The seven-seat car market is relatively niche, which is a bit of a surprise considering the size of cars these days. Surely, with a bit of clever jiggery-pokery, manufacturers could easily accommodate an extra row of seats? Well, in a van, there is no need for clever engineering, there’s just loads of space. The thing about vans, however, is that they don’t immediately spring to mind to be put to use as family wagons. VW has trodden the line carefully and thoughtfully. Leaning into its surfer-chic back catalogue, the VW ID Buzz GTX was conceived on the retro wave of recent times to take advantage of electrification. Old, meet new. Judging by people’s reactions to it, they’ve comfortably hit the mark.
As coincidence would have it, the last review I did was also of a seven-seat car, the Volvo EX90. That’s just about where the comparisons end, but the differences are interesting. The differences, those are, in public opinion at least. No one stopped to talk to me about the Volvo. Not a soul. The VW ID Buzz GTX, however, was a natural conversation starter. Everyone wanted to know about it. The two-tone paint, the styling, the interior, the powertrain; there was a lot of curiosity.
For what is essentially a massive van, it’s great how VW has managed to evoke nostalgia whilst keeping up with the times. It’s not an easy trick to pull off and it’s certainly not a trick that everyone has. The only wince-inducing comments come when you mention the price. In top-spec GTX guise, for this, the long wheelbase version, you’re looking at £73,073 as tested. They’ve nailed the aesthetics and practicality, but can it possibly live up to that price tag? A week and 387 miles would reveal all.
Living with the VW ID Buzz GTX
At 4.97m long and 2.2m wide, you might expect the VW ID Buzz GTX to be a handful around town and car parks. Whilst you certainly notice the dimensions, it’s well managed via a very good safety and surround-view tech. It’ll even park itself.
With a lofty driving position, you get a commanding view of everything. Arm rests lend a Range Rover feeling to proceedings, then throw in heated massage seats and it becomes a calm environment to be in. Commuting to work, parking in a tight underground car park, was no issue whatsoever.
Being able to see out of a car, I realised, has become something of a luxury in its own right. With chunky A-pillars and airbags stuffed in everywhere, the view out of many cars can be restricted to say the least. The VW ID Buzz GTX was a welcome change. You sit quite close to the front windscreen and there is glass everywhere, so visibility is superb.
The interior is well thought out with brilliant use of space. It’s shorter than the Volvo EX90, which itself isn’t short on interior space, but the VW ID Buzz GTX has serious room in it. You could fit 6ft+ people in the third row and they’d have ample legroom. The middle bench slides forwards and back, there are trays for those passengers and the kids weren’t on top of each other which greatly reduced instances of sibling violence. This was handy on a trip to Coventry and back, further supplementing the relaxed vibes this thing emits.
Then, I took my eldest and four of his friends to a birthday party in Guildford. We owed a few lifts so this was a chance to tick them all off at once. It survived 90mins with five eight-year-olds without fuss.
What’s the VW ID Buzz GTX like to drive?
So, this being the GTX version, it’s the fast one. You get 340hp and 560Nm of torque from an 86kWh battery, which propels this 2910Kg (unladen!) monolith from 0-62mph in 6.4secs. If you need a family van that will compete with 20-year-old sports cars down B-roads, then look no further. Obviously things become a bit sticky in the corners, but even there the VW ID Buzz GTX handles things far better than you’d expect.
It manages its acceleration calmly. There’s a noticeable thrust, of course, but nothing unruly. No need for drinks in the rear to be spilt. To conserve battery (and your licence) the top speed is limited to 99mph. I didn’t go anywhere near this, but moving around at motorway speeds I have no doubts it’ll get there without fuss.
On the motorway, it’s surprisingly quiet and refined. You expect wind noise given that, to the eye, it has the aerodynamic properties of a brick. But there isn’t any. The ride quality, too, is exceptional.
So, we arrive at range. There’s a WLTP figure then there’s reality. The claimed range is up to 281 miles. I achieved 2.4 miles p/kWh during my week with the VW ID Buzz GTX. With an 86kWh battery, that means a range of 206 miles. Given the size and weight, that’s not so bad at all.
I didn’t quite manage Coventry and back on a full charge (222 miles) but a five-minute stop on the M40 was enough to comfortably replenish the battery to complete the journey.
I enjoyed driving it more than I thought I would. The lofty driving position is great, then it’s comfortable and refined to boot. Whilst the performance afforded to the GTX is unnecessary, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t quite like that, too!
Conclusion
So, can it justify the £73k price tag? The two-tone paint is a £2,826 extra, and the tow bar another £996. I like the paint and would probably spec it. You can also opt for a non-GTX version, but then you lose the Harmon/Kardon stereo and a few other goodies which are standard features here.
There’s also the fact that EVs are expensive things. A Kia EV9 in top spec is another £5,000 and the EX90 a further £25,500, if you need seven seats in your EV.
There are a couple of rough edges. There’s a lot of scratchy plastic, something you realise when you crank up the stereo and the bass resonates through various parts of the dashboard. The trade off for this is ease of replacement and cleanliness. Everything is wipe clean, something any family will appreciate.
With all things considered, from the state of the market to the ID Buzz GTX itself, I think it does go a long way towards justifying the sticker price. The combination of retro and modern is endearing, my children absolutely loved it and I was rather taken in by its charms. I never thought I’d be sad to see a van driven off my drive, but there I was, watching the nice man from VW take it away through the living room window. I’d happily have kept it for longer.
What’s perhaps most appealing is that you’ll know whether or not you’ll like it just by looking at it. Here is a book that you can absolutely judge by its cover. From there, you’ll do whatever you need to do to justify that price tag. If it looks like a bit of you, it won’t disappoint.