A 335-HP VW ID Buzz GTX Is Coming Because the World Needs More Sport Vans
With that much oomph and all-wheel drive, the ID Buzz GTX should better align with U.S. buyers’ priority of going faster, everywhere.
Even though it hasn’t yet arrived in the United States, VW’s upcoming electric ID Buzz van will definitely get a higher-power, all-wheel-drive version called the ID Buzz GTX.
“The GTX will be a cool high-performance version with 250 kW (335 hp), a dedicated interior, new exterior colors, and some additional features,” Volkswagen’s R&D chief Kai Gruenitz reportedly told Autocar.
It’s the first official confirmation of a new powertrain for the van, although it’s hardly a surprise. The ID Buzz shares running gear with other ID electric cars in the automaker’s stable, including the ID 4 and the recently unveiled ID 7. Gruenitz hinted at an all-wheel-drive version, not including the GTX version, which we’ll also likely see in the U.S. too.
The ID Buzz is powered by a single electric motor that makes 201 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque in Europe. It seats five and weighs nearly 5,500 pounds, which makes acceleration…ahem, leisurely. (VW quotes a 0-62 mph time of 10.2 seconds, which felt generous.) The version destined for the States will be a longer, and likely heavier, three-row version that’s roughly 10 inches longer—confirmed by Gruenitz and first reported here. VW powertrain engineers told us in Denmark during a test drive that the vans that will arrive in the U.S. could be mechanically different than those sold in Europe, although they didn’t say how. Now we can see the writing on the wall.
What’s more, at GTX version of the ID Buzz also portends good news for VW loyalists looking to make the jump to electrification along with the brand. Already VW has said it would consider an ID 4 and ID 5 GTX, and with the now-confirmed ID Buzz GTX, there’s more on the way. Reportedly the GTX versions will bear different exterior looks and probably some paint colors, which is great, because sport van.
There’s still more coming for the ID Buzz, too. Gruenitz reportedly said a California camper van is in the works from VW, which we sincerely hope comes back to the U.S. after a long hiatus of no sleeper van from the VW factories.
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