Copyright Everett Herald
As someone who owned a VW Microbus during her countercultural youth in Bolinas, California, I loved the opening line from Volkswagen’s press kit for the 2025 ID. Buzz: “The 2025 ID. Buzz is the spiritual reincarnation of the classic Microbus, re-imagined for the electric future.” In Bolinas, I had a woodworker friend remove the rear seats from my VW Bus and convert it into a custom camper with beautiful handcrafted cabinets and fixtures. Then I hit the road for a grand adventure, traveling all over the country in that VW Bus, just me and my dog, Gandhi. Fast-forward to 2025 in Snohomish County, Washington. The Volkswagen Microbus has been resurrected as a vehicle with all-electric power, loaded with up-to-the-minute technology, sporting a trendy new name but unmistakably still a VW Bus. There’s one in my driveway, and it’s no hallucination. The three-row 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz is big, heavy and sturdy, yet the response it generates is just pure delight. That’s the old VW Bus charisma at play. My tester, with a two-tone Energetic Orange and Candy White exterior, was an attention magnet during the week, as expected, but all the smiles it engendered were a nice surprise. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is available in three trims: Pro S, Pro S Plus, and a launch-year only 1st Edition. Rear-wheel-drive models have 282 horsepower, a 91-kWh battery, and a single motor. All-wheel-drive models have a maximum 335 horsepower, a 91-kWh battery, and dual motors. Pro S trims come only with rear-wheel drive; the Pro S Plus and 1st Edition offer both RWD and AWD configurations. A rear-drive ID. Buzz has a middle row bench and provides seven-passenger seating, while AWD models are equipped with captain’s chairs, reducing capacity to six passengers. Pricing starts at $61,545 including destination charge for the Pro S model. The ID. Buzz interior is insanely roomy, and its design is just as enchanting as the exterior, with nostalgic touches but completely modern features throughout. Storage bins and cubbies are abundant and oversized for great utility. The center console unit can be lifted out, and cupholders are housed within a drop-down compartment in the lower dash that can be stowed away when not needed. Forward and lateral visibility for the driver is excellent. A 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system is handsomely styled and easy to use for the most part but can’t escape getting a demerit for its somewhat awkward haptic sliding volume control. I drove the ID. Buzz 1st Edition model with rear-wheel drive, whose EPA-estimated driving range is 234 miles. Nostalgic influence aside, the ID. Buzz is legitimately fun to drive. It has plenty of power, good steering feel, a smooth ride, and even some twisty road prowess. No doubt it could make short work of climbing the steep grade on Highway 101 approaching the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito. The one my dear old Bus could barely manage. 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Base Price: $65,495 Price as Driven: $67,045
