{"id":531342,"date":"2025-05-07T18:57:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T08:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/?p=531342"},"modified":"2025-05-08T17:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T07:40:28","slug":"you-couldnt-pay-me-to-drive-a-volkswagen-until-i-saw-this-thing-in-bondi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/cars\/you-couldnt-pay-me-to-drive-a-volkswagen-until-i-saw-this-thing-in-bondi","title":{"rendered":"You Couldn\u2019t Pay Me To Drive A Volkswagen Until I Saw This Thing In Bondi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What Tudor is to Rolex, Volkswagen is to Audi \u2013 the so-called people\u2019s brand. Solid, practical, occasionally surprising, but rarely the thing you actually <em>lust<\/em> after. That\u2019s been Volkswagen\u2019s problem for the better part of two decades. Sure, they\u2019ve made reliable cars. But exciting? Aspirational? Not since the Kombi and the original Golf GTI had their moments in the sun.<\/strong><\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"><p>For years, the VW badge has meant safe, sensible, and uninspired: vanilla SUVs, beige hatches, and the reanimated ghost of the Kombi dressed up in corporate camouflage. You couldn\u2019t pay me to drive one; people have tried.<\/p><p>But today in Bondi, something changed.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1023837784\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1624416665 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1624416665 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[300,250],[320,100],[320,180],[336,280],[640,360]],\"incontent-1023837784\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1624416665.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1023837784\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1624416665);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"content-subscribe\">\n        <div class=\"subscribe-box\">\n            <p class=\"subscribe-title\">Curated news for men, <br\/>delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n            <form class=\"subscribe-form\" method=\"POST\">\n                <div class=\"subscribe-input\">\n                    <label class=\"screen-reader-text\" for=\"subscribe-email\">Email:<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"subscribe-email\" placeholder=\"Enter your email\" required class=\"form-control\" autocomplete=\"on\" \/>\n                    <button type=\"submit\" class=\"button button-primary subscribe-button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"article\" \/>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"_wpnonce\" name=\"_wpnonce\" value=\"e2df992756\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531342\" \/>                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"form-result\"><\/div>\n            <\/form>\n            <p class=\"subscribe-copy\">Join the DMARGE newsletter \u2014 Be the first to receive the latest news and exclusive stories on style, travel, luxury, cars, and watches. Straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <p>Parked near the lads at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/health\/vrtus-reinventing-sydney-fitness-scene-after-f45-closure\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vrtus<\/a>, like it had just time-travelled from a better-designed future was a vehicle that made me stop mid-coffee sip: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.volkswagen.com.au\/en\/models\/id-buzz.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the <em>Volkswagen ID.Buzz<\/em><\/a>. Fully electric, retro-futuristic, and dipped in a two-tone colour scheme that screams road trip and oat milk lattes. It\u2019s the Kombi reborn \u2014 and, for once, VW actually nailed it.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"934\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-1400x934.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-531343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-1400x934.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz3-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image: Volkswagen<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>I first saw one earlier this year in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/watches\/best-watches-wonders-2025\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Geneva during Watches &amp; Wonders<\/a>. It was parked confidently out the front of the Novotel Central like it had no idea it was in Switzerland. It looked like it had taken a wrong turn on the Pacific Coast Highway and ended up in the Swiss Alps. And yet, despite being tailor-made for California or Byron, I had not yet spotted it on Aussie streets. Ludicrous, I tells ya.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1481981482\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1193858638 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1193858638 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1481981482\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1193858638.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1481981482\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1193858638);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-retro-futuristic-icon\">A Retro Futuristic Icon<\/h2><p>The ID.Buzz isn\u2019t just a Kombi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tribute<\/a>. It\u2019s what the Kombi would\u2019ve become if it had been designed by someone who\u2019s used an iPhone. The front is playful and symmetrical, the overhangs are short, and the badge is massive (as it should be). It looks like a retro Pixar character, in a good way.<\/p><p>The design language channels the spirit of the original <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Volkswagen_Type_2\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Type 2 Microbus<\/a> but strips out the nostalgia bloat. It\u2019s modern, clean, and crucially, it doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously. Finally, a fun car that doesn\u2019t look like it was cooked up in a German accounting office.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-822688156\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1141993756 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1141993756 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-822688156\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1141993756.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-822688156\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1141993756);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-built-on-volkswagen-s-meb-platform\">Built On Volkswagen\u2019s MEB Platform<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-1400x788.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-531344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-1400x788.webp 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-960x540.webp 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-640x360.webp 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz-480x270.webp 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image: Volkswagen<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The ID.Buzz sits on VW\u2019s modular electric drive matrix, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Volkswagen_Group_MEB_platform\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MEB platform<\/a>, shared with the ID.3 and ID.4. That means it\u2019s rear-wheel drive, just like the OG Kombi. At launch, it comes with a single rear-mounted electric motor delivering 150kW and 310Nm of torque, drawing power from a 77kWh battery.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1525399201\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1982955236 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1982955236 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1525399201\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1982955236.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1525399201\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1982955236);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>Range? Around 423km (WLTP) if you\u2019re driving like a normal human. And with DC fast charging, you can get from 5 to 80 percent in just over half an hour. Translation: it\u2019s not just a pretty face.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-space-for-days-tech-to-match\">Space For Days, Tech To Match<\/h2><p>Inside, it\u2019s all about flexibility and feel-good vibes. Flat floors, sliding rear seats, and a 5-seat configuration that feels more like a lounge room than a van. A 7-seater long-wheelbase version is already on sale in Europe, and it\u2019s likely coming to Australia soon.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1213874831\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1303732524 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1303732524 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1213874831\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1303732524.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1213874831\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1303732524);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>There\u2019s a 10-inch touchscreen running VW\u2019s latest infotainment (still not perfect, but improving), wireless CarPlay, and all the usual EV toys regenerative braking, over-the-air updates, and app-based remote access. The Buzz Box removable centre console is a cheeky, useful touch. Even the ambient lighting feels fun rather than forced.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-didn-t-they-do-this-ten-years-ago\">Why Didn\u2019t They Do This Ten Years Ago<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"934\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-1400x934.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-531345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-1400x934.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/volkswagen-id-buzz5-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image: Volkswagen<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>That\u2019s the real head-scratcher. The Kombi\u2019s cult following has been begging for a modern reinterpretation for years. And instead of leaning into that energy, Volkswagen gave us beige Tiguan after beige Tiguan. The ID.Buzz finally gives fans and buyers what they\u2019ve been waiting for a stylish, functional EV with actual <em>personality<\/em>. Not just another badge-engineered people mover.<\/p><p>It\u2019s the most universally liked Volkswagen since the first Golf GTI. Electric, practical, and genuinely cool. Now they need to price it reasonably in Australia, though let\u2019s be honest, that\u2019s about as likely as a Kombi outrunning a Tesla.<\/p><p>Even if you\u2019re a cynical bastard (like me) who wouldn\u2019t be caught dead in a van, the ID.Buzz forces you to reconsider. It\u2019s the first new Volkswagen in twenty years that doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s apologising for something. And it\u2019s the first car from the brand in recent memory that made me say out loud, I want one.<\/p><p>Just don\u2019t expect me to wear hemp pants and start a kombucha brand. Now sit back and enjoy this SNL skit on the car.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Californians Meet The VW ID. Buzz | SNL50\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uJGmDvZwV6M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Volkswagen are the Crocs of cars but the ID.Buzz is the best thing they have done in decades. No cap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":531346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1167],"tags":[],"coauthors":[146525],"class_list":{"0":"post-531342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cars"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531342"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=531342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}