CATCH A BUZZ

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is finally here as the long-awaited modern-day, battery-powered reinterpretation of a revered classic.

- Andrew Wendler

THOUGH PRODUCTION OF THE BELOVED Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus ceased long ago, the iconic vehicle’s popularity has never waned in the collective consciousness. Born in the 1950s, adopted by the youth movement in the ’60s, relentlessly referenced in the media, and co-opted for crass marketing agendas ever since—it’s hard to believe Volkswagen waited until now to take a serious stab at harvesting some of that cultural currency for its own benefit.

Of course, this isn’t Volkswagen’s first attempt to mine its ample nostalgic reserves. The New Beetle—a front-engine, water-cooled reimagination of the original Type 1 Beetle—arrived in the late 1990s and served as a totem of the boomer generation’s infatuation with its own past.

Slipping the new ID.Buzz EV into the current zeitgeist, however, is an entirely different challenge. Merging sentimental feelings with an electric drivetrain and modern levels of refinement, safety, and feature content that were wholly inconceivable just 20 years ago, let alone when the original Bus debuted in the ’50s, is a heavy lift. Plus, there’s the whole matter of legitimately competing with traditional minivans and the emerging segment of three-row EVs spearheaded by the Kia EV9—all without diluting the spirit of the original Type 2.

The new van’s exterior dimensions stray from its forebear’s, as you might expect, and yet even with its chunky visage and short overhangs, the design is evocative. Measured against a first-generation Microbus, the 195.4-inch ID.Buzz adds 26.9 inches in length. Its 78.1-inch width is greater by 10.4 inches, and its height, at 76.2 inches, is surprisingly lower than its progenitor by 0.2 inch. The wheelbase makes the biggest leap: The ID.Buzz’s 131.1-inch span stretches a whopping three feet longer than the original. For a contemporary perspective, the ID.Buzz is 9.8 inches shorter and 0.4 inch narrower than a Honda Odyssey, yet it stands a solid 6.6 inches taller.