The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Holds The Secret To Making Minivans Cool Again

Now that the dust has settled, the hype has died down, and we've had a weekend to contemplate, we want to take a measured look at the return of the Volkswagen Bus to North America in the form of the ID. Buzz.

We were in California for the media preview of the ID. Buzz that took place in a studio where we could take photos, get a close-up look at the extended wheelbase version for the US market, and poke around inside.

The ID. Buzz was unveiled to the public alongside a fantastic Buses and Coffee event attended by many enthusiasts and their classic buses.

When you break it down dispassionately, what Volkswagen has here is a minivan with 70 years of heritage indelibly ingrained in popular culture. And now it has gone electric.

The Volkswagen Type 2 has gone by many names, but originally its official name was Transporter. However, the more common term Bus came from Microbus and preceded the minivan by 33 years.

The ID. Buzz leans heavily into the Microbus's history in styling and practicality. Still, we describe it as a minivan as it's now an electric van more in line with the more modern minivan than the rear-engined bus of old. However, Volkswagen has a huge advantage over any other minivans that are sure to appear in the future if the ID. Buzz is successful.

Dodge's Caravan doesn't inspire romance, the Chrysler Pacifica has never been hip, and the Honda Odyssey is the exact opposite of a counter-culture symbol.

No other minivan name can be linked to so many aspects of popular and counter-culture. It's also tied in so densely with music history it made sense for Volkswagen to have the East Coast's famous Woodstock Radio feature as part of the reveal. In short, the ID. Buzz arrives without the staid baggage of the suburban soccer mom or dad stereotype.

Our first close-up look showed all the differences between the North American ID. Buzz over the European version that's been out for around a year.

Its wheelbase is extended, which becomes apparent when looking at the side doors. The front VW badge is illuminated, which isn't legal in Europe, and the extended wheelbase allows for a third row of seating.

As far as Volkswagen will tell us, the extended wheelbase version was developed specifically for North America and will be the only version available, and it makes sense. American cars don't need to be compressed, and a longer bus will always be a better bus, whether you're making day trips, camping, road-tripping, or just hauling the kids to school and soccer practice.

It may only be an extra ten inches on the wheelbase, but the third row is roomy, allowing for useable cargo space behind. It can fit seven people with two bench seats behind the driver and front passenger, or six if the second row is equipped with the more comfortable two captain's chairs.

We hopped in the back with another journalist, also measuring over six feet tall, and quickly concluded there was plenty of space and we could be comfortable on a long trip back there. Then, we moved the seats back.

The inside of the extended ID. Buzz is a wonderfully airy place that feels Tardis-like - as in it feels more significant on the inside.

Part of that airiness in this pre-pre-production model (how it was described to us) is the (optional) and substantial panoramic roof and the (stander) windows running around the outside. The dual-tone colors on the outside and inside give the ID. Buzz has that throwback feel, but it's all modern inside, from the materials used to the technology embedded.

The technology includes an updated take on Volkswagen's infotainment system seeking to fix its current issues, driver aids, and safety tech.

Wandering around Buses And Coffee event before the official reveal hammered home just how culturally important the VW Bus is to America.

As a reminder, it's historically the largest market for the bus. It was also a reminder that the ID. Buzz is larger than the classic Type 2s, and there's still a lot to mine from the various configurations that have graced the Bus and its uses over the decades.

Speaking with a couple of product developers, they explained that they could put a table in like the old campers in the US, but the European versions wouldn't be able to have them due to safety legislation.

We saw several color schemes throughout our two days, starting with the Cabana Blue. Other cheerful but still stylish colors will include Energetic Orange, Pomelo Yellow, and Mahi Green, as well as the more subdued Metro Silver and Indium Gray.

Despite America historically being the largest market for the Bus, we're looking at the 2025 model year, which will go on sale in the USA in 2024, around two years after the ID. Buzz hit the market in Europe.

What's clear is that Volkswagen is measuring its market and ensuring the ID. Buzz lands with as much force as possible. Onstage, Volkswagen even announced that International Volkswagen Bus Day had been formally added to the National Day Calendar for June 2, and at the end of the show, wheeled out comedian and ferocious Volkswagen Bus collector Gabriel Iglesias.

That measuring of the market and the attention to detail ensures the ID. Buzz works practically as well and has the retro vibes it needs to become a cult hit as well as a mainstream success will be measured in numbers, but right now, it feels like Volkswagen has taken a swing and connected with the ball.

Whether it will be a home run will likely come down to factors not entirely in Volkswagen's control. The first is that when you break things down, it is a minivan, and minivans have taken a beating in popular culture for the past couple of decades. The second is to do with it being only available in all-electric form.

The automaker hasn't given details yet, but it will likely have a range of around 260 miles, which may explain the delay. Another year allows Volkswagen to improve the range through battery development and the currently shambolic US charging network time to improve and become passable.

The charging network will be make or break for a vehicle that is marketed on the history of an icon that symbolizes freedom through travel and exploration.