VW ID Buzz Cargo
Discussion
Just placed an order for a VW ID Buzz Cargo for work 
Noticed we haven't got a thread going for the Buzz or Cargo version on PH as of yet so thought i'd start one! Any owners out there?
Have to say that I was well impressed with the van on most fronts, the style, the smoothness that the electric drivetrain brings to the table, the cabin and finally the range. We took it on a test drive of mixed speeds and it was showing a range of 280 miles and an average of 3.8 ish m/kw, mind you it was warm and empty but considering it's a brick I was honestly expecting much worse! I've owned an EV previously so fully appreciate summer vs winter range can be quite different. Roll on delivery!!!
Noticed we haven't got a thread going for the Buzz or Cargo version on PH as of yet so thought i'd start one! Any owners out there?
Have to say that I was well impressed with the van on most fronts, the style, the smoothness that the electric drivetrain brings to the table, the cabin and finally the range. We took it on a test drive of mixed speeds and it was showing a range of 280 miles and an average of 3.8 ish m/kw, mind you it was warm and empty but considering it's a brick I was honestly expecting much worse! I've owned an EV previously so fully appreciate summer vs winter range can be quite different. Roll on delivery!!!
I’ve got the Cargo in Commerce Plus spec.
Everything I’ve read online seems to be positive but I’m amazed there aren’t more people having a moan as it’s far from all positive.
I’ve had a number of i3s over the last ten years (and an i8 but that’s a different kettle of fish!) and I’m an EV Charge point installer so I’m familiar with quite a few different EVs.
All VW had to do was drive a ten year old i3 and copy it and they’d have been sorted but somehow they’ve managed to drop the ball.
The electronics are dreadful and the driver assistance/interference is bordering on dangerous.
Regen isn’t strong enough and doesn’t bring the vehicle to a complete stop meaning you have to use the brakes for the last bit and they groan every time you come to a standstill.
Annoying doesn’t begin to cover it.
Vehicle will roll back on hills unless you use the auto hold setting, unfortunately that then makes the brakes incredibly grabby and makes low speed manoeuvring and parallel parking near impossible without jolting about like a learner.
The speed limiter function, which is useful for 20mph limits, needs a minimum of half a dozen button pushes & swipes and requires you to take your eyes off the road which is ridiculous.
My old Transit was one push to switch the limiter on and one push to set speed and took all of a second to activate and didn’t need you to look at menus to activate.
My only hope is software updates will improve functionality.
On the plus side my fuel bill has gone from £85-90 a week in the Transit Custom to £7-8 a week in the Buzz.
Range is good. Mines carrying about 300kg of kit and has roof bars fitted and does about 250 miles around town and about 200 on the motorway at a steady 70mph. Oh and adaptive cruise isn’t the best (a bit abrupt and can occasionally cut speed as you change to a quicker lane. Cover the accelerator with you foot and you can overcome that).
Funky looking van though and gets plenty of attention.
Enjoy the new purchase.
Everything I’ve read online seems to be positive but I’m amazed there aren’t more people having a moan as it’s far from all positive.
I’ve had a number of i3s over the last ten years (and an i8 but that’s a different kettle of fish!) and I’m an EV Charge point installer so I’m familiar with quite a few different EVs.
All VW had to do was drive a ten year old i3 and copy it and they’d have been sorted but somehow they’ve managed to drop the ball.
The electronics are dreadful and the driver assistance/interference is bordering on dangerous.
Regen isn’t strong enough and doesn’t bring the vehicle to a complete stop meaning you have to use the brakes for the last bit and they groan every time you come to a standstill.
Annoying doesn’t begin to cover it.
Vehicle will roll back on hills unless you use the auto hold setting, unfortunately that then makes the brakes incredibly grabby and makes low speed manoeuvring and parallel parking near impossible without jolting about like a learner.
The speed limiter function, which is useful for 20mph limits, needs a minimum of half a dozen button pushes & swipes and requires you to take your eyes off the road which is ridiculous.
My old Transit was one push to switch the limiter on and one push to set speed and took all of a second to activate and didn’t need you to look at menus to activate.
My only hope is software updates will improve functionality.
On the plus side my fuel bill has gone from £85-90 a week in the Transit Custom to £7-8 a week in the Buzz.
Range is good. Mines carrying about 300kg of kit and has roof bars fitted and does about 250 miles around town and about 200 on the motorway at a steady 70mph. Oh and adaptive cruise isn’t the best (a bit abrupt and can occasionally cut speed as you change to a quicker lane. Cover the accelerator with you foot and you can overcome that).
Funky looking van though and gets plenty of attention.
Enjoy the new purchase.
Edited by Nick928 on Monday 23 October 21:20
Edited by Nick928 on Monday 23 October 21:24
I have a passenger 1st Edition Buzz on the way, hopefully arriving in the next month or so. We’d had a California a few years ago and more recently a Tesla Model 3 so this will hopefully be the best of both.
We have two dogs and two six foot teenagers so there’s not a huge choice out there if you want to go full EV. The EV9 and EX90 are both some way off still and the boot height can present a challenge for the elderly canine.
I was given free rein for an hour or so to test drive and was pleasantly surprised at the smoothness of the drive and the lower speed pickup. It certainly felt quicker than the stats suggest. The range and charging speed are comparable with the outgoing Tesla and the comfort seats were far better.
My main grumble was that it couldn’t default to B mode which came closer to the Tesla experience than plain D but as mentioned above would not bring the car to a halt.
Overall, looking forward to it arriving.
We have two dogs and two six foot teenagers so there’s not a huge choice out there if you want to go full EV. The EV9 and EX90 are both some way off still and the boot height can present a challenge for the elderly canine.
I was given free rein for an hour or so to test drive and was pleasantly surprised at the smoothness of the drive and the lower speed pickup. It certainly felt quicker than the stats suggest. The range and charging speed are comparable with the outgoing Tesla and the comfort seats were far better.
My main grumble was that it couldn’t default to B mode which came closer to the Tesla experience than plain D but as mentioned above would not bring the car to a halt.
Overall, looking forward to it arriving.
I managed to pick up a Cargo from a dealer cancellation and have so far put 200 miles on the van. I have to say that I am well impressed with it so far, the smoothness of the EV drivetrain is just unmatched and makes for an incredibly relaxed driving experience, the instant heat on cold mornings and heated front windscreen make driving to work incredible pleasant. I am so happy to be back in an EV!
My experience doesn't entirely match Nick928's, the brakes don't groan, I find the assistance features are fine, it's smooth but I also drive in 'B' mode and so the regen only occurs in the first part of the brake pedal, and the auto hold as default is set to on. I wonder if my experiences are with the latest software updates? (V3.5) Or maybe I just haven't experienced an i3!
My only gripe is the climate controls and the lack of anything physical! I cannot believe the accountants have been able to overrule the HVAC engineering department to get rid of physical buttons, it is honestly crap... I think there needs to be an actual law that states, at minimum, there to be a ' HVAC OFF/ON' button, a rotary dial for fan speed, and another for volume! This touchscreen, minimalist BS needs to end!
Rant over I've got a full width front matt to cover the plastic flooring, and also need to figure out how I can carry mountain bikes in the back without them rolling around... any suggestions are welcome!
My experience doesn't entirely match Nick928's, the brakes don't groan, I find the assistance features are fine, it's smooth but I also drive in 'B' mode and so the regen only occurs in the first part of the brake pedal, and the auto hold as default is set to on. I wonder if my experiences are with the latest software updates? (V3.5) Or maybe I just haven't experienced an i3!
My only gripe is the climate controls and the lack of anything physical! I cannot believe the accountants have been able to overrule the HVAC engineering department to get rid of physical buttons, it is honestly crap... I think there needs to be an actual law that states, at minimum, there to be a ' HVAC OFF/ON' button, a rotary dial for fan speed, and another for volume! This touchscreen, minimalist BS needs to end!
Rant over
I've got a full width front matt to cover the plastic flooring, and also need to figure out how I can carry mountain bikes in the back without them rolling around... any suggestions are welcome!Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff