Electric Volkswagen Kombi doesn’t look like Kombi, and that’s good; see the test – 02/28/2023 – Market

ID. Buzz, the electric Kombi. This is how Volkswagen will call the van in Brazil, which is both retro and futuristic at the same time.

The nostalgic ones can even defend the name “Nova Kombi”, but that’s not enough. There is a gap of 70 years between the two projects, and the automaker knows that they are proposals as different as solar energy and fossil fuel.

Two units came to Brazil, both with bicolor painting. One of them is the yellow and white one available for testing inside the Anchieta factory, in São Bernardo do Campo (Greater São Paulo).

The old Kombi was produced there from September 1957 to December 2013. The end came along with the mandatory use of airbags and ABS brakes (a system that prevents the wheels from locking in emergency braking). None of this was compatible with such an old project.

ID design. Buzz refers to the first generation, called T1, but with T2 details (made in Brazil from 1975). These were the only ones produced and sold in Brazil, while other countries had subsequent models. The current one is called the T6.1 —the “t” stands for Transporter— and is regularly sold in Europe.

When entering the electric Kombi, however, the past settles in memory. The small digital panel and the USB-C ports already show that this is another era.

There are few buttons on the ID. Buzz, and this is a common feature of the old model. If before the lack of controls symbolized the meager list of equipment, today it represents technological progress. All functions can be controlled from the central touch-sensitive screen, with color images.

The Kombi of the future also has seats with electric adjustments, heating and massagers, digital air conditioning, 20-inch wheels and plenty of space. Five occupants travel well, although the model of the past could carry up to nine people.

And even the nostalgic ones who would vote for the name “Nova Kombi” must recognize that the experience behind the wheel is much better now.

ID. Buzz handles similarly to luxury SUVs. The driver is in an elevated position, with a very vertical steering wheel in front of him. Before it was horizontal, with the steering column passing between the legs.

After pressing the starter button, simply turn the rod located to the right of the instrument panel to engage single gear. The electronic parking brake is disengaged as soon as the accelerator is pressed.

The electric Kombi moves without making a sound. The only noticeable noise comes from the center console, which can be removed. For a car that has already been dismantled and rebuilt during analyzes by the engineering department at VW in Brazil, sounds from all sides were expected.

The 20-inch wheels do not affect comfort. ID. Buzz looks like a premium car, very different from the ancestors. The seats accommodate the body well and have part of the upholstery made from recycled PET bottles.

A climb is the only point where it is possible to test the engine with a power equivalent to 204 hp. There is no surprise: the electric Kombi advances without suffocation.

Back to where we started, it’s worth taking another look at the model. The van format preserves that loaf of bread from the original line, but now the headlights are triangular and have LEDs.

The side doors follow slides, but now the drive is electric. The trunk brings supports to add a third row of seats, which is not yet available.

The capacity reaches 600 kilos in the Cargo version. At this point, the old Kombi has the advantage. It was possible to carry almost 1 ton, whether of people or things.

But what about the price? ID. Buzz should only arrive in Brazil in 2024 and will cost no less than R$300,000. Yes, it is a high value, but in line with that of electric cars sold in the country today.

In addition to the need to adapt the concessionaire network to new times, there is the problem of queues around the world. There are 20,000 customers waiting for the delivery of the model, which is produced in Hannover.

Volkswagen’s electrification strategy in Brazil goes first through the ID.3 hatch and the ID.4 SUV, which may debut later this year or in 2024. Both have qualities, but the electric Kombi is the model that matters.