STYLE & SUBSTANCE?

Volkswagen's ID. Buzz takes electric family-car desirability to a new level - but can it beat the Tesla Model Y?

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IT'S not often that practicality and desirability go hand in hand, but when it AE hit the better than most with the classic Type 2 microbus, and it has taken that formula into the 21st Century with the all-electric ID. Buzz.

To see if it's more than just a cheerful face, we're pitting it against the Tesla Model Y. The US brand has made EVs desirable for the masses, but does this model stack up against the arguably even more stylish and versatile VW?

Volkswagen ID. Buzz

MODEL TESTED: ID. Buzz SWB Style Pro

PRICE: £61,915 POWERTRAIN: 1x electric motor, 77kWh battery, 201bhp

THE ID. Buzz starts from £57,115, but our test car is in top-spec Style trim with £7,350 worth of optional extras, so it comes to £71,065.

Tech highlights

VOLKSWAGEN hasn't held back with its push towards electrification following the ID.3's arrival in 2019. Since then, the all-electric range has expanded to include the ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs, and now the ID. Buzz. All of these models ride on the same modular platform known as MEB.

One of the benefits of the MEB architecture is that all of the powertrain and battery technology is located in what's known as a 'skateboard' platform. This is a flat structure which, in the German company's case, allows for a body of almost any shape to be placed on top of it.

For the ID. Buzz, that means building up. At 1,937mm, it stands far taller than any other MEB car, but that aside, it isn't a particularly large vehicle. It's 4,712mm long, making it only 3mm longer than a BMW 3 Series, and it stands 38mm shorter than the Tesla Model Y.