VOLKSWAGEN ID. BUZZ

There was much to like about the big EV, despite some glaring flaws

- Paul Barker

MY attempts to scrub our long-term VW ID. Buzz clean tell you a couple of things. First, the sheer quantity of road grime highlights how it racked up the miles, and second, I loved it enough to roll my sleeves up and give it a good soaping before the bright yellow fun bus was taken away.

We ended up sailing past the 11,000-mile mark in nine months, despite the range being one of its key drawbacks, along with the sometimes hellish infotainment system. Let's get those negatives out of the way first.

The range and efficiency were occasionally problematic, in that once the temperature dropped, the efficiency plunged from around 2.8 miles per kWh to the low twos. And the range dipped below 200 miles, which is enough to increase the chances of having to use a public charger on longer trips, where a real-world 250 miles would have seen me safely back home for a top-up.

The new long-wheelbase Buzz partially solves the problem because it gets a larger battery, but you still won't be seeing 250 miles in colder weather. Having spent a couple of years driving EVs, that's something of a magic figure that just makes life easier.

As for the infotainment? It's frustrating to use, especially on the move, and with a voice-activation system that sprung to life unprompted no less than 15 times on a round trip from Sussex to Manchester (we counted them), it's one of the few huge negatives.

Especially when the car seemed to forget it has wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity.