Volkswagen ID. Buzz 7-seater Review: Mostly Irrational Fun

What we like:

Huge charisma

Fantastic interior space

Rather brisk to drive

Iconic looks

What we dislike:

Expensive for what it is

No-frills approach

The ID. Buzz has been the talk of the town ever since it was showcased at the 2023 Singapore Motorshow. “When is it coming?” was probably asked to the point of exhaustion.

Finally, it made its debut this year. Despite being several years after its global launch, the ID. Buzz still feels a little surreal in its concept and execution. Half of me still thinks I am driving a concept car, due to its cartoonish looks and impressive size.

But of course it isn’t, and you can buy it off the showroom floor at Alexandra Road this instant. Built on the MEB platform that also underpins Volkswagen’s other electric products like the ID. 4 and ID. 5, the ID. Buzz has the unique talent of being able to double up as both a commercial vehicle (ID. Buzz Cargo) or a passenger car (this one). Of course, both have been differentiated as much as possible, but the bones are the same.

Stretching as long as 4,712 mm for the Normal Wheel Base (NWB) version, or 4,962 mm as tested here in the 7-seater Long Wheel Base (LWB) format, the ID. Buzz is truly larger than life. Comparisons with other MPVs don’t quite cut it, as the efficient use of space as a commercial vehicle demands can very much be seen also in the ID. Buzz. There is a lack of embellishments in the cabin that may extrude and eat into the interior room; it’s a very rectangular cabin that’s breathtakingly spacious.

But that’s not to say that Volkswagen hasn’t had fun in the process. The ID. Buzz’s interior - a lot of it due to the colour combination, it must be said - is a cheerful and inviting place to be. There are the familiar controls from the other ID. models, like the steering wheel, instrument panel, infotainment screen, gear selector and indicator stalks, but the windscreen is set almost vertical, giving front row occupants a unique view of the road without virtually no front overhangs. Check out how the front nose opens up, too.

There are thoughtful placements of USB-C charging ports across each row as well, although the second row ports are located in the sliding doors - which means that the wires (and maybe your phones) will be pulled away when you open them. A rare ergonomic flaw in an otherwise faultless cabin. Speaking of the second row, the 2-3-2 configuration means that the 3 seats are laid out almost like a bench albeit 60:40. Legroom is astoundingly good, and there is a fabulous view out from the expansive windows. The seats can be maneuvered pretty easily too, including a neat fold to make entry to the third row a cinch.

In the final two seats at the back, legroom is surprisingly good but the seatbacks are set rather straight with not much room for adjustment. This makes them slightly uncomfortable for longer journeys, but at least there’s ample storage here as well as dedicated AC vents.

The boot is very unique. Opening the massive tailgate (which can also be operated via foot), you see a two-level setup that Volkswagen calls the ‘multiflex board’. I think it is pretty clever as the massive space of the boot means your loose items may be all over the place if there aren’t compartments for them. So these little compartment drawers at the bottom allow you to store smaller stuff there, as I did when I wanted to keep my DSLR from prying eyes. Even with the compartments, the remaining boot space is simply massive thanks to the incredible height of the cabin. Thankfully, there are further ways to configure the area, thanks to velcro separators (provided) as well as hooks and even a cigarette lighter port.

With all those people and stuff you can carry in the ID. Buzz, you may think it’ll struggle a little on the road. Not at all. Powered by a 282 bhp / 317 Nm rear electric motor, the ID. Buzz is surprisingly brisk even with a full load. What suffers though is the electric consumption figure - we achieved 24.6 kWh/100 km versus the official WLTP figure of 21.7 kWh/100 km. This translates to a real world range of around 350 km - reasonable, but not quite class-leading.

With its dimensions, driving the ID. Buzz takes some slight adjustment. Go a little wider when making turns and you would be fine. But tight multi-storey car parks are where things get a little dicey. I attempted the car park at Wisma Atria (foolishly) with the ID. Buzz and had a harrowing time navigating my way out, due to the exceptionally tight meandering downhill corners. I made it out unscathed and wiser. Surprisingly, the height of the ID. Buzz never presented itself as an issue for most car parks.

I think the big (forgive the pun) question in everybody’s minds is this: is the ID. Buzz worth the money? It’s fair to say that the car has many fans. During my weekend with it, I had the most number of people pointing at it or taking photos of it than with any other press car this year. That includes supercars. And, they usually end up smiling and even saying “awww”. It’s undeniable that it has the charisma and X-factor. On this front, it’s a big win for Volkswagen given how hard a time it has had trying to build the appeal of the ID. 4 and ID. 5.

However, if you consider the hard competencies of the car, I do believe that it got its work cut out for it. Its features are comparatively minimal and no-frills, aside from a Harmon Kardon sound system. The interior materials feel like what you’d find in a Golf - fine in a sub-$200k car, but this is asking for luxury class money. The noise insulation doesn’t quite cocoon the cabin in hushness. And the drive, well, it feels a bit like a true bus. The ride doesn’t quite manage the car’s mass particularly well, so the ID. Buzz has a bit of a wooden feeling to it. All this is fine if the car is positioned sub-$300k, but the ID. Buzz is in fact one of the priciest cars on Volkswagen’s price list right now.

That said, we come back to its charisma. For many, especially of a certain generation, those who have lived with the Kombi as a common sight - and even a symbol of freedom and change - there’s nothing else quite like the ID. Buzz. It just makes people happy - so how do you put a price on that?

Photos by James Wong

---

Sell your car to us for up to $5,000 more than market prices. Get a quote now!