CATCH THE BUZZ

THE 2024 ID. BUZZ IS VW'S EV REINTERPRETATION OF THE '60S MICROBUS.

- Mike Duff

We're not always keen to drive prototypes, yet there was no way we'd pass up the chance to try the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, even if it's the Europe-spec version that will launch first. Like the Euro version shown here, our Buzz will be built on the MEB platform that underpins the ID.4, but the U.S. model is still two years out.

The rear-engine VW Vanagon retired in 1991, and while the front-drive Eurovan filled the van-sized hole in the lineup almost immediately, it just wasn't the same. Then, in 2017, Volkswagen showed off the ID. Buzz concept, giving us time to grow our hair long.

The prototype we're driving is a panel van with a bulkhead behind the front seats. The U.S. probably won't get the panel van; our ID. Buzz will be larger and feature three rows of seats. How much longer the American-bound one will be remains to be seen, but the European ID. Buzz rides on a 117.6-inch wheelbase and is 185.5 inches long. The U.S. version will also have a bigger battery pack than the prototype's 77.0-kWh unit.

Excited anticipation is justified. The ID.Buzz's shape and interior dimensions prove how adaptable an architecture can be when there's no need to accommodate a bulky, upright engine and transmission. The height of the battery pack raises the floor slightly, but otherwise, the interior volume feels more vast than the van's modest length would suggest.

The prototype has the entry-level powertrain, a single 201-hp electric motor shared with the ID.4 that drives the rear axle. A dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version with the front and rear motors from the ID.4 and about 295 horsepower will also be offered.