2025 VW ID. Buzz Pro S RWD Review

I’ve been really blessed this week to have the 2025 ID. Buzz retro all-electric van.  We’ve been hearing about this people mover for many years and now it is available in the United States at a CarPro Certified dealer near you.  I have gotten questions on these forever, and I was a huge fan of the old VW buses from back in my younger days.

So, after spending a week with this beast, I was trying to figure out: who is the buyer for this vehicle?  To me, it is likely someone who would typically buy or lease a minivan for the ease and convenience of moving people, likely children, very often, but does not want to drive a minivan.  Someone who aspires to be “cool” and doesn’t want to see themselves on every corner like happens with an SUV.  Let’s face it, a minivan is hard to get excited about, but a retro-looking microbus that will have people staring and taking pictures everywhere you go:  Now that’s what I’m talking about!

My review bus is the Pro S, which is the entry level version and only comes in a single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration.  From there you go up to the Pro S Plus, the Pro S Plus 4Motion (4-wheel drive), then the 1^st Edition model, to the top-of-the-line 1^st Edition 4Motion.  Prices range from this one at $59,995 (excluding transportation) for the Pro S, up to $69,995 for the top-trimmed 1^st Edition 4Motion.

Exterior     

There is no doubt what this is, even at a quick glance from any direction, especially the front where you see the VW logo that is as big as a Buick hubcap.  From the logo across to the LED headlights, it is lit and looks particularly cool after dark. 

You notice from the side that this vehicle is high profile and that all four wheels are set way out to the corners.  This is reminiscent of the original bus that people loved because you sat right up on the front bumper, giving you an excellent view of the road.  It is still that way today. 

It has 20” wheels with popoff wheel covers that look retro, and from behind, you get more LED lights and another huge VW logo.  All in all, I actually found it a very attractive van, although I like the two-tone paint schemes VW offers in retro colors better than this solid Deep Black Pearl color.

Powertrain   

Let’s talk power plants for the ID. Buzz. It uses the ID.4 electric motor mated to a 91-kWh battery. Power tops out at 282-horses for this RWD model, but it offers up 413- pound feet of torque to get this almost 6,000 pound van moving quickly.  The power feels really good, but electric range presents a shortcoming.  The rear wheel drive ID. Buzz goes just 234 miles on a charge. If you go with the dual-motor version, which I would suggest, range only falls to 231 miles.  Remember though, that is under perfect weather conditions.  Really hot or really cold weather, plus eight people and cargo will cut that number down quickly.  Remember, too, that all EVs are recommended to only charge to 80% capacity for longer battery life.  Bottom line, this would work fine for in-town trips, but for vacation, you’ll be visiting charging stations way too often. 

Interior   

Let’s take a look at this very spacious cabin.  This van really takes care of the front seat passengers with oversized captain chairs with pull down armrests on each side.  The interior on the Pro S model is leatherette and the front chairs are heated, cooled, and they will massage you, something I did not expect on the entry level model.  There are power lumbar supports and memory settings.  Between the front seats is a cool, thin console that can be removed and put in place for the second row passengers.  There are two small removable partitions on the console that you can move.  One of them has a built-in bottle opener, the other doubles as an ice scraper.  Bravo VW, that’s using all the resources!

Also, off-the-charts cool are the aluminum brake and gas pedals.  The brake has the universally known sign for stop or pause, the gas has an arrow pointing to the right for play, or in this case, go. As you sit down in the driver’s seat, you can’t help but notice how massive the windshield is.  It is wonderful for visibility, but I would hate to know what it would cost to replace it.  Make sure you have glass breakage on your insurance policy.  There is a heated, flat-bottomed tilt steering wheel with the driver’s gauge cluster on top of it.  The screen is not overly large, but it is easy to see, colorful, and configurable.  Overall, it tells you everything you need to know including a digital speedometer and road sign recognition.

Center dash is huge 12.9” touchscreen that operates all the climate control, Bluetooth, navigation system, a charging page, your driving modes (eco, custom, sport, and comfort), voice recognition, SiriusXM, HD radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and much more.  I didn’t find the touchscreen to be overly fast, and there are some things I’d prefer not to have to go into the screens to utilize, but I’ve certainly had worse-but I’ve had faster and more intuitive, also.  Lower down the dash are pop-out cup holders and switches for the side power sliding doors like a minivan.

Second row seating in this one is a bench seat, but you can get captain’s chairs in the upper trims.  Seat room and legroom are massive, much better than most SUVs and minivans. The second row is a 60/40 split, it slides forward or backward, it tilts for comfort, and it is heated.  There are handy USB-c ports on the side panels, and you can put 3 adults in this seat comfortably.  The seats fold down also, for hauling cargo if needed.  These passengers can control their own temperature, and the air vents are up high, which is nice when it gets hot.  One MAJOR snafu in my opinion:  I could find no cup holders for the second row.  OUCH.  You can put the front console back there, and it has a pair of slide-out cup holders, but this is a swing and a miss for this bus, especially with children back there.

One cool feature for second row passenger is sliding windows.  The windows slide toward the rear of the bus instead of down like most second row passenger windows do.  The only problem is there should be switches for the driver to be able to close them and open them.  There is, sort of, but it’s a pain and I almost never figured it out.  There are only two window switches for the driver:  the driver window and the front passenger window.  Then you hit a button labeled rear, and the two buttons slide the rear glasses.  Why not just have four buttons for the driver?  It would be so much more desirable, but I digress.

Third row seat room is also very large, it has USB-c ports as well, and this seat is a 50/50 configuration.  The backs fold down flat and coupled with the second row folded flat, there is a lot of room for something oversized.  The third row seats are also completely removable if you need more cargo area than passenger capacity.  Behind the third row seats there is some cargo area, but it is fairly limited, so keep that in mind if you have eight passengers AND a lot of luggage.

Just to wrap up the interior and emphasize the available space, the passengers in the ID. Buzz have more seating room than those in a Chevy Suburban, they just won’t have as much cargo area.   Needless to say, this thing is very roomy inside.

Features

My tester has no options, so everything we’ve talked about is standard equipment.  Some notable standard features I did not mention is:  Power folding outside heated mirrors, automatic headlights, keyless entry, remote key fob that will open one or both sliding side doors, a power liftgate, and Approach Unlock. 

This is pretty cool actually, as you approach the van the lights come on inside and outside, including puddle lights in the mirror that say ID.  When you sit down in the driver’s seat and shut the door, the vehicle comes to life and starts itself.  So, all you have to do is put it in gear and go.  When you get where you are going, put it in park and open the door, it shuts itself off.  There is a start/stop button on the side of the steering wheel, but you’ll seldom us it

Safety

Safety wise, you get:  Active Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert & Exit Warning System, Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) w/ dynamic cornering lights, Anti-lock brake system (ABS), Anti-theft vehicle immobilizer, Child seat anchors, including the ISOFIX child seat system, Dual front airbags, Dynamic Road Sign Display w/ road sign recognition, Front Assist - Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist Monitoring, IQ.DRIVE with Travel Assist hands-on semi-automated driving assistance, Light Assist (High Beam Control for headlights), Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and a Warning triangle.

Ride and Drive 

Driving the ID. Buzz is incredibly fun.  Acceleration is fantastic, ride quality is great, quietness inside is fine, and the visibility is unmatched, as is interior passenger space.  Loading passengers in and out is a breeze with the wide power sliding doors.  All around, the ID. Buzz is a joyous and wonderful van.

Knowing that I actually like electric vehicles, would I buy it?  Probably not.  It’s too pricey for one, but the biggest issue is range.  Given that, if you take a road trip averaging 65 to 70-miles per hour, with people inside, you’ll likely get 150 miles, tops.  Now you are looking for a fast charger and you’ll drop $35-$40 sitting there while the kids are screaming “are we there yet” nonstop.  For the carpool or as a commuter vehicle, if you have a home charger and the van will fit in your garage, this would be fine.

Charging times are good actually, about 5-80% in a half hour with a DC Fast charger, and a home charger will get you from 0-100% in about 7 ½ hours.  As always, forget the regular 110 outlet, you might not live long enough. 

MPGe rating is 83 city & highway combined.  There is no one-pedal driving, which I really enjoy, but when putting it in gear, if you choose B instead of D, it will use the brakes to regenerate power to the battery, it just won’t bring you to a full stop.

Note to VW

If you want a runaway hit vehicle that you probably can’t even keep up with demand on, take this wonderful product and put a gasoline engine in it.  Better yet, make it a hybrid!  I’m telling you, instant home run!  I’d even buy one myself.