2025 VW ID.Buzz electric van gets 3 rows, AWD in US version

Volkswagen has provided a first look at the long-awaited U.S.-bound ID.Buzz electric van—finally, in the form Americans will be able to buy.

What have we been waiting for? U.S. versions of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz, VW says, will be made in the same Hanover, Germany, factory as the European model but they’ll have a third row of seats. They’ll be nearly 10 inches longer than the two-row model that won’t be sold in the U.S. They’ll have a 91-kwh battery pack. And they’ll offer all-wheel drive. Even the single-motor rear-wheel-drive version of the ID.Buzz will be more powerful in U.S. spec, at 282 hp rather than 201 hp. 

Whether Americans really wanted to wait around another two years for that goodie bag is another matter. Even if you’ve been holed up in a commune over the past seven years, with a copy of “How to Keep Your VW Alive” close at hand and only whirled peas on your mind, you probably know that there’s a new electric Microbus on the way. 

It’s been a long wait. Six years ago this month, VW confirmed that the well-received ID.Buzz Concept was production-bound, and a couple months after that Green Car Reports drove it and found the retro-concept to be charming, head-turning, and incredibly spacious. 

Then Green Car Reports drove the European-spec version of the ID.Buzz last year and found it to be the perfect counterpoint to the mainstream crossover. In those dimensions, it’s right-sized in many ways for urban families—with easy sightlines and great maneuverability, while effectively remixing the parking footprint of the VW ID.4, Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and many others with something distinctly different and stylishly utilitarian.

How much bigger is the ID.Buzz for America?

Americans may never see that standard-length version, so here’s what we’re looking at: In U.S. XL form, the ID.Buzz is 192.4 inches long, 77.9 inches wide, and 74.6 inches tall, and it rides on a 127.5-inch wheelbase—9.9 inches longer than that of the two-row version. An available panoramic glass sunroof with electrochromic tinting measures 67.4 inches long and 40.8 inches wide.

U.S. versions will include seven-passenger seating, dual power-sliding rear side doors, and a power tailgate, with an AC plug under the passenger seat. Front seats will be heated, cooled, and power-adjusted. Some may prefer the second-row captain’s chairs layout, which drops passenger capacity to six. 

It’ll be cargo-friendly. A center console offers dividers and a flex area on top. Second and third rows will fold flat with the help of a Flexboard adapter. While the second row can’t be removed—at least not easily—the third row can be pulled out entirely when needed, in two portions, and the second row slides 7.9 inches fore and aft.

ID.Buzz range and charging

The 91-kwh battery capacity is gross, and based on the capacity afforded in the same-size pack in the ID.7, usable (net) capacity will be 86 kwh. VW hasn’t yet disclosed what EPA driving range that will bring American ID.Buzz drivers, but that stands at about 12% more usable capacity than the Euro version’s 77 kwh. It’s likely that will result in more real-world range, even though the U.S. version will be considerably heavier. In well-equipped Euro-spec form, the ID.Buzz weighs around 5,400 pounds. Add the length, the third row, the extra battery, and all-wheel drive, and the U.S. version is likely to top 6,000 pounds. 

VW confirmed that it will be able to fast-charge from 10% to 80% in about 25 minutes, at a peak 170 kw. 

The 2025 VW ID.Buzz will be the second U.S. product—after the aero-savvy 2025 VW ID.7 electric hatchback—to get VW’s new AP550 motor, which makes 406 lb-ft of torque and incorporates both oil cooling and water cooling. Top speed for the U.S. Buzz is 99 mph, up from the Euro version’s 90 mph, and in American extended splendor it still manages a coefficient of drag of 0.29.

Tech inside the VW electric van

The infotainment system gets many of the same improvements coming to the ID.7, which will have arrived by the time the ID.Buzz gets here in the second half of 2024. The 12.9-inch touchscreen now has climate functions that “stick” to the bottom of the screen for easy access, plus various user-set shortcuts. A dedicated 5.3-inch screen in front of the steering wheel shows key driver info. VW’s ID.Light carries over from the ID.4 and helps communicate on navigation, safety systems, and even phone calls without making drivers look down at the screen. And a head-up display and remote parking are among the available tech extras. 

There’s so much to like and, size aside, the sticker price of the U.S. version might be the most controversial thing about the ID.Buzz. With its sticker expected to cross the line around $65,000, or a bit more, nostalgia comes at a steep price. But if you don’t want to box yourself into today’s norms, it should be well worth it.