Volkswagen ID. Buzz - Interior, design and technology

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz shares some design cues with the rest of VW’s ID electric car range, namely its slender headlights and perforated front bumper, but the large VW badge front and V-shaped bonnet harks back to the iconic Type 2 microbus. The raked windscreen and wipers that neatly tuck down below the bonnet line boost the car's aerodynamics. The sliding side doors feature discreet rails into the sides of the body, while at the back, the vertical rear end design is similar to that of the larger Volkswagen Multivan.

There are single body colours as standard, while the two-tone paint option combines a Candy White roof and bonnet with either Lime Yellow, Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange or Bay Leaf Green for the rest of the bodywork. They certainly emphasise the ID. Buzz’s hippy van heritage, but they also add more than £2,500 to the price tag.

Life trim comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, while the Style version comes with 20-inch wheels as standard and 21-inch wheels as an option. The latter boosts the ID. Buzz's concept car looks, and in our opinion, doesn't spoil the car's ride too much, either.

It’s not perfect, especially where material quality is concerned, but the cabin of the ID. Buzz is certainly a cut above the rest of VW’s ID electric car family, including the Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback and Volkswagen ID.4 SUV. As standard there's black plastic dashboard trim and dark fabric upholstery for the seats. There are no leather upgrade options, but VW offers a range of brightly coloured seat fabrics and light plastic trim for around £1,000 extra, which complements the vivid exterior colours that are available. How the light plastics will stand up to family life remains to be seen, but they do have a matte finish that means scratches don't show up as easily, while the bright colours give the cabin a lift. VW takes great pride in the fact that these fabrics are made from recycled materials, just one of the aspects that makes the ID. Buzz is a more sustainable new car than many others. 

Compared to its earlier variant, a heated steering wheel and front seats are standard across the range, which is a welcome improvement. We would have liked to see fewer touch-sensitive buttons and frustrating sliders that have been utilised across the VW ID range because they’re not as easy to use as physical controls while you’re driving. At least they’re now backlit, which was a glaring oversight by VW in its earlier cars because you couldn’t see them at night.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz gets a larger 12.9-inch infotainment system over the standard 10- and optional 12-inch touchscreen systems that came before. While it’s better than what was fitted to earlier VW models, still had a few frustratingly unnecessary menus.  

The larger screen has more in common with what you’ll find in a Volkswagen ID.7, and it’s a definite improvement in terms of responsiveness and ease of use. It displays certain climate functions permanently displayed at the bottom, saving you from having to delve into a submenu or use the tricky-to-use, non-backlit sliders of the previous 10- and 12-inch screens.

All models feature navigation and connected services, while an on-board SIM allows you to connect to the ID. Buzz using a smartphone app. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included, so you can bypass VW's own software and use your own mapping. You may not want to do that on longer journeys because the ID. Buzz has a battery conditioning feature that’ll make sure the battery is at the correct temperature to accept peak charging speed faster when you go to plug in, but that’ll only happen if you’ve programmed the car’s internal navigation system and are happy with the charge stops it has selected.