Modern retro-designed vehicles could share many traits, but they always have at least two commonalities. Manufacturers debuting vehicles with styling legacies, sometimes from 90 years ago, take a risk. The new-old car could be a disaster. The retro newbies will also assuredly be polarizing from old-time favorites.
Recent examples include the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Bronco and Volkswagen’s Electric ID. Buzz. The PT Cruiser (2001-2010) celebrated Chrysler Airflow models from the mid-1930s. The current Ford Bronco was reintroduced in 2021 after a 25-year absence from the end of its successful 30-year run.
After many years of discussion, the Volkswagen ID Buzz arrived in North America in June 2023 but began its return in earnest in 2024. Its presence — from the carmaker’s marketing program to original owners’ memories — is a reminder of the lightweight vehicles’ heydays beginning in 1950.
The vans, some of which had as many as 23 windows and now sell for more than $100,000, became the vehicle of the counterculture.
Most notably, the Type 2 micro-vans were the transportation choice for the masses en route to the Woodstock music festival in New York in 1969. The more vivid the tapestry of flowers included in the exterior paint design, the better. As many occupants per vehicle as possible? It was the van’s calling.
Available in five trims, the reviewed 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro S Plus is a three-row, six or seven-passenger van with seats in a 2-3-2 configuration or six in a 2-2-2 arrangement. Rear-wheel-drive (RWD) models have a single rear-mounted motor; all-wheel-drive (AWD) models get electric motors front and rear. The ID Buzz’s third-row seats are on rollers and easily removable; Second-row captain chairs are stationary.
With rear-wheel drive, the electric’s range is 234 miles. The all-wheel drive Buzz range is 231 miles. The Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Ioniq 9 are the Electric ID. Buzz competitors, making the segment a trio of worthy choices. But only the VW has its legacy as a purchasing consideration.
The Electric ID. Buzz has 335 horsepower, a 91-kWh battery and is electronically limited to a top speed of 99 miles per hour. Acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in the reviewed top-level Pro S Plus trim is touted in 5.7 seconds.
Despite its modern exterior design, the Buzz retains some signatures of yesteryear’s vehicles. The big VW emblem above the front grille and in the center of the small hood honors its long-ago brethren. The difference? The new version illuminates, adding a solid degree of coolness.
When not multi-colored with bespoke rainbows or other artists’ visions, two-tone exterior color patterns were also acceptable decades ago. They remain in current models with eight options, Cubana Blue Metallic and Candy White to Cherry Red and Metro Silver Metallic.
Like the Type 2, ID. Buzz occupants sit high, resulting in perch-like views. Front seat occupants are offered a vast overview of the immediate horizon. Front seat passengers also sit about a city block away from the front of the vehicle. In decades past, models’ front seats were nearly directly above the wheels.
Volkswagen has also retained vintage VW vans’ spaciousness. While the carmaker’s specs detail the ID. Buzz, it is about the same size as a VW Atlas Sport Cross, its roofline is about five inches higher. Combined with the vehicle’s large windows, the ID Buzz has an open-air feel. All rows offer superior headroom and legroom. Rear windows have privacy tinting.
Modern standard features — likely sci-fi visions for older VW van fanciers — include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated rear seats and a removable center console. Storage includes a drawer in the console and many cupholders. A head-up display and an overhead 360-degree monitor are standard on the top trim level.
The ID. Buzz’s dash features a 5.3-inch digital driver information display behind the steering wheel and a 12.9-inch central information panel on the center stack. The Buzz is also standard with 30 colors of ambient LED lighting and a strip below the windshield. It pulses when the vehicle is ready to drive.
With its modern interior and exterior appearances, VW has again taken the iconic vehicle outside of the automotive van box. There was nothing like it when it debuted more than 70 years ago and nothing like it now, with one exception.
The original vans were marketed as economic haulers for family and friends. The top-line 2025 Electric ID. Buzz is not; it exceeds $70,000. It’s great fun, but it no longer qualifies as a vehicle of any counterculture.
James Raia, a syndicated automotive columnist in Sacramento, also contributes business, lifestyle and sports content to several print and online publications. E-mail: [email protected].
