Volkswagen has given its first look at its long-awaited ID. Buzz electric van in the US — finally, in a form Americans can buy.
What have we been waiting for? The US version of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz, VW says, will be built at the same factory in Hanover, Germany, but they will have a third row of seats. They are nearly 10 inches longer than the European version. They will have a 91-kwh battery pack. And they will offer all-wheel drive. Even the single-motor rear-wheel drive version of the ID.Buzz will be more powerful in US spec, with 282 hp instead of 201 hp.
Whether Americans really want to wait another two years or so for the goodie bag is another matter. Even if you’ve been holed up in the commune for the past seven years, with a copy of “How to Keep Your VW Alive” nearby and only spinning peas in your mind, you probably know that there’s a new electric Microbus on the way.
Yes, it’s been a long wait. Six years ago this month, VW confirmed that the well-received ID.Buzz Concept was bound for production, and a few months after that Green Car Reports drove it and found the retro concept captivating, stunning and immensely expansive. .
Then Green Car Reports drove the European version of last year’s ID.Buzz and deemed it the perfect counterpoint to mainstream crossovers. Within those dimensions, it’s the perfect size for an urban family in many ways—with easy visibility and great maneuverability, while effectively blending the parking footprint of the VW ID.4, Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and many others with something very different and utilitarian in style.
How big is Buzz for America?
Americans may never have seen that standard-length version, so here’s what we saw: In US XL form, the ID.Buzz is 192.4 inches long, 77.9 inches wide and 74.6 inches high, and rises at 127.5 inches. 5 inch wheelbase — 9.9 inches longer than the two-row version. The panoramic glass sunroof available with electrochromic tinting measures 67.4 inches long and 40.8 inches wide.
The US version will include seven-seater seating, double sliding rear side doors and a power tailgate, with an AC outlet under the passenger seat. The front seats will be heated, cooled and power adjusted. Some may prefer the second-row captain’s seat layout, which drops to six.
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz
It will be cargo friendly. The center console offers dividers and flex areas at the top. The second and third rows will fold flat with the help of a Flexboard adapter. While the second row isn’t detachable—at least not easily—the third row can be retracted all the way when needed, in two sections, and the second row slides 7.9 inches back and forth.
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz
ID.Buzz coverage and charging
The 91-kwh battery capacity is gross, and based on the capacity given in the same size package in ID.7, the usable (net) capacity is 86 kwh. VW hasn’t disclosed what EPA driving range the American ID. Buzz driver will carry, but it has about 12% more usable capacity than the 77 kwh Euro version. It’s likely that this will result in more noticeable reach, although the US version will be significantly heavier. In well-equipped Euro-spec form, the ID.Buzz weighs in at around 5,400 pounds. Add length, a third row, extra battery, and all-wheel drive, and it’s likely to top out at 6,000 pounds.
VW confirmed that it will be able to quickly charge from 10% to 80% in about 25 minutes, with a peak power of 170 kw.
The 2025 VW ID.Buzz will be the second US product — after the aero-savvy VW ID.7 2025 electric hatchback — to get VW’s new AP550 motor, which produces 406 lb-ft of torque and combines oil-cooled and water-cooled engines. Top speed for the US Buzz is 99 mph, up from the Euro version’s 90 mph, and in extended American splendor it still has a drag coefficient of 0.29.
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Technology inside the VW electric van
The infotainment system gets many of the same improvements as ID.7, which will arrive at the time ID.Buzz arrives. The 12.9-inch touchscreen now has a climate function that “sticks” to the bottom of the screen for easy access, plus various user-defined shortcuts. A dedicated 5.3-inch display in front of the steering wheel displays 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 the driver looking down at the screen. And heads-up displays and remote parking are some of the available technological additions.
There’s so much to like and, size aside, the US version’s sticker price is perhaps the most controversial thing about ID.Buzz. With the sticker expected to cross the line at around $65,000, or a little more, all told, nostalgia comes at a heavy price. But if you don’t want to stuff yourself into today’s norm, it’s totally worth it.
