Electric power suits a car of this size and brief so well, the quietness and refinement, in particular, a real boon. The driving experience will be familiar from any of the growing number of MEB-based cars from Volkswagen, Audi, Cupra and Skoda, delivering brisk but not hair-raising acceleration, and well-judged regenerative braking for more one-pedal driving in the ‘B’ driving mode, selected from the column gear selector. It can still provide a good surge forwards when needed, though, with enough torque on tap even higher up the rev range.
The steering is nicely weighted and precise in its operation, and it undoubtedly feels like that of a car, rather than a van. That latter point goes for the handling, too, the ID Buzz proving itself a surprisingly adept performer through the corners, with far less body roll than you would expect, thanks to the low centreof gravity afforded by the battery pack mounting.
Manoeuvrability is great, too, the turning circle just 11.1 metres thanks to the rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive layout. It also rides nicely, with a multi- link rear suspension as standard. There are no major disturbances from bumps in the road, although it’s a little soft and wallowy on the motorway, and there’s some wind noise (still, at 0.29 Cd, the drag coefficient is surprisingly low).
The overall sense remains that the ID Buzz feels more mature than the other ID cars, the extra size and weight aiding the refinement, sense of calm and overall substance. There were plenty of motorway miles on our test route, which by the end indicated that we would get a range of just over 200 miles from a full charge. It was hot and sunny, so
ideal battery efficiency conditions, and past experience of MEB cars suggests a 20% or so drop off in colder weather, so expect 160 miles if this long, hot summer ever ends.
The fastest charging rate it can accept is a fairly speedy 170kW. A cheap car it is not, but it is a very cool one, and a classic case of ‘if you really like the look of it and want one, the price isn’t going to put you off anyway’. And if you are sold on those looks, there’s nothing in the way it drives to put you off either, so long as you’re prepared to take some night courses to try to conquer that infotainment system.