I’ve driven the new VW ID BUZZ and it makes a superb MPV and van – but its price will surprise you

DOES anyone else remember the days when VW badges were more sought- after than the latest iPhone?

Thanks to Mike D from the Beastie Boys, everyone wanted to wear one around their neck.

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I’ve got a mate whose mum and dad had the badges jemmied off their Golf and Passat by wannabe rap stars.

Things got so bad that Volkswagen UK offered to send Beastie Boys fans free badges to stop cars being vandalised.

Good job that Eighties craze is over because I’ve just been up close to the production version of ID Buzz and the VW badge is the size of a DINNER PLATE.

That would have been the ultimate prize for those thieving little toe rags. My cousin included.

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Fast forward to today and both the original VW bus and the Beastie Boys have been brought into the modern era.

ID Buzz is the coolest electric MPV money can buy and a quick look on Spotify reveals Fight For Your Right has had 163million downloads. Still popular, then.

Right, let’s talk ID Buzz.

You may remember we tested a camouflaged prototype back in February. We liked it. Now we’ve tried the showroom-ready versions with the full interiors. We like them even more.

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PIN-SHARP GRAPHICS

No prizes for guessing they are hi-tech, swimming in sustainable materials and beautifully executed. But also expensive.

There are two versions to start with: ID Buzz, a five-seat people carrier costing £57k, and ID Buzz Cargo, a panel van from £38k excluding vodka and tonic.

Both are rear-wheel drive, like the old T2, and powered by a 77kWh battery pack positioned low between the front and rear axles.

Next year VW will stretch ID Buzz by 25cm to add a long wheelbase version with a bigger battery, 4WD and the option of six or seven seats.

The ID Buzz California camper coming in 2025 will be based on that.

ID Buzz Cargo with its 607kg payload won’t get any bigger because it doesn’t need to.

There’s a 1-tonne electric Transporter — based on the next-gen Ford E-Transit Custom, right — arriving in 2024. Now for some driving impressions.

Super easy. Super comfy. Just hop in and go. Visibility is excellent. The body is well tied-down (batteries aren’t light). The turning circle is comically small. Twin screens. Big speedo. Pin-sharp graphics. Much like an iPhone, it just works.

So good, in fact, ID Buzz is a finalist for The Sun’s Readers’ Car of the Year award.

The base ID Buzz Cargo van has three seats up front (bonus — the driver’s seat is heated), that 10in central screen, wireless Apple Car Play, plus all the usual cup holders and storage you’d expect. Also, no gearstick. So the middle-seat passenger doesn’t need to be a jockey. Or an amputee.

The cargo area can swallow two Euro pallets or 3.9m3. It can tow up to 1,000kg. Also, sliding doors on both sides are standard. Choose between swing-out rear doors or a tailgate.

CITY TRAFFIC

Now for the sticky bit.

Range and charging.

For those who drive up someone’s bumper at 90mph on the motorway, ID Buzz is not for you. For those who dot around their neighbourhood delivering things or doing service call-outs, it just might be. We got close to the official 256-mile range on a mix of stop-start city traffic and faster dual- carriageway driving.

Admittedly, it was a warm, sunny day and there was nothing in the back. Fully loaded in winter will be a different story.

Recharging to 80 per cent takes 30 minutes at a public rapid charger, if you can find one. Or close to 11 hours with a home wall box.

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If you can live with that, you’re golden. Because ID Buzz drives great, looks even better and will get admiring glances wherever you go.

Just hope you don’t get “Beastied”.

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