VW ID.BUZZ
IS IT A GOOD EV?
vs TESLA MODEL Y
Say camper van and people think VW Say EV and it’s Tesla the Hoover or the Biro of electric vehicles I’m not just talking about range and charging here but also about the other stuff that electric power enables packaging comfort dynamics With the ID Buzz all this reflects its origin in a conservative yearold German car company struggling with software The Tesla too reflects its origin in a radical yearold Californiaborn tech company that has struggled to come to terms with car manufacture and ergonomics
The Model Y is basically a tall Model which means it’s low in drag and comparatively light This AWD long range one has a kWh usable battery and two motors and still it squeaks under two tonnes The Volkswagen is half a tonne more and it casts a very big very square shadow Pushing that through the air has a penalty With us the VW did about miles per kWh on a motorway in C weather The Tesla is narrower in the cabin lower and more hawk shaped and was good for mpkWh at the same speed That means a range of miles for the VW and nearly for the Tesla though both would go further in mixed driving This isn’t just about aero drag the Model Y is also a bit more energy efficient than VW’s crossover the ID
Ignore the efficiency readouts and the Model Y can be also famously quick Free of wheelspin you’re at mph in the low fives The VW absorbs double that time The Tesla still feels lively on the motorway but in the VW you need ambitious anticipation to join a gap in outside lane traffic Both have well modulated accelerator mapping so they’re graciously smooth to operate
In a broad brush sense the Tesla has cornering to match its power Its steering is quick in ratio but well damped so you won’t be twitchy and the well mannered body roll rate helps too
But it’s oddly joyless Blame steering with no feel or engagement Yet the suspension is far firmer and harsher than it needs to be so it bangs and hops along It’s a sporty SUV that isn’t Tesla should have recognised it’ll mostly be driven rather less furiously The Volkswagen soothes away all fury OK its steering is numb but it bids you enjoy the landscape not stress the tyres riding on lovely supple suspension
Despite its car platform the ID Buzz is packaged as a van It’s a box The windscreen is way ahead of you your shins are near vertical and you sit tall going eye to eye in your flower power EV with the compensators in their snorting AMG Gs But your raised seat is mounted on a crude frame that steals legroom from the people behind So the lower Tesla has more room for five people’s legs The Model Y shows some amazing packaging nous actually including of course the frunk/froot
The VW’s calm and happy nature offsets the frustration of using its screen system The latest version is better organised the energy computer now sits permanently in the driver’s screen But the touchscreen is still horribly laggy The Tesla’s screen reacts instantly and its graphics are sharply rendered in ultra cool monotone I’m sure it looked terrific in the test lab Yet it is absolutely diabolical to use in a moving car There’s nowhere to rest your hand The maps show light grey roads on a slightly less light grey background Frequently used and urgently needed functions demand scubadeep menu diving
But it’s great at finding you a Supercharger Lately Tesla has also opened a few of those to civilians who have the Tesla app and that’s also trouble free so we did a side by side test on kW Superchargers Starting around per cent on a cool evening both the VW and the Tesla accepted around kW and still kW past per cent Impressive
The Tesla is faster and more efficient but its driving experience is oddly hard to warm to The VW relaxes you because of the drive and the joyous design and habitability
I’d choose it Tesla has always been a cult The Buzz will be too if for very different reasons PH
“THE VW IS HALF A TONNE MORE, AND CASTS A VERY BIG, SQUARE SHADOW”