Test drive report

[duncs500]

He said it didn't fit under the "arch" to his drive. That ain't no arch fools. Also, why would the salesman be at his garage?

[Jobbo]

That would have been the garage once but the previous owner knocked it through and made a big new drive to the rear.

So here’s the fuller review. My wife spotted an ID Buzz for sale at the Skoda dealership between Worcester and Malvern; I’d been there before to service our Yeti and knew they were a good dealer. She really liked the looks and colour (white over green) and it was a 73 plate First Edition with 173 miles only, advertised on Auto Trader for £55k; considering that they were up for more than list a year ago and this was VAT qualifying, that’s a pretty good deal. The salesman told me the dealership manager got it for his wife but she found it too big; I suspect the dealership manager wanted to make a profit and hasn’t managed to do so.

So I spoke to the dealership and arranged not just to test drive it but to bring it back to our house to see if it would fit onto our drive. And as you’ll have seen above that was a valid concern. So I’ll just tell you what it’s like because I absolutely loved it.

First, the looks: it’s a great shape but in two-tone it is cool; I have seen them in single colours and they’re fine but the white upper parts make it far more car-like. The 21” wheels aren’t particularly attractive; I think the 20”s are a nicer design but it’s a tall thing and the 21”s don’t look lost.

The interior has a cream and green two-tone colour scheme to go with the outside and it’s just a deeply nice place to be. It’s not full of leather and that really doesn’t matter; the steering wheel is gorgeous to hold and it just feels right, and a very pleasant thing to sit it. It does not give sporty vibes, and you wouldn’t want it to.

I realised this was the first EV I’d driven rather than been a passenger in. Putting it in the more regen mode immediately felt more natural (B rather than D on the gearshift) though it wasn’t fully one-pedal; it may be possible to alter that in the settings. It rides well, it handles well, visibility is brilliant, the steering is very natural and easy - as you’d expect of any VW you are at home and it’s easy to live with within a few yards. But it’s more polished than that; the accelerator pedal response is very well calibrated, the damping is just right; the only negative I’d mention - and it’s more a characteristic than a negative - is that because you sit on top of the front wheels there’s the same sort of pitching you get in anything forward control.

I’ve seen criticism of the space in them. Well the boot is fucking massive and the rear seats are generous so I suspect that’s because some people expected a 7-seater; I think there’s a longer wheelbase version with 7 seats coming. The only thing in the interior I’d criticise is the console between the front seats; it is removable to allow you to walk to the rear so it doesn’t feel as solid as the rest of the interior but you’d have to be very, very slender of leg to get through the gap between the front armrests.

My test drive route consisted of the roundabouts and dual carriageways of the Worcester bypass and the lanes back to our house. There was a bit of traffic too. Overall I averaged 3.1mi/kWh which I think is pretty good for a heavy, upright EV but I am sure it would drop below 3 if sitting at 70mph on the motorway all day. And that is the downfall of the ID Buzz; its usability and capability is exactly right for long journeys but its range is not. Make it with a 100kWh or bigger battery and it would be so much easier to choose. I had my doubts about it for that reason before driving it, so even if it had fitted our drive I would have had to think very carefully about buying it.

The other doubt I had before driving was that it’s not that powerful - 204PS I think - and the 0-60 time is only just under 10s. So would it feel slow? No, not in reality; you simply don’t notice the performance because it’s just right for the car. I still overtook plenty of stuff away from roundabouts so it has the urge down low where you want it.

Anyway, I don’t think VW are likely to make a version without the shark fin on the roof and with a 100kWh battery any time soon but if they do, I may well find a cheap lease on that. I’m really glad I tried it. The whole EV thing was really appealing too. Ugh

[Jobbo]

Here is the ad for the car itself: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202312114717238

And here is the salesman guiding me very carefully to check if it fits:

[Gavin]

I must admit, I quite like the look of those, but I would want at least a 300 mile range on any EV if it was our main car.

I really like the interior, my Skoda is just unremittingly black.

I love the dark green Emira though, but thegrey also looks fantastic, I have seen a few in the wild, I think both were the bright blue which looks nice as well, I think the shape just works, and it looks like a lot more than £70k.

[Beany]

Oof, 140 mile range at 98% charge? That's city car range for bopping around town, not exactly what you want on a big, spacious five seater.

Edit - just realised I must have read the numbers wrong in the ad, and that 140 miles is the trip, and ~200 miles is the range, which is a bit better, but still a bit light for such a large vehicle - I'd want to see a solid 300 in something like that.

[Matty]

I really like the Buzz, and I've started to see a few about - especially in the commercial van style. I thought they were bringing a bigger battery version out?

My boiler service bloke wanted one, as he's a big VW fan, but said the range wasn't enough for his daily duties.

He said it didn't fit under the "arch" to his drive. That ain't no arch fools. Also, why would the salesman be at his garage?

I mean, hence the question - Si posted a picture, which clearly wasn't the entrance to the drive, and said it didn't fit, yet the picture suggested it did.

And it's not totally out of the ordinary for salesmen to visit. Seen it a few times on Lotus forums where they've been concerned about driveway access. Obviously Simon looked trusting enough that he wasn't going to lock the salesman in the basement and just keep the Buzz.

[integrale_evo]

He probably saves that for the second visit

[GG.]

They don't call him the West Midlands Fritzl for nothing.

[Matty]

Something is afoot, he's spending a fair bit recently.

Jobsonberg?

[Sundayjumper]

They don't call him the West Midlands Fritzl for nothing.

I was wondering what music he likes.

I heard he loves a little underground house.

[GG.]

They don't call him the West Midlands Fritzl for nothing.

I was wondering what music he likes.

I heard he loves a little underground house.

Strange - I heard he was more into Yodelling.

[nuttinnew]

The Cyberster looks good

[IanF]

Looked okay irl

[mik]

He said it didn't fit under the "arch" to his drive.

I mean, hence the question - Si posted a picture, which clearly wasn't the entrance to the drive, and said it didn't fit, yet the picture suggested it did.

You godda zoom in on dat sharrk fin dood.

[duncs500]

He said it didn't fit under the "arch" to his drive. That ain't no arch fools. Also, why would the salesman be at his garage?

I mean, hence the question - Si posted a picture, which clearly wasn't the entrance to the drive, and said it didn't fit, yet the picture suggested it did.

And it's not totally out of the ordinary for salesmen to visit. Seen it a few times on Lotus forums where they've been concerned about driveway access. Obviously Simon looked trusting enough that he wasn't going to lock the salesman in the basement and just keep the Buzz.

I can only apologise. Simon's misuse of the word arch was most unexpected.

[Jobbo]

Sorry Duncs - it isn’t curved but I don’t really know what to call it. The estate agent referred to it as a breezeway

Matt, I haven’t won the lottery and I’m not terminally ill if that’s what you were referring to. The Buzz was a bit of a folly; my wife liked the look of it but I expected I’d find another reason not to buy it. You’ll note I have test driven quite a few cars recently and haven’t yet bought one (cue ‘just get on with it’ posts) - that’s mainly because I haven’t tried lots of cars for a good few years and wanted a bit more knowledge before I buy something.

[John]

The aircraft industry has a fix, get the wood saw out.

[Matty]

Sorry Duncs - it isn’t curved but I don’t really know what to call it. The estate agent referred to it as a breezeway

Matt, I haven’t won the lottery and I’m not terminally ill if that’s what you were referring to. The Buzz was a bit of a folly; my wife liked the look of it but I expected I’d find another reason not to buy it. You’ll note I have test driven quite a few cars recently and haven’t yet bought one (cue ‘just get on with it’ posts) - that’s mainly because I haven’t tried lots of cars for a good few years and wanted a bit more knowledge before I buy something.

It's was more a jovial take on meth dealing rather than terminal illness, let's keep it light

And the answer is the Emira. I thought we'd all collectively decided for you.

[Jobbo]

The one I liked best on a test drive was the Emira. They seem to have depreciated another couple of grand since I drove it though - in less than a week. So I am keeping an eye on prices.

Forgot to mention the other thing about the ID Buzz which was rather nice: everyone looked at it and smiled. Definitely a feel-good car. Though the Emira has a bit of that too; definitely treated with more respect on the M42 than my black Audi

[Rich B]

I was behind a very dark green Emira yesterday - lovely car, wrong colour though. It just didn't work with the shape at all for me.