SHARP Drives: 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz Microbus Is the Happiest Car On the Road

If this lovable new EV from Volkswagen doesn’t make you smile, you need stronger medication than we can provide. The 2025 VW ID Buzz is the happiest car in the world, and the happiest new car to hit Canadian car dealerships in at least a decade. You can’t help but smile the first time you get behind the wheel. Yes, it’s an oddity in the automotive landscape, for sure, but it’s also undeniably an original in a world of copycats. And for that, we love it — and you might, too.

What Is The ID Buzz?

It’s a modern reincarnation of the iconic VW microbus — and yes: “iconic” is overused but, in this case, it’s apt. The original hippie bus inspired countless cross-country road trips, surf vacations, #vanlife posts, and became the unofficial vehicle of endless summer. The new ID Buzz has a lot to live up to.

VW took the basic silhouette of the old microbus — its friendly face, boxy proportions, two-tone paint, and airy greenhouse — and reimagined it for the electric age. Some say it’s retro pastiche. Others say it’s a genuine reimagining; a rebirth that honours the past while looking to the future. We’d say it splits the difference. More important, it’s unlike anything else on the road — let alone any other EV.

It seats six or seven people (depending on configuration) in three spacious rows, and has sliding doors on both sides like your favourite childhood minivan. (And yes, minivans are making a low-key comeback and we’re here for it.)

Volkswagen Put EVERYTHING Into This Car

From the moment you see it through the moment you open the door and climb into the cabin, it’s evident that the ID Buzz was not just another project for VW’s designers and engineers. It feels like they really tried to go the extra mile on this one. Imagine a group project where everyone actually cares: this is the result.

Note the thoughtful details like the bottle opener and ice scraper built as dividers into the movable centre console. And, just below the windshield, the strip of LED lights that react to various inputs: they flash when the car is ready to drive, or when you’ve got a turn-signal indicator on. On the other hand, the infotainment system is sometimes laggy, taking an extra push before it does what you want. (And a “back” button on the infotainment system would help, as would a proper volume knob.)

The cabin is totally alien at first. You climb up into the driver’s seat, which is higher than you imagine on account of the huge underfloor battery. Once in the driver’s seat, the Buzz feels… enormous. It’s tall and bulky. The front windshield is so far away, you can’t even touch it. The flat expanse of dashboard is the size of desk.

Meanwhile, the huge IMAX-screen-sized windows and glass roof flood the cabin with light. Everything feels so high quality, from the elegant flowing piece of wood-like material behind the main screen, to the overbuilt quality of the trunk cubby with its exposed damper and metal hardware. It’s built in Hanover, Germany, and it really has that solid “made in Germany” feel customers will expect.

What’s the Driving Range and Price of the ID Buzz in Canada?

Okay, you want the specs? Here we go. The rear-wheel-drive ID Buzz 1st Edition starts at $79,640 in Canada, while the all-wheel-drive 4MOTION variant commands $85,140.

That’s not cheap for a minivan, but it’s not outrageous for a three-row EV with a big 91 kWh battery. This is a premium VW product, and it feels like it. (The brand has shot for the moon before. Remember the VW Phaeton W12?)

Range? Official ratings from NRCAN show the ID Buzz delivers 377 kilometres of range in the RWD model, and 373 kilometres in the AWD version. Is it as much range as we were hoping for? No. But is it realistically enough for many families? Yes — especially if they’ve got a place to recharge the van overnight. Fast charging is decent too, meaning you can top up from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes at a DC fast charger. Volkswagen Canada sweetens the deal with 1,400 kWh of complimentary Electrify Canada DC charging over four years.

What’s the ID Buzz Like To Drive?

You’d expect the driving experience to be just as unique as the rest of the car and it is. It handles like a big, heavy thing, rolling through corners because, well, it’s a microbus. The low centre of gravity helps keep the whole thing feeling very planted, though. No, it’s not especially powerful — it’s only packing 335 horsepower (in all-wheel drive 4MOTION trim) — but it doesn’t need to be. This is a machine for cruising, not hustling. With that said, it’s more than quick enough for a family van, and the instant shove of electric torque from the rear motor really pushes the bus through corners.

The ID Buzz Was a Long-Time Coming. Was It Worth It?

Absolutely. The first “new” microbus concept came out back in 2001, and VW has been offering up a new concept every few years since, until this production ID Buzz finally hit showrooms. Fans have been waiting over 20 years for this thing.

The ID Buzz is quirky, it’s lovable, it’s got some brilliant design flourishes, and it’s just plain fun. It’s friendly, approachable and social, the antithesis of Tesla’s armoured-tank Cybertruck. Suddenly all other cars look like they’re taking themselves a bit too seriously.

No, it’s no perfect; the price is higher than many people hoped, and the range isn’t ideal for road trips in areas where public charging infrastructure is lacking. (Read: Canada.)

But it makes a strong case for the argument that EVs don’t need to be anonymous appliances. They need not trade personality for aerodynamic efficiency. The ID Buzz is sure to become a cult-classic just like its ancestors. But most importantly, it’s a happy car that will always try to put a smile on your face. And in the modern world — stuck in modern traffic — that might be the most valuable thing a car can offer.