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The Drive
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Pros and Cons Review: Power of Love Over Logic
The latest car news, reviews, and features. As an automotive journalist, nostalgia-packed cars are simultaneously the best and worst to review. It's easy for the new and cute thing to influence how you feel about it before getting behind the wheel, especially an icon of the car world like a Mazda Miata, Ford Bronco, or a Porsche 911. In the case of the 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz, its smile-inducing shape and playful two-tone exterior make you want to love it. It's adorable, it's fun, and it tugs your heartstrings even if you weren't a peace-loving teenager in the late '60s. But then again, this EV isn't your parents' (or grandparents') VW Bus. It's shaped like one, it's colored like one, the marketing folks tell you it's one, but it isn't one. So if friend-shaped, why not friend? Here's why: Jerry Perez We typically start these reviews with the Pros, but I'm making an executive decision to start this one with the negatives. This way, you wrap up your precious reading time with something positive. See? The ID Buzz's charm is already getting to me. Let's talk about usability. Over my weeklong test, I struggled to get a sense of what the average ID Buzz owner would do on a daily basis. Are they buying this to transport people, are they hauling stuff, or are they just using it as a nifty Sunday ride? Our editor Andrew Collins recently put an ID Buzz to the test with a bunch of stuff to haul and several of his fur babies. He concluded that while the van offers ample cargo room, it's not exactly easy to adapt on the fly, like a minivan with a disappearing third row or easily removable seats. Jerry Perez If you're hauling kids, they'll need to be old enough to climb into the ID Buzz on their own, as it sits considerably higher than the average van, and maybe even higher still than the average SUV. Climbing up into the cabin—whether it's the front or rear—is more akin to hopping into a full-size pickup truck. While the cabin ergonomics are fine , VW's awful window switches strike again. Just like the ID. 4 I previously drove, the ID Buzz has two switches to operate four windows. You must first use a different switch to select which windows you want to operate, front or rear. This is infuriating and stupid, just like the teeny-tiny sliding rear windows, which remind me that family duty ain't this EV's main purpose. Their functionality is more like a vent than a normal window, letting some air into the rear cabin but not big enough to reach out and grab a bag of grub from the drive-thru. Why VW couldn't give it full-size windows like in a normal van is beyond me. The massive sliding door panels certainly have the real estate. Jerry Perez The Buzz's 231-mile range isn't horrible, but once you factor in possible cold weather and other driving conditions, you're leaning closer to 200 than 250. That isn't ideal for a $70,000 vehicle. Pair this with my test car's inability to connect to a fast charger, and I was having to watch every mile I traveled. Due to a technical malfunction that VW didn't elaborate on, I could physically insert the connector plug into the van's port, but the software prevented it from receiving a charge from a source higher than a 120-volt outlet. This meant my creamsicle-colored ID Buzz could only charge at home. I know it's been said before, but what a cool-looking ride this is. I'm used to catching stares in exotic machinery, typically low-riding and with two doors, but the ID Buzz is the opposite of that! It's a freaking electric minivan, for Pete's sake. At the end of the day, people like cool cars, but people love cars that make them smile. Who doesn't like to smile? The ID Buzz makes people smile, and that translates behind the wheel, too. Jerry Perez Then there's the driving experience. Despite it being the size of a cargo container, the driving experience is rather sprightly. The 'little' bus is quick on its feet and provides the driver with enough reassurance to carry speed through a corner and even do a full lap of a roundabout at speed. Despite its long, heavy roof sitting 76 inches off the ground, body roll isn't outrageous, and the firm suspension keeps handling manageable when the road gets twisty. It's also flat-out comfortable. There isn't a bad seat in the house, whether you're driving, riding shotgun, or sitting on the second-row captain chairs (bench seat also available), or the third-row seats. In fact, the third-row bench is so comfortable, it was actually recalled for being 'too wide.' Unfortunately, due to its range, you likely won't be sitting on any seat for more than a couple of hours at a time, but hey, at least you'll have a nice throne while waiting for it to charge. Jerry Perez Like a lot of cool cars out there, the 2025 VW ID Buzz has a big question mark hanging over it when it comes to usability and overall purpose. It's an EV with limited range, and it's expensive, but then again, it succeeds on various other fronts, and it makes people smile. How can you hate a car for having a personality, especially nowadays, when there are so many bland cars, both electric and gasoline-powered? I can't recommend you buy one out of necessity, but I can recommend you buy one if you absolutely love the idea of one. 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Specs RWD AWD Base Price (as tested) $69,545 ($71,545) Powertrain single-motor rear-wheel drive | 1-speed auto | 91-kWh battery dual-motor all-wheel drive | 1-speed auto | 91-kWh battery Horsepower 282 335 Torque 413 lb-ft 99 lb-ft (front) 413 lb-ft (rear) Seating Capacity 7 6 Cargo Volume 18.6 cubic feet behind third row | 75.5 cubic feet behind second row | 145.5 cubic feet behind first row << Curb Weight 5,968 pounds 6,197 pounds Max Payload 1,113 pounds 948 pounds Max Towing 2,600 pounds 3,500 pounds EPA Range 234 miles 231 miles Max Charging Rate 200 kW << Score 6.5/10 It's unclear to me who would buy one of these, but I'm pretty clear on why they'd buy one. Email the author at jerry@
The Drive
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo Review: How Practical Is It Really?
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz is an electric vehicle, a bit of a vanity product, and as of this writing, still something of a novelty on American roads. But it is also a van. There's a lot of wind noise. It rides pretty stiff. And it's quite spacious, even for six or seven passengers. We took some time to load all kinds of random junk into one to help you get a sense of what the ID Buzz can comfortably carry. To learn more about the van's driving dynamics and interface, check out our first drive impressions. Then, we packed six dogs into the thing to get their impressions. Not a dog, but my bud Jerry Perez will have a deeper, week-long test drive review here on The Drive soon, too. One more thing: We did this test before the stop-sale was put in place after regulators determined the ID Buzz's rear seat to be too wide for two people. So the third row you're seeing in our pictures might not be what you can get at a Volkswagen store. Meanwhile, let's talk cargo. We got a group of bulky objects to load in as examples. Andrew P. Collins American-spec ID Buzz vans have three rows of seating. Even with all the seats up, the Buzz has room for at least four decent-sized duffle bags. Behind the third row, there's a spring-loaded shelf above soft storage boxes that you can pull out like drawers. They're like the kind of things you'd buy at Target for your kid's college dorm room; not particularly elegant but simple and useful. The ski boots should give you a good sense of how big those boxes are—one pair fits perfectly. Andrew P. Collins The quickest and easiest way to convert the Buzz from passenger to cargo mode is to simply slap the seatbacks down. This gives you a very deep and reasonably tall void of space without the inconvenience of removing anything. The floor is flat … ish. One large piece to lay down on top of the seatbacks would be great for camping or loading cargo that needs to slide or drag into the van. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like such a part exists yet. But it'd be easy enough to make with thick birch or something. Removing the rear shelf and third row of seats opens up much more space, most critically affording you a lot more cargo height in the back. It's not difficult to pull those parts, but it's not exactly trivial. The shelf comes out with two big thumb screws—a simple and slightly tedious task. The rear seats are cumbersome and annoying; getting them to fold, and then slide, and then finally un-click is a multi-stage process involving a lot of movement. Once they're free, the seats are not light so you'll want to lift slowly and carefully, with your legs, not your back. (A key mobility tip because I'm convinced anyone who wants, and can afford, an ID Buzz is at least 50 years old.) There are quite a few motions involved in pulling the back seats out. It's mildly annoying, but pretty easy after a few removals. Andrew P. Collins In this cargo configuration, you're ready for basically anything. I'd throw a tarp down before picking up anything gross, but even if you don't bother, there's not much to rip or scratch. The ID Buzz's cavernous interior can easily eat a set of wheels, a full-sized office chair, or a huge haul of rectangular boxes. A big bicycle fits, but carrying bikes inside any car is madness—they're too dirty and weirdly shaped. Still, if you refuse to get a bike rack, scroll through the gallery below to see how well a large full-suspension mountain bike fits. The final phase of a cargo-mode conversion would be to remove the second-row seat bench. It's definitely possible—the bolts holding the seat to the van's body all look pretty easy to access. But it'd still take a breaker bar to bust them loose, and for what it's worth, VW's people told me that these seats are not meant to be removed by customers. Removing and reinstalling the rear shelf is easy, and you can do it by hand. The bolts are quite long, though, so you're stuck spinning them for a while. Andrew P. Collins I declined to mess with them and most owners will probably feel the same way—this feels like a major missed opportunity. Being able to easily remove the second-row captain's chairs for mega cargo hauls, or to take the midship seats out and leave the third row in place for a limousine-like effect, was one of my family's favorite things to do with the last van we owned: a first-gen Honda Odyssey from 1995. These measurements will give you a sense of the ID Buzz's usable interior space. On the left I've sketched how tall and deep the cargo bay is with all the seats folded down, and on the right you get an idea of how big the space is behind the second row when the third row's removed. The cargo area is about 57 inches wide at its widest, though the door is 48. My mom says we can hang these on the fridge. Andrew P. Collins Scroll through this little gallery I made of a few familiar things being stored in the ID Buzz. This might give you a better picture of its real size than simple dimensional measurements. Here's a front bumper in box. Let's add some more long cargo. These skis are almost 190 centimeters Back shelf out, seats down. One seat missing. Full cargo mode. Enough room to relax. These boxes are about 2×3′ Tall enough for a vacuum. This is a standard Home Depot tote. Anotha' one. These are 16-inch wheels from a Honda prelude. Here's a Dometic fridge, a decent-sized 35L one. A Herman-Miller chair fits no problem. Bike doesn't fit elegantly, but it does fit. And this is a large one. And here's how some of these loads look from the side door. No matter what position the seating is in, the ID Buzz has a few useful small storage slots for personal items. The pockets left of the steering wheel and shelf in front of the front passenger are good for quick toss-aside road trip accessories, and the center console has a neat little pop-out trash-can style bucket at both the front and rear. Here's a closer look at the small storage cubbies and cup holders that you have access to in front of the ID Buzz. Andrew P. Collins The cup holders that pop out from under the infotainment system are kind of flimsy and awkward to reach. Storage pockets in the doors have USB chargers, which is always nice. The 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz is definitely commodious. The combination of a low ride height and high ceiling make it easy to load from the back, and the flexibility in cargo management between the seats and the little rear shelf is decent. If you're thinking: 'Will I be able to carry a lot of camp gear, or sleep in this thing, or bring home lumber with it?' you can, for sure. The little shelf behind the third row is clever and well-made. By bisecting the rear cargo area, you get a lot more utility out of an area that's generous vertically but not very deep. I do wish it were easier to take the second row of seats out, that'd make it much easier to utilize the side sliding doors for cargo work. The latest car news, reviews, and features. The rear cargo door is enormous. It makes a great awning if you're tailgating or camping. Less optimally, it might make loading the van in a garage challenging. It might also represent some complications for bike racks. The Buzz's roof is so high that it'd be annoying to put bikes onto it, and the back door opens so wide that you'd probably have to re-rack bicycles even mounted low on one of those hitch-style carriers. Empirically speaking, the rear cargo opening is 43 inches high and 48 inches wide. Finally, where the ID Buzz gave me the most acute frustration loading and unloading things is more a product of its modernness than its dimensions. There's no power button on this stupid thing, so it's always trying to turn itself off as you close doors. The giant rear hatch tried to close on me like a giant clam gobbling up some plankton. I can appreciate that it's trying to think for me, but a simple on/off switch rather than a proximity detector would go a long way to making this thing more grumpy-old-man friendly. It kept fighting me as I tried to move it around my loading area and parking pad. Andrew P. Collins Bottom line: The ID Buzz feels like a middle ground between a modern minivan and an old-school cargo van. I didn't find the ride quality or driving dynamics to be particularly impressive, but its abundance of headroom and straight, simple walls might give it an edge in hauling over, say, a Sienna or Odyssey. If you have a small business that involves transit'ing things a relatively short distance (flower shop, catering, mobile dog grooming) one of these could be great if you can grab a pre-imported one that's not tariffed. Nobody raises an eye to a minivan or cargo van running around town, but in New York's Hudson Valley where I road-tested this thing at least, people went nuts for the ID Buzz. It seemed like almost everybody pointed and smiled at it. Then again, even at the lowest model's list price, you could basically buy two Mercedes-Benz Metris vans which are much nicer to drive but not nearly as cute. Andrew P. Collins Got any good ideas about van hauling or cargo management? Drop the author a line at Pro car critic since 2012. Andrew's also been an off-road tour guide, repo man, and Baja co-driver, among other things. Lifetime car nerd, amateur tinkerer, very slow casual racer.
The Drive
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
World's Largest Genesis Showroom: Come for the Cars, Stay for the Tea
Looking like a giant gift box made of weathered steel, the Genesis Suji flagship showroom in Seoul, South Korea, towers over the busy city landscape. Its red-ish exterior is no coincidence, as the steel plates that form its shell are designed to rust so its unique and intense hue will come alive. This isn't just another multi-purpose building where an automaker houses administrative, sales, and other general staff. Instead, the very purpose of Suji is to make every person who walks through its doors feel like the brand's 'Son-nim,' or 'very special guest.' Designed by Suh Architects, who also masterminded the chic Genesis House in New York City, Suji boasts 54,000 square feet and is the brand's largest stand-alone showroom in the world. Each of its four levels is dedicated to a particular model line, while the lobby remains supremely minimalistic with just one G90 long-wheelbase sedan serving as a focal point. Beside it, a three-story glass case dazzles with dozens of full-size models as decoration. Genesis, Suh Architects Whether you're looking to learn about the young brand's ethos or simply want to sit in every car and SUV it currently produces, Suji serves as a dedicated experience center where thousands of potential Genesis customers will consult about a future purchase. Perhaps more importantly, it's also where thousands more South Koreans will purchase, customize, and take delivery of their vehicles in a seriously special way. The concept of a luxury automaker having a flagship showroom or 'house,' per se, is nothing new. However, you typically see these in more rarified air, such as Bentley, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce. These brands know that they must play the game of over-the-top catering to their eccentric clientele with opulent surroundings and bespoke experiences. However, everything about Genesis' property feels much different than what you'd encounter in Goodwood or Crewe. It's just as high-end, yet much less ostentatious. It's almost as if legendary car designer Luc Donckerwolke had some say in it—y'know, his whole thing is reductive design and 'less is more.' Jerry Perez, Genesis While lots of concrete, metals, and textured woods are used throughout the building's interior, the whole thing feels modern and high-tech. Still, there's the warmth of a human touch. If you're having trouble grasping the concept of 'modern and high-tech with a warm human touch,' I don't blame you. The best way to describe it is modern but friendly, minimalistic but fulfilling. Fulfillment is also a great way to describe what clients can experience at Suji, as the property features a cozy delivery room that, of all the high-end dealers and delivery rooms I've seen, is truly one-of-a-kind. During my visit to Suji, Genesis staff recreated the delivery process that a buyer would experience there. This takes place on the lower floor of the building and is separated from the rest of the showroom by glass walls. Directly in front of the sitting area is the delivery bay where the car (likely a G90) is waiting to meet its owner. Jerry Perez Once the owners arrive, they are welcomed by the Genesis delegation and treated to the brand's own tea. Now, they don't just hand you a cuppa the way Westerners would. This involves an entire tea ceremony featuring the signature Genesis Ogam tea blend. Once you've settled in and patiently sipped your tea, it's time for the show to begin. The new car awaiting delivery is then put under the spotlight, and two robotic arms to its side begin a choreographed dance that mimics the careful inspection process that takes place at the Ulsan factory, a few hours away from Seoul. These robot arms would normally feature sensors to inspect the car's paint, body panels, and other characteristics. Here, for the sake of showmanship, they simply have cameras instead. These cameras move all around the car (even underneath), and take photos that are then relayed to the monitors inside the lounge. The owners witness this entire experience from the comfort of their couch. Once the robots are done, the car is automatically pushed forward into the secondary delivery bay, mere feet away from where its owners are sitting. The car then rotates, and the delivery process is nearly complete. At this stage, the owner is congratulated, offered some documentation, given some flowers, and shown to their new car. Jerry Perez All in all, it's an experience that, while not necessary (let alone required), shows how Genesis is willing to treat their customers. Perhaps even more telling is that this does not carry any additional cost, and the experience is booked out for quite a long time. Genesis currently doesn't offer the same experience in the U.S., but it is slowly building out its standalone Genesis dealerships that feature similar delivery lounges. While some Genesis sales still take place at Hyundai dealers in some cities, the young brand has accomplished a heck of a lot in the mere 10 years it's existed. Lastly, with the keys in their hands and butts in their quilted leather seats, an overhead opens and the new Genesis owners can roll out in style. Oh, and with their bellies full of delicious tea. Got a tip? Email us at tips@ Jerry Perez is the Deputy Editor at The Drive, overseeing the site's daily and long-term content initiatives in addition to writing his own features and reviews. He's been covering the automotive industry professionally since 2015 and joined The Drive in January 2018.
