Perched throughout the driver’s seat, I’m undecided why you may ought to be, anyway. Nothing regarding the Buzz’s driving mannequin requires you rag it by the corners, although the auto coped very correctly on the very twisty sections of our route up the shore of the Tomales Bay.
Like ultimate week’s Porsche Macan, the single-motor model is the one I’d select—as soon as extra, it’s the mannequin that’s cheaper, lighter, and has an prolonged fluctuate, albeit solely merely. And that is prone to be the biggest stumbling block for some Buzz followers who had been able to push the button. With 86 kWh useable (91 kWh gross), the RWD Buzz has an EPA fluctuate estimate of 234 miles (377 km). Blame the frontal house, which stays barn door-sized, even when the drag coefficient is a far more svelte 0.29.
Fast-charging must be comparatively fast, though, peaking at as a lot as 200 kW and with a 26-minute value time to go from 10 to 80 p.c state of value. And whereas VW EVs will obtain entry to the Tesla supercharger group with an adapter, depend on 2025 Buzzes to return again with CCS1 ports, not native NACS for now.
I depend on most purchasers to go for all-wheel drive, nevertheless as soon as extra, American car purchaser tastes are what they’re. This offers an asynchronous motor to the doorway axle and boosts combined power to 335 hp (250 kW). VW hasn’t given a combined torque decide, nevertheless the doorway motor can generate as a lot as 99 lb-ft (134 Nm) together with the 413 lb-ft from the rear. The curb weight for this mannequin is 6,197 lbs (2,811 kg), and its EPA fluctuate is 231 miles (376 km).
It is type of of a step up in value, nonetheless, because it’s important switch as a lot because the Skilled S Plus trim if you want power for every axles. This offers further customary gear to what’s already a well-specced base model, nevertheless it begins at $67,995 (or $63,495 for the RWD Skilled S Plus).
Whereas I found the single-motor Buzz to be a further supple car to drive down a curvy freeway, every powertrain variants have an agility that belies their bulk, notably at low tempo. To start out our day, VW had the entire assembled journalists re-create {a photograph} of the vans driving down Lombard St. No matter a extremely slippery and moist ground that day, the Buzz was a cinch to placed on the freeway and drive slowly.