VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater Preview

The ID.Buzz attracts a huge amount of attention. People love the way it looks, inside and out. But everyone seems surprised that it is only available with five seats. Yes, it has a huge boot, but the general feeling is than it should be capable of carrying seven people. That’s one of the reasons big SUVs are so popular – you have the ability to take all the family out for the day, or transport the kids and their friends to a party.

And from next year you will be able to get the Buzz with five, six, or seven seats. And room for the dog. You will also be able to get the Buzz with more fizz, as there will be a version with more power than a Porsche 911 and all-wheel-drive.

Perhaps most importantly – they’re finally FINALLY fixing the infotainment too.

VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater dimensions and interior practicality

Let’s start with the big news – the stretched body. The Buzz we are used to – which is now called the ‘normal’ wheel base - is 4,712 mm long. This Long Wheel Base version measures an extra 250mm between the wheels.

That additional 250 mm is partly taken up by bigger doors  - which are now 192 mm longer - and a little the remaining extra is between the door and rear wheel. The rear sliding doors also have electrically-operated sliding windows now too, making the car less claustrophobic for the passengers.

The bigger Buzz can be used as a five-seater with a huge boot, a six-seater with individual seats and armrests in the second row of seats and as a seven-seater. As this is a family car, there are six ISOFIX anchorages as standard. 

To help keep them entertained, there are also eight USB-C interfaces on board which are all super-powerful, to keep stuff like laptops charged three times as fast as with conventional USB-C ports. The front passenger seat also has an optional 230-volt socket with a maximum output of 300 watts. That’s not enough to boil a kettle or run my hairdryer, but will run a games console or smaller appliance.

A three-seater bench seat is used as standard in the second row of seats. The backrests can be reclined by 16 degrees to make it more comfortable, and the bench can be moved forwards and backwards by 200 mm, either completely or in sections.

The two individual seats in the third row can also be moved forwards and backwards, as well as reclined.

VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater luggage space

If you fold the rear row of seats completely, you can use a 'luggage board' to give a level cargo area which could swallow a chest of drawers, although it is at a high level so would need some lifting. 

If you want even more space, the two rear individual seats can be completely removed. In the five-seater configuration, the load up to the upper edge of the backrests results in a volume of 1,340 litres – about the same as a mid-size SUV with the seats folded down.

If you fold all the seats, the longer ID. Buzz has to up to 2,469 litres of load room - that’s the same as 10 Ora Funky Cat boots. 

Even when occupied by seven people, the third row of seats in the ID. Buzz still has a volume of 306 litres – that’s the same as a Fiesta. If you’re going on holiday you might need a roof rack, but at least the dog can come with you in the car. 

If you don’t need all that space and, the ID.Buzz will also be offered with the standard wheelbase and seven seats.

VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater range, battery and charging

The long-wheelbase Buzz will be available with two battery sizes. The first is the 77kWh which we have already seen in the existing model. But a new, bigger 85 kWh pack is also available, which comes with a more powerful 282 bhp motor.

The battery can be charged faster too, at up to 200 kW at a suitable DC charger, meaning a 10 to 80 percent top up takes 25 minutes. To speed things up even more, it features the Tesla-like "Plug & Charge" system which means the activation and billing is automatic, without the need for charging cards or apps. 

There are no official range figures yet for this model but we have been told to expect a figure of around 285 miles. The efficiency of the Buzz hasn’t been the best when we’ve had them, but there is a a new heat pump to increase efficiency in colder weather.

VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater performance

With the new, bigger 85 kWh pack comes with a more powerful 282 bhp motor. That improves the 0-62mph time by 2.3 seconds to 7.9 seconds. 

And that's not all: an all-wheel drive version called the GTX will use two motors to give an output of 335 bhp will be coming later in 2024. That will have a GTI-like 6.4 second 0-62 time.

VW ID Buzz LWB 7-Seater technology

Our other big Buzz bugbear has been the infotainment system. But we’ve been promised this new generation with the latest software and new head-up display will finally fix it. 

In the middle of the dashboard is a bigger 12.9 inch touch screen, which now has illuminated switches for the temperature and volume settings at last. 

Talking of lights, the interior has 10-colour ambient lighting; a 30-colour version will also be available as an option for the longer ID. Buzz, but you’ll have to subscribe and pay a monthly fee to get it.

If you prefer natural light, a panoramic glass roof is now an option. Besides increasing the headroom by 30 mm, it is made of "smart glass" which can be electrically switched from transparent to opaque and vice versa. You can change it using a slider button, or by using the voice activation.

ID. Buzz UK pricing and release date

So, when can we go cruising seven up in the Buzz? The bigger model will come to the UK in mid-2024, with the order books opening a few months before. There’s no word on pricing yet, but we’d expect it to add around £5,000 to the price for the longer, faster version. Add some options and it could mean the ultimate Buzz is getting close to £100,000.