VW ID. Buzz is a funky big bus

It is also the most characterful electric vehicle from German carmaker Volkswagen

- Lee Nian Tjoe

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is supposed to conjure some kind of trip – hopefully, down memory lane and not from consuming substances. It is the successor to the Microbus or Kombi, the vehicle associated with the 1960s, hippies and, maybe, singer-songwriters Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley.

It certainly looks groovy.

The Kombi, in its original form from the 1950s, followed the Volkswagen Beetle's rear-engine format, down to the whiff of unburnt hydrocarbons permeating the cabin.

This being 2024, instead of flower power, the Buzz runs on electrons. Under its retro-inspired skin are the ingredients VW uses to create other electric vehicles (EVs) in its ID range, like the ID4 and ID5 that are already here.

The original Kombi was a very flexible vehicle. Other than being a compact people mover – with a name like Microbus – it was available as a camper van, complete with a kitchen and a bed, and a pickup truck with an open rear deck.

Like the Beetle, Kombis get modified by their owners into strange and wonderful creations, including 1,000hp drag strip racers.

In its 2024 guise, the ID. Buzz is available as a passenger car in a six- or seven-seater format in long wheelbase form, and a five-seater or panel van, which is shorter.