Styling
You won't fail to notice the stretch in the centre of a Buzz LWB when you see one and it certainly brings another level of practicality to Volkswagen's characterful electric MPV to make it more of a viable alternative to the combustion-powered
Multivan family, but for our money this SWB is more proportionally 'correct' from a pure aesthetic perspective. Whether you agree with that summation or not, however, there can be little arguing how good the ID. Buzz still looks in general. The retro-pastiche take on the old Type 2 campervans of the 1960s is beautifully wrought and looks smashing in pretty much any colour combination you choose for it (be those mono- or bitone finishes), with this bold Mono Silver over Cherry Red blend (£2,791) being exclusive to the GTX. Beyond that, some high-performance-specific details like the boot badging, that diamond-pattern front grille in the chunky body-coloured bumpers, tinted rear glass and huge 21-inch bicolour alloy wheels mark this Buzz out as the swiftest of its breed, while luxuries such as a panoramic roof and IQ. Light Matrix LED headlamps are standard fit on the GTX. Overall, we think it looks fabulous, although it's a slight shame the Candy White over Bay Leaf Green paintwork is not an option on this particular variant (indeed, the only two-tone offered for the GTX is the silver-red duo in the pics).
Interior
A sportier ambience is promised in this flagship ID. Buzz, mainly because GTX is VW's electric equivalent to a
solid GTI. In German terms, clearly 'sporty' means 'darker fabrics', because the GTX is the only model in the Buzz range with a black headliner. It also comes with ArtVelours Eco microfleece seats in black, with red cross-stitching for the diamond-pattern motif and red piping to further offset the look. There are more red seams and flourishes on the steering wheel, as well as the addition of a 'GTX' emblem, while the infotainment has been improved. It's still not flawless inside the Buzz and it remains heavily touch-centric in terms of the human-machine interface, but with an improved 12.9-inch central command screen (up from 12 inches previously) running the better MIB4 software, the addition of ChatGPT functionality, and a crisp head-up display for the driver too, it works just about well enough that it shouldn't infuriate you on a daily basis. Otherwise, material quality is very good, and access to the main rear section of the cabin is via powered electric doors on both sides - a nice touch.
Practicality
Obviously, those wanting greater practicality from their ID. Buzz are going to have to go for the LWB, which comes as a seven-seater only. It's not that this SWB is bad for interior space, certainly not in its standard five-seater configuration that has been available from launch, but when you go for the six-seat layout we tested, you end up with practically no boot whatsoever with all chairs in use. On the LWB, Volkswagen quotes a 306-litre cargo bay as a minimum, but it doesn't bother at all with the boot volume in the six-seat GTX, mainly because the rear-most pair of chairs are practically touching the inside of the giant tailgate.
You do, of course, get some truly van-like space figures if you start folding the seats down, so that helps, while legroom is at least good for all six passengers onboard. There are also lots of useful storage solutions up front, including a neat fold-out dual cupholder at the bottom of the centre stack, and we absolutely love the elevated, cab-forward driving position of the Buzz - nothing else on the roads feels like it, with its deep dash, upright windscreen and sense that you're moving along in a motorised lounge. This is a feeling enhanced by the 'split' A-pillars, that form a wraparound glasshouse for the front-seat occupants and help to give the Volkswagen MPV a brilliant amount of all-round forward visibility, so it's not in the least intimidating to drive. In fact, it's a real event being at the wheel of an ID. Buzz.
Performance
You can get the GTX in all three seating formats (i.e., five-, six- or seven, so SWB and LWB both), although this lighter SWB model is the quicker accelerating of the two, given it has 250mm less of construction materials in its midriff and a battery pack (the single heaviest item in an EV) that's 7kWh smaller than that in the LWB. Of course, the SWB GTX's considerable kerb weight of 2,769kg as tested means we're using 'lighter' in its widest possible relative sense, but the 340hp/560Nm outputs and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive traction capabilities of the Buzz mean it can achieve 0-62mph in just 6.1 seconds. If you remember the old air-cooled Type 2s wheezing their painful way up any incline that was any steeper than about 1:20 at little more than walking pace, then this modern VW 'Bulli' is the complete antithesis of that.
However, we understand the argument that you don't really need 340hp in the ID. Buzz, especially when a LWB single-motor variant can still do 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds; that's not exactly slow for a big van, which is what the Buzz is when all's said and done. Nevertheless, we think we'd go for the GTX as our first choice now. It's beautifully, effortlessly strong, giving the VW a little more midrange punch that helps it when traffic clears on the motorway. With good throttle modulation and a decent set of brakes - maybe not the best EV stoppers we've ever encountered, but by the same token in no way the worst - it's a pleasure to drive this faster ID. Buzz.
Of course, with two motors (instead of just one) sipping away at the reserves of the smaller of two available battery packs, the GTX's maximum quoted range of 252 miles at 2.9 miles/kWh doesn't look anything special. Yet, coming to us on test the week immediately after the
Genesis GV60 departed, the Buzz returned some eyebrow-raising stats when compared to the Korean. They're obviously not even remotely akin in terms of their body ideology, but with similar-sized battery packs, the same 0.29Cd aerodynamic rating (yes, really, when it comes to the VW; that's seriously impressive for something with a cliff-face front end) and broadly-the-same maximum range claims (252 for the Buzz and 290 for the GV60), bizarrely the Volkswagen seemed to perform better at conserving its electric in similar driving circumstances to the Genesis.
OK, so the GTX is giving away 130hp and 140Nm to the dual-motor GV60, but it's also a colossal 719 kilos portlier too. Which means the fact it did the same Midlands-to-Gatwick motorway run at a
better 2.9 miles/kWh than the Genesis' 2.7 return a week earlier is quite astonishing. Indeed, every time we charged the Buzz up fully, it indicated a greater one-shot range as well (in the region of 236-237 miles), and while a faster motorway run back from the airport did reduce the VW's efficiency to 2.5 miles/kWh, over the course of 542 miles at an average 46mph it still turned in 2.7 miles/kWh. In other words, it overachieved on our real-world expectations when looking at the GTX's on-paper claims, when the far lighter and lower GV60 underachieved in the same circumstances. That's not us particularly picking on the Genesis, by the way - it's just that it served as a useful indicator that the ID. Buzz really is one of the better EVs out there for the true electrical consumption rates you're going to see if you drive them 'normally' and don't hypermile them. And we could definitely live with a 230-mile range on a vehicle which looks as good as the Volkswagen, no doubt about it.
Ride & Handling
Again, the Buzz sort of gets away with things we might not allow for other electric Volkswagens, purely by dint of what it is in the first place. Where the letters 'GTX' attempt to confer sportiness on the likes of the
ID.5 coupe-SUV or the
prosaic ID.7, and largely fail because they don't feel appreciably any sharper, more rewarding nor much swifter than their related models, it doesn't matter so much in the Buzz. You're really not hoping that a 2.7-tonne van-with-windows will drive that crisply anyway.
Which is not to say the Buzz is bad to pilot, because it isn't. It steers very sweetly and doesn't roll appreciably more than you'd expect of a high-sided vehicle like this, with both the grip and the traction being excellent too. It's never going to outright thrill its driver in the corners, but aside from possibly a passenger version of the
Ford e-Transit Custom, we can't think of any electric van which'd do a better job than the Volkswagen. Nor, in fact, can many three-row, zero-emission SUVs teach the Buzz an obvious dynamic lesson.
Yet, even more than its assured handling, it's the way the ID. Buzz summons up so much rolling refinement which makes us like it so much. As a GTX, the big alloys at the corners can occasionally thud into only medium-sized compressions in the road to remind you of the GTX's sporty pretences and the sheer amount of unsprung mass hanging at its corners, but the long wheelbase (2,989mm), high kerb weight and quality damping ensure that these instances are the exception rather than the rule. Generally, the Volkswagen MPV is mighty compliant, and once it's up to motorway speed then it proves to be supremely comfortable for ride quality, and surprisingly hushed in terms of both wind and tyre noise. Therefore, without ever attempting to claim that it's a big, boxy, pseudo-sports car, the GTX is easily the best-driving ID. Buzz we've sampled yet - and that means it's our favourite version by default.
Value
What we cannot ignore about the Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX SWB is the expense of the thing. As the range kicks off at £59,135, it's not like any variant of this stylish machine is cheap, but with our GTX as tested coming in at more than £71,000, it's not so much a question of whether it justifies its GTX badging in terms of the way it drives compared to other Buzz models, but rather whether its modestly increased acceleration performance is worth the premium. Admittedly, as a point of fiscal justification then almost everything fitted to our version was standard kit, apart from the pricey two-tone paintwork and a £980 retractable towbar, but it's a real shame that on an EV of this level of expenditure in the first place, a desirable heat pump is a £1,050 extra. It should be fitted as a matter of course on a 70-grand machine like this, Wolfsburg.
Verdict
When it comes to the broad strokes of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, there are obviously a few issues with it, such as the human-machine interface within the cabin (improved though it is) and the relative interior practicality of what is such a large machine on the outside. Then, with the GTX, there are further question marks over whether you need its extra speed, extra set of driven wheels and extra level of electrical consumption, especially when you consider the extra outlay required to own one.
But, accepting its few minor foibles, it's clear the ID. Buzz GTX SWB is one of VW's most desirable products right now, along with another commercial-derived machine, the
V6-powered Amarok. It's the most successful effort in the ID. family, for starters, and by some distance too; in fact, what it feels like is about the only Volkswagen we can remember for years and years and years that was made with a sense of joy built in. And that's a commodity that's in short supply in today's automotive marketplace, especially so when it comes to EVs of all shapes and sizes. So no, it's not perfect, the ID. Buzz GTX. But it is bloody brilliant, nonetheless.
