Change This, Not That: 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz

The new Volkswagen electric bus, cheekily called the ID. Buzz, is on sale, three years after its introduction and nearly eight years after the first concept car alluded to the return of a VW bus to market. The 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz is offered in six- or seven-passenger form with rear- or all-wheel drive.

ID.Buzz starts at $61,545 and comes with a single, rear-mounted electric motor that makes 282 horsepower (hp), while the all-wheel-drive variants are equipped with a front motor and generate a more-than-adequate 335 hp.

The rear-drive model has a range of 234 miles, 231 when all-wheel drive is added. Not all models are available with all-wheel drive.

What we tested: Newsweek tested one of the top ID.Buzz models in Cherry Red and Metro Silver, with all wheel drive, for a week in January in Michigan. It had an as-tested price of $70,540.

Change: More funk

My main problem with the Buzz is that its funkiness is only skin deep. But its surface is very funky with some of the best color options with greens, yellows, reds and blues as options. Everyone that sees it wants to stop and stare.

Unfortunately, when I hopped in it felt mostly…normal. I would have loved to see more of those bright colors inside, instead of the staid brown.

Keep: Two-motor powertrain

The all-wheel drive version of the Buzz was incredibly useful during a typical late winter ice storm. Despite the frozen half inch of snow and ice on the ground, the hefty Buzz (it weighs in at around 6,000 pounds) stuck to the roadway, plodding along and stopping when called upon without a hitch.

On dry pavement, its 413 pound-feet of torque kept things interesting when passing traffic on the highway or off the line at a red light.

Change: Extra Space

It could be a little smaller. The version test driven only seats six, which is less than many midsize SUVs, and there’s a ton of headroom, and legroom and shoulder room. It would get similar all-electric range and be just as cool, and spacious enough, if it shrunk 15 percent. But, the extra space is helpful for families used to having gobs of under-floor storage available for stowage when they’re on the go.

Change: Climate screen

With no buttons (besides the excellent and minivan-like ones for the rear sliding doors) climate controls have its own menu on the 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display. It’s not easy to understand at first glance with settings not just for manual and auto but “cold feet,” “clear view” and others.

It does have sliders for temperature under the screen which are accessible at any time, but fan speed and where the air points and the rear controls take some practice to master, even for someone who test drives cars for a living.

Keep: Frightening range indicator

When I jumped in the 2025 ID. Buzz, it was showing an impressive range on the gauge cluster of 232 miles, which is about the maximum it can offer. However, when I turned the heat on to warm up the massive cabin on the 17-degree day in metro Detroit, it quickly dropped to around 150 miles. Granted, that would be the mileage if I kept the heat at that max temperature for all of those miles.

After the cabin is warm (there are zones for the driver and for the rear, and Eco settings) it can be turned off and the range goes back up. Those two numbers get much closer as the day goes on and the temperature goes up. Still, it’s scary to see it drop, but is far better than the alternative, which is running out of juice at an inopportune time.

In the future, with the help of artificial intelligence, vehicles will be able to better predict range based on driving habits, driver, exterior weather conditions and other factors. But, the future isn’t here yet.