Why we ran it: Volkswagen is looking to repeat the glory days with a massive family EV, but was the Buzz as easy to love as a bug?
Month 1 - Month 2 - Month 3 - Month 4 - Final report - Specs
Cheery electric MPV says farewell after bringing some colour to gloomy Britain - final report
How far will you go to not have an SUV? Or rather, how much will you pay?
Whether your anti-SUV sentiment is founded in environmental proclivities, distaste for their ubiquity or cynicism about their capabilities, the fact remains that they're popular for a reason: they just do everything the average person will ask of a car. Big boot, roomy rear, five-star safety: that will do nicely, thanks very much.
But woah there, conformists! Isn't there a better way? Can't we have all that functionality and space in a differently-shaped package? One that expresses our personalities and gets the neighbours talking?
One that makes an occasion of every journey, rather than simply conveying us to our destinations? You're darned right we can.
Remember MPVs? We used to call them people carriers. You may remember the term from such gems as the Renault Espace, Fiat Ulysse and Chrysler Grand Voyager - triumphs of form over function, each designed with an outright focus on utility and each utterly devoid of charisma or covetability.
They were hardly the preserve of schoolboy sketches and bedroom posters. But now MPVs are coming back into vogue, and with much more style. UK demand for the Gulfstream-esque LM has surpassed Lexus's expectations, Volvo's striking new EM90 looks cool enough to nearly compensate for the axing of its estates and even Alfa Romeo has hinted at plans for an electric 'van with windows'.
I reckon Volkswagen started this. With the quirky, charismatic ID Buzz, it proved that mass mobility needn't be monotonous and that 'SUV' needn't be a byword for big car'. Perhaps more importantly, it proved that it was possible to make a van truly desirable.
But it isn't a van, remember, it's a car. And I think possibly its greatest strength - aside from its propensity to enliven even the bleakest of commutes - is that it behaves convincingly like one, despite its unignorable bulk.
It's impressively manoeuvrable at low speeds, stable and easy to place on the road and sufficiently efficient. Over 4000 miles, mine averaged 2.7mpkWh, equating to a range of 208 miles.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Hmm... you criticise those who don't want an SUV of 'lacking rationality'?? What rot.
The more expensive they get, the less rational they become.
Classic example of selective word grabs and taking things out of context.
I followed a VW Transporter Camper the other day that was only a 2019 model. The diesel fumes coming out of the back were horrific. I actually left as large a gap as was possible between it and my car because it smelled so bad. This is why people should be buying the ID Buzz instead.