Volkswagen’s ID Buzz electrical van is superior. I acquired to spend a while poking round it in a studio final yr, and whereas I didn’t get to drive it, I’ll say that VW nailed all the feel and appear stuff. It’s retro with out being cutesy, and it’ll provide actual practicality for individuals who need or want that van kind issue, however what if folks want more room? Like particularly a 3rd row of seats?
VW has you coated there, too, with the introduction of the US-spec three-row ID Buzz electrical van on Friday. Aside from an additional row of seating vs the non-US variations, although, what does it provide patrons? To begin, it’ll be accessible in both rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with the rear-wheel drive variant making a wonderfully sufficient 282 hp and the AWD model making 330 hp.
High velocity remains to be restricted, although the three-row will get a 99 mph restrict vs the rest-of-world two-row’s 90 mph restrict. Each AWD and RWD variations include a reasonably chunky battery pack rated at 91 kilowatt-hours, a considerable improve over the two-row model’s 82 kWh pack. Max vary remains to be TBD, however we’d count on someplace close to 300 miles a minimum of with a pack that massive.
Different rad options embrace VW’s largest panoramic glass sunroof with (fortunately) an electrochromic layer that enables drivers to manage the glass’ opacity. In the event you’ve by no means tried to drive an EV with a glass roof by a California summer season, I counsel retaining it that manner. It’s depressing.
Patrons have a few decisions on the subject of seating. Both they will have a second-row bench seat with a 60/40 break up that offers seating for seven folks, or they will have second-row captain’s chairs which scale back most occupancy to 6. That bench seat has a stunning quantity of fore/aft motion, too — 7.9 inches — to make sitting within the way-way-back much less uncomfortable.
Additionally new for the three-row is an infotainment improve to the identical system that’s in the forthcoming ID 7 sedan, although its laborious to say if that’s an improve for certain, contemplating it goes the identical “eliminate all of the buttons” route that the present GTI did and that factor is freaking lame to make use of.
Volkswagen says that the ID Buzz three-row will go on sale within the US someday in 2024, and we don’t have phrase but on pricing.
