerang shape. This makes that happy Bulli suddenly look like an Angry Buzz.

Furthermore, the ID. Buzz GTX features 20-inch alloy wheels, GTX badging and all-black fake grilles in the D-pillars. Intelligent LED matrix lighting is standard and inside the GTX gets black headliner and sportier, dark furniture with extendable seat and red accents.

Top speed Volkswagen ID. Buzz

Above 160 km/h, the slightly frustrated boy racers can enjoy themselves again, because that is the (limited) top speed of the new ID. Buzz, also from the GTX. The updated Buzz easily outperforms the first version (145 km/h). It is also hard, because above 110 km/h the power consumption quickly rises to well above 20 kWh/100 km.

Extra towing weight Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX

That the GTX is faster than the regular ID. Buzz is funny. However, a car like this will never be sporty, even though Volkswagen has done its best to tighten the chassis. In short bends the tires start to groan quite quickly and understeer lurks.

The most important added value of the GTX is its four-wheel drive, which allows it to tow heavier trailers. With the normal wheelbase it can carry 1800 kilos on the hook, with the LWB this is 1600 kilos. The rear-wheel drive Buzz already weighs 1000 kilos.

Prices Volkswagen ID.Buzz LWB and GTX

Volkswagen is not known for its generosity, which is why it is all the more surprising that Volkswagen opted for the extended ID. Buzz charges a modest additional fee. It only saves 1000 euros with the short version. That does not mean that the car is too expensive. For the Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro (210 kW, 286 hp) asks the dealer for 53,990 euros, which means that the extended variant with the same drivetrain costs 54,990 euros.

For the 360 ​​hp GTX with the same battery you will spend 69,990 and 70,990 euros respectively. Regardless of the price-quality ratio and the range, I think the ID. Buzz LWB a much nicer and more likeable option than large, seven-seater SUVs. The sore point is the finish of the interior. It looks nice and fresh, but the plastics breathe too much van.