The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Is A Crowd Magnet
I had to call 911 when my $600 Segway Ninebot electric scooter got stolen recently in broad daylight. The NYPD officers who showed up at the crime scene in South Brooklyn were, coincidentally, the same ones who two weeks later pulled me over in my neighborhood when I was driving the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.
No, they didn’t have any good news about my stolen scooter. But they wanted to see the van.
After casually trailing me for a few blocks, the NYPD Ford Explorer flashed its lights, so I moved to the roadside, as any driver would. The officers stepped out and walked towards the ID. Buzz, with their hands resting on their utility belt where the firearms and handcuffs are mounted. My friends started getting tense.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
I’m a law-abiding driver and didn’t recall violating any traffic rules. I had been driving the ID. Buzz at posted speed limits. I don’t remember jumping any red lights, either. I reached for my driver’s license and was ready to explain whatever violation I had unintentionally, inadvertently committed. But the officers weren’t interested in any of that.
“Is this electric?” one of them asked.
“Yes, it is,” I said.
“Must be powerful,” he replied.
He then asked my permission to open the sliding electric rear door to check out the room in the second and the third rows. The other officer turned out to be battery-curious and peppered me with questions about its size, chemistry and weight.
They simply wanted to know what this van was, the space inside, its cost, how it drove and more.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
Volkswagen had loaned me the all-wheel-drive Pro S Plus trim, which gets a dual-motor set-up with 335 horsepower. Its EPA range is 231 miles. The rear-wheel drive version produces 282 hp and has a 234-mile range. It rides on the MEB platform, is festooned with tech and is incredibly roomy inside.
Above all, it proved to be an immediate crowd-pleaser.
This was just one of more than a dozen interactions I had in a week of driving the ID. Buzz around New York City and its suburbs. The electric van, in its striking Candy White/Pomelo Yellow dual-tone paint, was a rolling spectacle, turning heads at every stoplight. Kids were curious, strangers in parking lots struck up conversations and even the police wanted a closer look.
In the parking lot of the Jersey Gardens Mall, there are several Tesla and Electrify America charging stations. Two Tesla Cybertrucks, one Lucid Air and several Hyundais and Kias were charging there, but the ID. Buzz was somehow attracting more attention than any of those vehicles from shoppers entering and exiting the mall.
It's not antagonizing, it's not controversial, it doesn't carry any political or cultural baggage. It's just a friendly giant that wants to help you get around with the help of electrons. But I'm afraid it commands a higher sticker price than it should. The original VW Bus, across its T1-T6 generations, was mostly considered practical, easy-to-repair and dirt-cheap, before it became iconic.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
“Please put this car on the market so I can buy it,” one lady told me. She raised her eye-brows after I told her that it's already on sale, starting at $60,000.
“If I didn’t live in Brooklyn, I wouldn’t have bought that [Hyundai Ioniq 6], I’d have bought this,” another EV owner said, referring to the parking constraints in New York City.
While people’s eyes sparkled and hearts warmed at the sight of the ID. Buzz, most of them were unimpressed by the $68,000 price tag of my press loaner. That’s a big letdown for someone who just wants a family hauler. After all, there are several minivans out there that offer great value and cost substantially less.
The hugely popular and hot-selling Toyota Sienna starts at $39,000 before destination. The Kia Carnival is priced $36,800. The Chrysler Pacifica costs $42,450 and its plug-hybrid version starts at $51,000. A close competitor is the Kia EV9, but even that isn't apples-to-apples with VW's van.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
Granted, the ID. Buzz is the only fully electric minivan in the U.S. right now. None of its gas-powered competitors have the visual lure of its dual-tone paint and styling that harks back to the original VW Bus. And I doubt any of them accelerate like the ID. Buzz either, or have the room and modularity of its cabin. But that may not be enough to justify that price tag.
I don’t think Volkswagen is trying to make the ID. Buzz its high-profit margin vehicle in the U.S. It’s just dealing with the reality of EV economics. It suffers from the same cost-related downsides of electrification, even though electrification makes it vastly superior, more powerful and enjoyable to drive.
While cheaper EVs are on their way, mainly in the crossover and hatchback categories, EVs as a whole are still somewhat pricey. The average transaction price of an EV was 16.2% higher than the average price of a gas car in February, according to Cox Automotive. Three-row SUVs and minivans are still substantially more expensive than their ICE counterparts.
The batteries on bigger vehicles tend to be expensive. New software, advanced tech and production costs all get baked into the final sticker price.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
Yet, despite its cost, the ID. Buzz plays an important role: it makes electrification feel fun, nostalgic and desirable. Even if it doesn’t sell in massive numbers, it can serve as a halo car, draw people into Volkswagen showrooms and, perhaps, into the EV world.
But for all the compliments, the ID. Buzz feels about $10,000 more expensive than it should be. The short-wheelbase European version might have been a better fit for the U.S. as well, if it started at around $50,000. It's priced at roughly $60,000 in the U.K.
Bigger and longer isn’t always better, especially in the EV era, even if automakers in the U.S. have followed that mantra for decades with gas SUVs and trucks. The long-wheelbase ID. Buzz might have had a real shot at the minivan market if it was priced at around $55,000.
For now, it’s largely a premium vehicle. It doesn’t have the mass market appeal of the original VW Bus. Maybe one day, when battery costs drop and EVs become truly mainstream, the ID. Buzz might truly live-up to the rich history of its predecessors. For now, at least, it's still a great ambassador for EVs.
Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
