The Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Is A Rapid Electric People Mover

Volkswagen’s retro-styled bus is its latest EV to get the GTX treatment

21 Mar 2024

It’s been a while since there’s been a performance MPV on the market. The days of the Vauxhall Zafira VXR and Ford S-Max with the Focus ST’s turbo five-cylinder are long gone, but the genre has just made a return thanks to Volkswagen – only this time, it’s electric.

The ID. Buzz GTX is the latest electric Volkswagen to wear the brand’s electric-exclusive performance badge, hot on the heels of the ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX Tourer. As with the standard passenger-ready ID. Buzz, it comes in standard or long wheelbase forms, with five-, six- or seven-seater options.

The powertrain, meanwhile, is identical to the one found in the hot ID.7 – an electric motor on each axle, making 335bhp. That makes for a 6.5-second sprint to 62mph, according to Volkswagen’s predictions, while top speed is limited to a less impressive 99mph. VW reckons on a 10 to 80 per cent charge taking 26 minutes at a rapid charger.

The introduction of more power and four-wheel drive brings some surprise practical benefits, too: the standard wheelbase GTX will tow up to 1800kg, while the long wheelbase manages 1600kg. This plays a 1000kg max capacity in the standard Buzz.

Visually, the ID. Buzz follows the recipe laid out by the other GTX models of not doing anything overly dramatic. It gets a subtly redesigned front bumper and some GTI-esque black alloys, and debuts in the shade of Kings Red that seems to be the signature colour for the GTX range.

The inside, too, is largely unchanged, the seats getting a new upholstery pattern and the cabin getting a few splashes of red and a new black headliner. ChatGPT AI integration is standard, something that’s becoming very common on Volkswagens, and long wheelbase versions can be optioned with the ID.7 Tourer’s swishy panoramic roof that can be instantly flipped between clear and opaque.

Currently, only the passenger version of the ID. Buzz is getting the GTX treatment, with no word on whether it’s planned to be offered on the commercial van version too. Orders open in the summer, when pricing is also likely to be revealed.

The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.