A Short Johor Bahru Road Trip with the Volkswagen ID. Buzz 7-seater

We took the VW ID. Buzz for a review, but it felt a little bit rude not to bring it for a cross-border road trip. I mean, what better way to test out the spiritual successor of the Kombi, which ferried hippies to all corners of the world? The vast majority of Kombis surely didn’t just stay within the confines of the city, and we suspect the ID. Buzz will also have a similar use case. However, instead of hippies, it’s going to carry trendy and style conscious families instead.

So what I had in tow was my wife, my son, my parents and my uncle. Actually, we are neither trendy nor stylish. We just want to get out of the pressure cooker environment of Singapore, and that’s satiated with an escape to Malaysia ever so often. The ID. Buzz got everyone excited, especially the boomers of the group to whom the Kombi was such a recognisable and common sight.

“This was quite a cheap car last time ain’t it?”, my uncle quipped as he walked around the ID. Buzz. “And this is WHAT? Electric? Last time, the Kombi made a very distinct noise… Like the Beetle.” Certainly, the Kombi evokes fond memories of the past in a lot of people. That’s something I noticed again and again as I drove the Kombi around for a few days.

As we set off, fears of bad checkpoint traffic did not dampen our spirits as the bright and cheerful cabin of the Kombi kept spirits high. In fact, it somehow encourages conversation and interaction, more so than a typical MPV.

First row occupants had a fantastic view out front, with an almost vertical windscreen. Second row occupants enjoyed the best legroom. Third row occupants probably had it the worst with the least space and also rather upright seatbacks. But at least wherever you sit, it is airy and bathed in natural light. You sit higher than even the biggest people movers in the market, so it really feels like being in a bus, but far more funky.

As it turns out, the border was crossed quite quickly. The length and width of the ID. Buzz (this being a long wheelbase, especially) was a little nerve-wrecking trying to traverse the narrow rows of the immigration counters. But it made it. Another quirk we noticed was that while opening the automatic sliding doors for the immigration officer, phone cables connected to the door’s USB-C ports were pulled along as well, causing a phone or two to slip away. I don’t think the engineers at Germany ever expected this issue, but well, it’s something for local revellers to Malaysia to take note of while driving the ID. Buzz.

As we got to the open road, I could finally experience the ID. Buzz at speeds I could never hit in Singapore. The first thing that’s remarkable is that the power-to-weight ratio is great. For its size, the ID. Buzz does not feel sluggish at all. In fact, it’ll actually surprise many others on the road with its pace. And mind you, we were almost fully loaded with people as well.

However, at higher speeds, it is even more evident that the ID. Buzz has commercial vehicle underpinnings. Yes, you would never compare the refinement levels of the ID. Buzz with its goods-carrying counterpart, but at its price range, you’re competing against MPVs like the Denza D9 which is oozing in luxury and is as silent as a church. The ID. Buzz feels rather wooden in comparison. It is not harsh, but it rides as if it has a lot of weight to deal with and not much suspension travel to damp it all. Front passengers don’t feel it as much as those at the back.

That said, it’s rock solid when rocketing down the highway, giving the same sort of ‘Germanic’ confidence you’d get from other Volkswagen vehicles. Do note that electric consumption does get exponentially more the faster you go, so the car depletes its charge faster than expected. The trip computer was estimating a range of high 300 km.

Our first stop was Hua Kee Local Food, which gets its seafood from its very own kelong. My parents found this haunt, which turned out to be a really good find. They didn’t gatekeep it, so I guess I shouldn’t as well. Well worth the stop if you’re hungry coming in from the Second Link, and they’re open even mid-day between lunch and dinner. Hua Kee also has a dim sum counter at its storefront and it is where we bought some baos to bring home.

Next to the restaurant is actually a food court that serves almost everything you’d want, if you’re not in the mood for zi char.

With our tapaos, the hooks in the boot came in handy. Not only that, the pull-out trays were perfect for keeping our valuables from prying eyes. The innovative layout of the boot really proved very useful in an otherwise very vertical and tall space.

Almost every seat also comes with their very own USB-C charging port as well as a cupholder. I particularly found the centre tray between the front seats useful for putting my touch-and-go fly swatter as well as my loose coins and all the rest of it. Second row passengers have it especially good with foldout tables.

After the lazy lunch, we headed to a massage shop in Bukit Indah (I won’t share the name here, it wasn’t great). There’s lots of parallel parking lots here which initially made me quite nervous. But the ID. Buzz’s excellent cameras as well as its very predictable right angles made it much easier than expected to park.

Our next stop was Aeon Bukit Indah where we did our grocery shopping. Against a sea of cars in the carpark, I realised that the ID. Buzz really stood out both because of its size as well as its design. It fit quite snugly into a car park lot too without any issues.

Our final stop was dinner at Restoran Chua Kee at Gelang Patah.

Being an older part of town, some of the back streets were unlit. The drains did not have any covers on them, so disembarking the car was particularly dangerous! Thankfully, the amazing night lighting on the ID. Buzz gave everyone great visibility around the car. Among the low-rise quaint houses and tightly packed shophouses, the ID. Buzz feels like it was teleported from the future.

It was getting late and it was time to head back home. At this time it started raining, and the ‘clapping hands’ wipers were a really nice touch, a hark back to the Kombi. It was very effective in seeing us through the downpour safely, too. Despite the inclement conditions, the ID. Buzz felt super safe with its impeccable roadholding. Maybe I was a bit too harsh saying it’s a little van-like.

The ID. Buzz gave us a short and sweet escape out of Singapore, and allowed everyone to bond in one car thanks to its commodious space. Even though it was just a day trip, I could already tell the ID. Buzz will excel in creating memorable moments for its owners, just like the Kombi did in the past.

---

Car you sell, Carousell. Get the highest quote for your car in just 24 hours, with assistance on paperwork too.