Road Trippin’ to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in an ID. Buzz

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Last Updated on: 2nd May 2025, 02:58 pm

By Nick Rericha

We recently embarked on a road trip in our brand spankin’ new Volkswagen ID. Buzz First Edition from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for Spring Break. Here is our review!

My wife and I had been anxiously waiting for the ID. Buzz to go on sale since it was first announced at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. At the time, our daughters were 9 and 7 years old and we were driving a 2013 Mazda 5. The ID. Buzz would be the perfect minivan for our family. However, as the years rolled on and our kids grew up, we needed a larger vehicle, so we purchased a used Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, which provides a lot of space for our family while also allowing 30 miles of electric propulsion.

When the US release date and price were finally announced, we really weren’t in a position for purchasing the Buzz. We had just paid off our 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mid Range in December 2024. The price of the Buzz was more than we anticipated, so we decided to wait a year or two. However, after seeing a Mahi-Green First Edition in the showroom of our local Volkswagen dealership, we decided to take a look.

We fell in love with the vehicle and started working the gears and levers to see how we could make a purchase happen. The trade-in value of the Pacifica that was offered was less than what we owed on the vehicle. I really did not want to have another car payment because we had just paid off the Model 3. After a few weeks from that initial visit, we saw the writing on the wall regarding resale values of used Teslas, so we decided to visit again to see what they would offer for my Model 3. The trade-in offer was good and I only saw it going down, so we decided to trade in the Model 3 for a leased ID. Buzz First Edition that we call Buzzy. We took Buzzy home on February 8, 2024.

The number one aspect I love about the Buzz is the retro-future design. Volkswagen has done a perfect job of blending the past while also incorporating the present/future, in my opinion. You can totally tell it is a “VW Bus.” A few weeks ago, a woman in a Lowe’s parking lot asked, “It is back?” and of course I responded with “It is back!”

The Buzz has a voluminous interior, with 145.5 cu. ft. of cargo space when the third-row seats are removed and the second-row seats are folded down. A rear “shelf” provides a flat surface when third-row and second-row seats are folded down. The shelf can be flipped up when needed. Because our youngest daughter likes to have the third-row all to herself, we were required to put all of our luggage for our road trip to Gatlinburg in the back behind the third-row seats. All three suitcases fit in the back, and I was also able to put my briefcase and hiking boots below the flipped-down rear shelf.

Our all-wheel drive First Edition has a 91 kWh battery that is rated for 231 miles with an EPA combined MPGe of 80. Although there have been complaints from some about the range of the Buzz, the range is similar to my old 2018 Model 3 Mid Range, so I have no issues with the range. The charging time from 10% to 80% state of charge is 26 minutes, which is respectable.

When we left our house in Cincinnati, the Buzz had a 100% charge. I used A Better Route Planner with an OBD dongle, which was temperamental and was providing state of charge data that was 8% to 15% off compared to what the Buzz was reporting on the user interface. I eventually unplugged the ODB dongle and plugged it back in at our first charging stop, which solved the problem.

We averaged 3.1 miles/kWh driving from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky to the Smoky Mountains. Our departure temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit and our arrival temperature was 74 degrees Fahrenheit. I set A Better Route Planner so that we would arrive at our hotel in Gatlinburg with 20% charge, which required two charging stops of about 25 minutes and 6 minutes, respectively. We ultimately stopped three times due to an extra bathroom break. I like to stop every two hours or so to stretch my legs and walk around anyway, so the range of the Buzz is perfect for me and my family on long road trips.

Our first charging stop was at the Richmond, Kentucky, Buc-ee’s, which has ChargePoint fast chargers. Initially I was confused because the chargers had a Mercedes-Benz logo on them, which I thought maybe meant they were for Mercedes-Benz vehicles only. However, the Buzz charged just fine. We charged for 23 minutes, going from 38% to 80%, gaining 26.1169 kWh at $0.48 per kWh. If you have never been to a Buc-ee’s, it is a destination in itself and quite a spectacle. The place was packed with people.

Our second charging stop was for 17 minutes at a Williamsburg, Kentucky, Electrify America in a Walmart parking lot. We gained 33.84 kWh, going from 43% to 78% at a rate of $0.48 per kWh. Our third and final restroom/charging stop was at the Sevierville, Tennessee, Buc-ee’s where we charged for about 7 minutes, gaining 14.78333 kWh while going from 44% to 60% at a rate of $0.49 per kWh.

Overall, the Buzz was a dream to drive on our road trip to the Smoky Mountains. My old Model 3 did not have Autopilot features such as adaptive cruise control. I found the IQ. Drive semi-automatic driving features to be very capable, and it made for a much more relaxing driving experience than I am used to. Another feature that increased the comfort of the drive was the arm rests, which are adjustable into any position. I love this feature! The back massage feature is also great. I really enjoyed turning it on occasionally.

We were minor celebrities while driving around Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg! The Buzz turned so many heads, and many people told us how much they love the bus. People were hollering from the Hillbilly Golf line in Gatlinburg, which was hilarious. We got many thumbs up and hang-loose hand gestures. One couple in a Ford F-150 Lightning pulled off the highway just to ask us to have a look at our car because they had never seen one and want to buy one. People really do seem to love the Buzz!

All in all, I highly recommend the ID. Buzz as an electric minivan for taking road trips. We cannot wait to hit the road for our next trip!

Related: Early Owner Reviews of Volkswagen ID. Buzz — CleanTechnica Video

Note that the owners of both ID Buzz vehicles interviewed in that video were also in the middle of road trips and found the ID. Buzz completely adequate for road tripping.