All Aboard!

The long-awaited reincarnation of the classic Microbus could, finally, be the electric Volkswagen we can really get behind

- Georg Kacher and C J Hubbard

YOU WAIT FOR YEARS for a battery-electric reincarnation of the VW Transporter-also known as the Kombi, the Bulli, the Microbus—and two come along at once. Passenger and commercial versions of the ID. Buzz both go into production in the first half of 2022 ahead of arriving at UK dealerships in October. And the preproduction version we have driven gives every reason to think they could both be a big success.

In some ways, the ID. Buzz is very close to the 1950 original: rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, low centre of gravity, front seats close to the windscreen, sliding side doors. In others, utterly different: the motor is electric, many functions are controlled via touchscreen or vocal command, and it weighs around 2.5 tonnes. Oh, and it produces the equivalent of 204 hp, making it just slightly more sprightly away from the lights. Or anywhere, really.

It's a handsome thing, no doubt. A swirly wrap cannot hide that

The five-seat passenger version is called ID. Buzz. The van, ID. Buzz Cargo, has a row of three seats up front, with a steel partition separating occupants from the load-bay and slightly less premium materials in the cab. Both share the same squat proportions and promise retro visuals once the trippy wraps come off. A longer-wheelbase version will soon follow, making a seven-seater a probability; an ID. Buzz California electric camper has been confirmed and senior officials have quietly given us the nod that twin-motor all-wheel-drive variants are in the pipeline, perhaps bearing the "GTX” performance label.