Green Car Reports has posted its review of the new Volkswagen ID. Buzz, and it's good news — mostly.
"It's hard to imagine a better way that VW might have positioned an electric van for the past and the future, all at once," reviewer Bengt Halvorson wrote. "The ID. Buzz gets smiles everywhere it goes and hums above the frequency of American EV discord, whether or not it's electric, which is no small feat this election year."
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz has been in the works for years and just went on sale in June 2024. The delay of the U.S. launch was due to a redesign from the European version for a longer body and a bigger battery. Rear-wheel drive models offer 234 miles of range on a single charge, while all-wheel-drive versions can be expected to deliver 231 miles. That range is comparable to the equivalent-size Kia EV9.
The biggest challenge is the ID. Buzz is not incredibly competitive on price. Suggested retail pricing for the ID. Buzz starts at $59,995. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Kia EV9 starts at $54,900 MSRP. The ID. Buzz is not eligible for federal rebates, while the Kia EV9 is.
Either way, electric vehicles are a fine way to reduce pollution. The emissions from running gas cars pose health issues for drivers and cause wider atmospheric problems. Pollution from burning fossil fuels traps heat and wildly exacerbates destructive weather patterns. Even after taking into account the ecological footprint of manufacturing EVs, they come out ahead of gas cars in the long run.
The retro design of the ID. Buzz is clearly winning many hearts, but it may not win many sales. Commenters weren't overly keen on the VW ID. Buzz after reading the review.
"I could accept the price if the range was a lot higher, or I could accept the range if the price was a lot lower," one reader said. "But as much as I think it's a cool vehicle with a lot going for it, the combination of high price and relatively paltry range by today's standards puts it out of running for me."
"I had a really high hope for it when the concept was released," another said. "But then the product gets delayed over and over again. Now it is finally released, but it is becoming an overpriced and under performing (range) low volume seller."
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