The ID. Buzz is an all‑new Type 2

And oh what a cutie it is, with a face you’d recognise anywhere – just as we hoped it would look since VW first teased us with its debut concept of a reborn T2 at the Detroit Motor Show in 2017.

What you see here in its two-tone glory (the orange and white for us please) is not a concept any more but the showroom-ready ID. Buzz. No prices yet but VW says order one in May and you’ll have it by the autumn.

The ID. Buzz comes from VW Commercial Vehicles and will be sold here both as an MPV (remember them?) and as the ID. Buzz Cargo van. The number of windows and seats varies but the funky colours and retro inspired design – think tall and glassy box with wheel at each corner and v-shaped bonnet – are common to both.

That shape is not just about form following function; it is aerodynamic too with a drag coefficient of 0.285. The original Type 2 had a Cd of 0.44!

You wouldn’t know it, but underneath is VW’s ubiquitous kit of electric parts called MEB that also provides the basis for the ID.3 and ID.4, as well as others. MEB is a modular kit and here it has been stretched over the ID.4 SUV to an overall length of 4,712mm, still far from huge. The wheelbase has also gone up by over 200mm, to not far short of 3m, to get the historically accurate wheel-at-each-corner stance.

With vestigial body overhangs and a driving position above the front axle line “forward control” doesn’t get much more forward than this in 2022. The payoff is that inside this box is… room, and lots of it.

In the standard wheelbase form you see here there are seats for five and an 1,100 litre boot. Fold down the backs seats and that increases to a flat-floored 2,200 litres. The rear bench can also slide fore/aft by 150mm which can be a boon when it comes to things like fitting child seats.

VW is promising there will be a six-seat version (using the three-person front row from the van) and also a long wheelbase model with three rows of seats and accommodation for seven. On any of them, access is via sliding slide doors and a big lift-up tailgate.

Like the original T1, the motor is at the back and drives the rear wheels. Nope, it’s not an air-cooled flat-four with a wheezy and smoky 30 horsepower. It’s an electric motor built into the rear axle rated at 201PS (150kW) backed by 310Nm (228kW) of torque and fed by a 77kWh battery pack under the floor. Fast? No. The top speed is governed to 90mph (145km/h) and 0-62mph is so far unspecified.

Also unspecified is the ID. Buzz’s electric range. The ID.4 with the same battery gets 308 miles but this MPV version will surely be doing well to match that, despite its slippery aerodynamics and reined-in performance. What VW does say is that a fast (up to 170kW) DC charger can give the batteries an 80 per cent top-up in 30 minutes, which is familiar from the other ID models.

Also familiar is the eight-year or 100,000-mile battery guarantee and pledge that at the end of their automotive life the batteries will be repurposed to store electricity from solar panels. A new thing with ID. Buzz is the ability to feed power back into the national grid – you could even plug in another of the ID family of vehicles for a quick top-up.

The ID. Buzz takes its clean energy credentials a step further by being what VW says is entirely carbon neutral – a phrase that embraces everything from offsetting emissions during manufacture to a ban on animal products (so no leather here) and a range of sustainable materials in the cabin made from recycled plastics.

It’s still a pretty funky cabin, all digital and touch screen of course with the dash up high to match the high-set seating position. Colours – orange, yellow, and vivid shades of green and blue are options – are carried over from the outside where they make a very contemporary statement, along with the sustainable fabrics and mood interior lighting with its choice of colours: 10 as standard but 30 LED hues as an option.

ID. Buzz gets all the right techy buzz words in the areas of driver assist and infotainment, with software being able to be updated over-the-air. And good on VW for remembering all those useful MPV-like things: trays, bins, drawers, cupholders and eight USB ports. And not forgetting the removable “Buzz Box” storage bin with built in ice scraper and (of course) bottle opener.

The range for the UK starts with the ID. Buzz Pro and equipment available for it will include electrically adjustable and heated front seats with massage function to an assortment of autonomous driving aids including automatic self-parking and assisted lane-changing. An ID. Buzz Pure with smaller battery will come later as the entry model.

The all-electric and sustainable multi-purpose vehicle for a new generation? The styling gets our thumbs up while packaging a vehicle in this way makes far more sense for families – or hippies, van drivers, campers, surfers or tradespeople – than any SUV. The ID. Buzz is surely funky enough to make sure everyone knows it.