- Volkswagen has finally announced pricing and EPA-rated range figures for the ID. Buzz in the U.S.
- These figures haven't met the expectations of the internet, and would-be buyers are unhappy about the range-per-dollar value.
- The lackluster response could lead to lukewarm success of one of Volkswagen's halo cars.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is finally here—well, technically, it's been here, but only in Europe in its standard wheelbase configuration. Now it's finally coming to the States. Ahead of that, Volkswagen revealed the pricing and initial specs for the U.S. market this morning.
There's just one problem: people aren't exactly happy about the value of VW's iconic van.
At a starting price of $59,995, people are undoubtedly expecting pretty big things. After all, that price isn't exactly cheap—not for minivans, and certainly not for electric vehicles. Plus, the Buzz was one of two halo cars for the ID nameplate that the automaker has been promising for years, so of course it'll be packed with features for the money. (The other halo car, by the way, was supposed to the ID.7 sedan, but that has since been "indefinitely postponed" and possibly canceled for the U.S. market.)
But features aren't the concern here.
Range and performance to price are the primary problem for most critics.
From its single 282-horsepower electric motor, the VW ID. Buzz is only able to offer 234 miles of EPA-estimated range in rear-wheel-drive form. With an extra motor, it bumps the AWD version of the bus to 330 horsepower but down to 231 miles of all-electric range.
It's not like VW gave the Buzz a tiny battery, either. The Germans stuffed a 91-kilowatt-hours of cells into the van, giving it tons of juice to sip on while putting around town. But 230 miles isn't enough at that price point, according to critics.
"I knew it was gonna be expensive, but this is too much for those miles," wrote one user on Reddit. "Was a fun thought for a bit."
Originally, many folks were expecting VW to at least achieve around 260 miles of range out of the ID. Buzz. While still not excellent, it feels at least a bit more in-line with something drivers will take out for road-tripping—and that's something spacious like the ID. Buzz would feel right at home doing.
Real-world highway miles are being brought into be question as well. These figures won't be seen until it's actually in some hands, but between cold weather, a longer wheelbase than Europe's model, and the form factor of a smooth brick, it's likely that drivers could see well below 180 miles of real-world range on road trips driven at highway speeds.
Many window shoppers are putting the ID. Buzz up against the Kia EV9. Kia's electric flagship SUV starts at $54,900 with 230 miles of range. Its Light Long Range RWD model catapults to 304 miles of range for $59,200—just under the base price of the Buzz. However, Kia is also offering $7,500 in Customer Cash for the vehicle, plus 0% financing for 48 months, which bring the SUV down considerably in price.
Still, it's not exactly a direct competitor to the ID. Buzz.
It all comes back down to brass tacks; the sticker price. It gets worse when you option out Buzz in higher trims, considering that the Pro S Plus comes out to $67,045 after destination charges. It's hard to justify just 231 miles of range at that eye-watering number without even the chance of the federal EV tax credit being applied due to its final assembly location in Hanover, Germany rather than the U.S.
"A bit pricey for the range," said another Redditor. "Was hoping the range would be about 280-300 mile range. And that price would be about $55k-65k. It’s perfectly priced if the $7,500 tax credit was in effect for it, but unfortunately, it’s not."
"That's a lot more than I thought it would be. I guess I'm out, but it will be fun to watch." wrote another. "It is like VW didn't learn anything from all its previous attempts to overprice a car."
Back in 1974, a Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi cost right around $4,000. That's a hair under $27,000 in 2024 bucks when accounting for inflation. The low price of the Bus was one of the reasons that it was such a hit—not to mention that it cheap to maintain and extremely spacious. This new ID Buzz at least ticked two of those boxes, but cheap to buy it is not.
Will the ID. Buzz be a great van? Probably. It's actually got a lot of redeeming features. There's a very minimal hit for all-wheel-drive of just 3 miles, it looks infinitely cooler than anything else on the market (of which, nothing else seems to be a direct competitor), and It's basically storage on wheels. With all of its space, it seems to be the perfect "only car" for families of five or more to haul stuff around every day for work, the kids to sports practice, and still make room for an impromptu trip to the grocery store.
Unfortunately, that also makes it a great road-tripper, which is nullified by its sub-par range.
"I predict a massive miss here in the US. Any EV being produced that is sub-250 mile range—with closer to 210 being reality with load and real-world driving—is simply unacceptable in 2025 and beyond," wrote Kevin Hall, a member of an ID. Buzz Facebook group. "And those price points for a van? I’m a huge ID. Buzz fan, but once the early adopter buzz’ of the folks having to have the first ones wears off, I predict that they will become a dream for incentive-laden leases."
The reality is that Volkswagen needs a win in the U.S. market. The Buzz could have been that win, and if nothing else it'll serve as some free Cybertruck-esque marketing that convinces folks to check out the ID family of vehicles even if they don't buy the ID. Buzz.
I'm really rooting for VW here, but the reality of this particular model pulling the automaker out of an EV sales slump feels pretty low.
So, dear readers, what's your opinion on the VW ID. Buzz? Will it be a niche hit with those who really want a modern VW Bus, or will it flop over the price? Let me know in the comments.
