VW sells sanctuary
Cult appeal and practical.
The name might be edgy and booming with excitement, but the cabin of VW’s all-electric bus is mighty quiet and peaceful. As well as an absence of engine noise, road and wind fluster are well suppressed, too.
There’s also a lack of visual noise, thanks to the near total absence of switchgear. This is an unstressed, simple and happy place to sit, and the design reinforces this. Whether it’s ‘play’ and ‘stop’ icons on the accelerator and brake pedals or the smileys on door-card screwheads, a sense of quiet fun permeates the big people carrier.
You climb up into the Buzz. I had assumed its raised height would make it easy for my nonagenarian mother to slide into, but unfortunately it proved impossible and we had to order a lower taxi for that journey instead. Younger limbs won’t struggle and we all benefit from the lofty views out. If you’ve enjoyed life in a Transporter, California or Multivan, you’ll feel at home here.
It’s supremely spacious onboard and the lack of gear selector on the floor (it’s on the steering column) means there’s a flat space between the two front seats, adding to the sense of airiness.
Rear-seat passengers benefit from chairs on rails to tailor room for legs or luggage, popup tables on the front seat backs and USB-C points in the sliding doors for charging family devices on long trips. It’s well geared around family life.
The only niggles inside relate to the digital experience. Newer ID models have some improvements, but the Buzz has the older touchscreen with hard keys that are unilluminated at night – an extraordinary faux pas. Furthermore, the haptic sliders on the steering wheel are equally hopeless and in no way better than physical switches.
At least we can acknowledge that VW is fixing these interface issues, which will benefit this year’s revised Tiguan and Golf. It’s amazing how fiddly controls can upset the calm.