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Does our long-term 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz qualify as an icon? During a roundtable discussion held in conjunction with this year’s New York International Auto Show, then president and CEO of VW of America, Kjell Gruner, was asked whether low-volume products like the Golf GTI/Golf R and ID Buzz were worthy of continuation. His response: “They’re very important to what the brand stands for—you know, ‘smiles per mile,’ perspective, and heartbeat. The brand needs these icons, brand shapers. And to me that’s Golf R. That’s Golf GTI. That’s also the ID Buzz.”
We can probably all agree the original VW Type 2 bus fits the definition of an icon: an image whose recognizable form connects the viewer to the person, idea, or meaning it represents. The OG bus’ split windshield, flat face, two-tone V-shaped nose, enormous greenhouse, and loaf-of-bread proportions have come to signify other things: hippies, road trips, camping, surfing, freedom, youth, counterculture—even a certain optimistic recollection of the 1960s.
So the question is: Do people today see an ID Buzz and immediately connect it with the old VW Bus? Does the Buzz ape the original Type 2’s look as faithfully as the New Beetle did its predecessor? Are today’s adults seeing this shape and drawing the line back to the hippie rigs of their youth?
Well, we’re happy to report that numerous interactions with John & Jane Q Public suggest the answers to these questions is largely yes. Our destination for the 2,000-mile journey covered in Update 2 was a public multi-make car show hosted by Atlanta’s Dogwood Region of the Lambda Car Club. On a show field with entries ranging from Porsches and Rolls-Royces to a 1937 Packard, a 1978 Jeep J-10 Honcho, and a 1981 Mercury Cougar, our Energetic Orange Buzz drew considerable attention—much of it from folks who reported never having seen one. Those reporting family histories in VW buses immediately recognized features like the two-tone paint, giant VW emblem on the nose, and the vinyl B-pillar assist straps as touchstones of the original.
Weeks later, while parked alongside Detroit’s fabled Woodward Dream Cruise, it drew more attention from car lovers young and old, eager to climb inside or pose their kids for photos. Again, many admitted having heard of the car but never having seen one up close, while few if any admitted having no idea what it was.
Out on the road, we are often flashed peace signs by passing drivers, who are always smiling. As this is written, we’re on the first leg of another epic road trip, stopping in Michigan’s isolated thumb, where three successive stops compelled passersby to come for a closer look and comment on our “modern hippie van.” Hence, the question of its status as a design icon would appear to be settled.
Folks who engage with our bus all seem enthusiastic about it—until they hear the price and/or that it’s only available as a battery electric vehicle. “Ooooh. No hybrid?” Sorry.
Clearly this new incarnation is aimed at a different clientele. The most glamorous 23-window De Luxe Station Wagon version of the Type 2 Bus in 1963, cost $2,655 new, or just under $30,000 today. The cheapest, plainest, least iconic monochrome ID Buzz now costs more than twice that much. (Good news, two-tone paint becomes standard for 2027.) Today’s hippies and counterculturistas need lucrative side hustles to swing a Buzz.
Meanwhile, we find ourselves browsing Amazon and Etsy for vinyl decals with which to amplify our Energetic Orange Buzz’s hippie vibe …
More On Our Long-Term 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Pro S Plus:
- Arrival: Weighing Charm Against Range
- Setting Up the 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Was Surprisingly Painless.
- 2,000-Plus Mile Road-Trip Learnings.
- Camping in a Peace Vans Modern ID Buzz Pop-Top
2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Pro S Plus Specifications | ||
BASE PRICE | $65,045 | |
PRICE AS TESTED | $69,109 | |
OPTIONS | Panoramic glass roof, $1,495; Energetic Orange and Candy White paint, $995; roof rack, $479; mobile charging cable, $360; HeritageMats floormats, $300; rear bumper protection plate, $175; second-row cupholders and center console organizer, $165; prepaid scheduled maintenance, $95 | |
VEHICLE LAYOUT | Rear-motor, RWD, 7-pass, 4-door electric van | |
POWERTRAIN | Permanent-magnet motor | |
POWER | 282 hp | |
TORQUE | 413 lb-ft | |
TRANSMISSION | 1-speed fixed ratio | |
BATTERY | 86.0-kWh NMC lithium-ion | |
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 6,052 lb (48/52%) | |
WHEELBASE | 127.5 in | |
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 195.4 x 78.1 x 76.2 in | |
TIRES | Continental ProContact TX10 | |
EPA FUEL ECONOMY, | 90/75/83 mpg-e | |
EPA RANGE | 234 mi | |
70-MPH ROAD-TRIP RANGE | 213 mi | |
MT FAST-CHARGING TEST | 112 mi @ 15 min, 177 mi @ 30 min | |
MotorTrend Test Results | ||
0-60 MPH | 6.6 sec | |
QUARTER MILE | 15.2 sec @ 91.4 mph | |
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 111 ft | |
LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.82 g | |
FIGURE-EIGHT LAP | 27.6 sec @ 0.64 g (avg) | |
Ownership Experience | ||
SERVICE LIFE | 4 mo/4,048 mi | |
REAL-WORLD FUEL ECONOMY | 2.4 mi/kWh/81.4 mpg-e | |
ENERGY COST PER MILE | $0.18 | |
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE | 0 | |
MAINTENANCE AND WEAR | None | |
DAMAGE | None | |
RECALLS | None | |
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