Volkswagen ID Buzz electric van interior spied ahead of launch

John Law

Contributor

What we hoped would be an electric Kombi successor looks to have morphed into a compact electric van with a plush cabin and a large touchscreen

The 2023 ID Buzz has been teased by Volkswagen in several official videos, but now a fan has snapped some images of the interior ahead of the Buzz’s imminent March unveiling.

Inside, the ID Buzz appears to share plenty of interior parts with the ID4 small SUV which is no surprise given it will ride on Volkswagen’s MEB platform and share parts with that car.

Volkswagen ID Buzz 2023 spy shot4 — Some spy pics of the Volkswagen ID Buzz have emerged

A closer look at the ID Buzz’s interior shows this van won’t be a true Kombi successor in size, which goes against previous Kombi-reboot concepts from Volkswagen including the stunning 2001 Microbus concept and more recent 2018 ID Buzz concept.

Instead this near-production ID Buzz looks to be similar in proportion (if not size) to the current MQB-based Caddy passenger van, which measures 4853mm long in Maxi guise.

A compact, zero-emissions van does make sense for urban use. A true light commercial vehicle – and a replacement for the larger T6.1 Transporter – is not yet viable with the range and payload capacity currently offered by battery-electric vehicles.

Voklswagen ID Buzz concept 2023 dynamic — The VW ID Buzz concept testing on the road shows it’s close to production

The ID Buzz will use Volkswagen’s modular EV-only MEB platform that should allow a maximum WLTP range figure of between 450-500km if it uses the larger 77kWh usable lithium-ion battery pack.

What’s inside the Volkswagen ID Buzz?

The front cabin is pure Volkswagen MEB with the white steering wheel and dashboard similar (if not identical) to the items fitted to launch models of ID3 and ID4. There appears to be the same ‘ID Cockpit’ digital driver’s display found in those cars too.

Although it’s covered by some plastic camouflage, the just-visible 12.0-inch touchscreen is another feature lifted from the ID4.

Volkswagen ID Buzz 2023 spy shot3 — The terracotta semi-quilted pews are a nice touch

The seats are upholstered in a mix of textured, semi-quilted terracotta cloth in the centre with leather accents on the bolsters and individual armrests that tie in nicely with the ID Buzz’s psychedelic exterior camouflage.

This concept teaser is evidently a high-spec vehicle as it features electrically-adjustable seats with three-position memory and the button for a massage function.

From the interior shots, you can also see the bright orange paint below the exterior camouflage that we imagine will look stunning in the flesh.

Volkswagen ID Buzz 2023 spy shot2 — You can see the paint colour underneath the camouflage, and it isn’t toned down

As pictured, the ID Buzz is in a similar configuration to the Australian Caddy Maxi with two rows and five seats up and a third row folded down in the pictures. There’s also a clever false floor to keep the load-bay flat.

With the second-row folded, the ID Buzz passenger van transforms into one ready for storing bulky items. A further cute touch is a little silhouette of the ID Buzz’s exterior stamped into the side of the second-row seats.

There are more elements of Caddy in the boot, including the interior plastic shape in the third row. The ID Buzz isn’t identical, though, because the moulding is clearly different to the Caddy, but there is evidently a lot of crossover in packaging and design between the two vehicles.

Volkswagen ID Buzz 2023 spy shot — Volkswagen’s new electric van looks to be closer to a Caddy than Transporter in size

The ID Buzz does not have visible rails for the seats to fold in this guise, though Volkswagen is almost certain to produce ID Buzz spin-offs including a ‘California’-style camper van and a Multivan with rotating individual buckets.

The all-electric ID Buzz is gearing up for a full unveiling on March 9, when we’ll be able to finally take a look at Volkswagen’s intriguing electric van without camouflage.