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though bizarrely it’s described as a seven seater but the image shows only six seats
Both 2/2/2 & 2/3/2 options are supposed to be coming when LWB gets to the UK. Not seen anything from VW suggesting the middle seats are removable though… but let’s hope they are.
This is the LWB from the YouTube video showing the 3rd row removed. but the back of the second row and the other floor gubbins between the seats definitely look like some flexibly mount/removal options. Although I'm guessing even if not removable they'd need to tip forward to allow the third row passengers to get out of the side doors.
Its a hell of an awkward/complex mounting system for the third row seats - on the Caddy maxi Life the third row bench goes on 4 simple studs on the floor (you can see them on the pic below between the lashing points.
I shudder to think how much this fully loaded model buzz will cost. VW will definitely push the price envelope with this, after all they do have to pay for their dieselgate fees and fines somehow.
I was toying with the idea of waiting for the new versions , mainly for the bigger battery options and the pan roof ( i loves a big pan roof ). I like my vehicles fully specced and the SWB buzz I have was £72K rrp ( i got it as a pre-registered with 10 miles on the clock and a 3 year warranty for £57K ). By the time the new models hit the road , all the incentives to buy EV for business will have gone so I went for it. I think they are going to be up in the £75-£80k range for a fully loaded one
Yeah, the GTX and LWB versions are going to be mad expensive. Lease schemes do some magic due to high residuals so even though book price on these are more than a lot of other cars, they are cheaper to lease.
Either way, it would be nice if some of the new stuff trickles down to the other levels on release.
Let’s hope some of the practical options make their way down the range (and later onto the second hand market).
Oh, worth noting that if you look at the van and the LWB seating options… VW should be able to offer an 8 seater… 3/3/2… if they choose to.
anyone know what the LWB weighs and its GVW?
At £60k, I can assure you I most definitely will not be.
they appear to lose £20k in value in the first 5,000 miles. If that level of depreciation keeps up they might be a bargin in 3 years time
they appear to lose £20k in value in the first 5,000 miles. If that level of depreciation keeps up they might be a bargin in 3 years time
Puts them more in budget, still pricy for a small bus. Even at that rate of depreciation I might never afford the gtx version, when I’ve just read the gtx variant could be pushing 90-100k !
At £60k, I can assure you I most definitely will not be.
Honestly I was going to ignore the comments about the costs, but maybe posting this will help someone else, so here goes.
It shouldn't make sense to go from a ~£3k 10 year old Zafira to a ~£60K brand new car, and as an owner of 3 Zafiras in a row hopefully you can believe me when I say I am not into cars for the status or whatever. For me family cars are an appliance, a bike transporter and mobile skip, and any money spent on one I view as money I can't spend on bikes, holidays or even my retirement. I'm as surprised as anyone that a Buzz seems like the sensible choice, and it's only due to the place I work introducing an EV salary sacrifice scheme.
With salary sacrifice schemes, there's no initial payment, and the monthly costs include insurance, servicing, tyres, road tax, breakdown cover etc. Basically the monthly payment includes all motoring costs other than electricity.
Depending on your personal tax circumstances (salary, where in the UK you live etc) the amount you end up paying for a lease can be reduced through salary sacrifice by up to (or maybe even more than) 60%. So an ID.Buzz monthly lease with decent annual mileage of around 12K can be had for £300-£500* per month after tax. Again, that's for everything, other than electricity and the initial purchase of a charger if you don't have one. Oh, another benefit of this over leasing privately, is if I get made redundant or leave my job I can give the car back early with no penalty charges. Lastly, do your own sums, the website of the scheme I'm on underestimates how much I can save by £100s a month.
@thebunk, if you’d have listened in the first place and just bought an Octavia, we wouldn’t be having this conversation anyway!
You jest, but comparing to a 4 year old petrol auto estate Octavia, it's close, but the man maths on the STW approved car doesn't quite make sense. I tried but they cost around £13k and then you need to pay for everything else on top.
* Range is vague to try and make it harder for someone to reverse engineer my salary. Even if you can, I'd prefer it if you didn't post about it on here 🙏
Honestly I was going to ignore the comments about the costs, but maybe posting this will help someone else, so here goes.
It shouldn’t make sense to go from a ~£3k 10 year old Zafira to a ~£60K brand new car, and as an owner of 3 Zafiras in a row hopefully you can believe me when I say I am not into cars for the status or whatever. For me family cars are an appliance, a bike transporter and mobile skip, and any money spent on one I view as money I can’t spend on bikes, holidays or even my retirement. I’m as surprised as anyone that a Buzz seems like the sensible choice, and it’s only due to the place I work introducing an EV salary sacrifice scheme.
that is of interest, as I’m about to join somewhere where they have an ev salary sacrifice scheme. Just need to get my head round not owing the car outright and effectively moving to a never ending subscription lease model.
Haven’t looked too deeply into it, but looks like a great way to make what’s an expensive purchase more attainable.
Just need to get my head round not owing the car outright and effectively moving to a never ending subscription lease model.
Sure, but in about 5 years time car owners will be looked down upon much like wood burning stove owners, and we’ll be hailing on demand self driving flying taxi cars anyway right?
Sure, but in about 5 years time car owners will be looked down upon much like wood burning stove owners, and we’ll be hailing on demand self driving flying taxi cars anyway right?
I look forward to it, flying cars have been the dream since seeing blade runner, a loooong time ago.
be hilarious to pilot a flying id buzz.
Hey all. I haven’t read the full thread yet, but this is my Medium Nomad inside my Buzz. I have to slide the double rear seat forward on the track, but it goes in. I can also load my son’s 24” bike next to the Nomad.
the same thing works with my Large YT Decoy MX
That isn’t much smaller than the back of my T5 Kombi from first glance. Interesting!
Would you get another, similar, bike next to it if you put the rear wheel in first? Depending on the length of the bike I can just about do that in my T5 but it looks like it might be as snug in there.
i love the matt black paint job!
With the seats slid forward, the boot is longer than my 2018 SWB Vito. It’s quite a bit narrower though.
There’s no way I’m getting two adult bikes in there with wheels on.
And thanks! The matte black is just on the lower half and looks great
Next question then: 4 adult mountain bikes, all with front wheels off - would they fit in with back wheels against the seats and all the handlebars pointing the same way? I can do that in my van and it would be interesting if it could be done in the Buzz.
LWB version listed as being £500 more than SWB so not too bad. 250mm longer, be interesting to see how that translates on the interior. Slight range increase too due to bigger battery.
SWB gets a 6 seat option for £250.
No price difference for 5,6 or 7 seats on LWB.
Panoramic roof with smart dimming is £2200, and there’s also the £1050 option of a heat pump now (which I can’t quite get my head around the cost/benefit of).
The Style trim also now has black interior options which is good though think it’s still a white headliner.
short answer is no. I need to have a rear seat down to get a bike in with the front wheel off, and both wheels off to get it in sideways behind the rear seats.
Here are some more photos. In the last photo, the rear seats are slid back. In the other photos, the double rear seat is slid forward
I can get a good salary sacrifice deal on an LWB GTX. Would it be fairly easy to unbolt and remove all the rear seats, store, then put them back at the end of the lease deal?
Hired one in Geneva and only just got three bikes in the back.
Two were in bags and mine was in a massively cut down cardboard box and I could not sit on the back single seat properly.
Out of the bags. Gave me room to sit properly but I doubt we would have got four bikes in!
The seat arrangement wouldn't sell it for me.
250 miles isn't bad, you should see what the other manufacturers electric people carrier vans do, terrible. I went for a Vivaro Life diesel (the electric has appalling range) with the 7 seat and a table option, Seats come out really easily, and they can slide to any position. The two 'singles' can be turned round into a lounge set up. I also went with 7 as if it was an 8 seater, the double seats weigh the same as a large elephant. I can get my bike in wheels on and stood up.
Mine is also a short term camper - has a bed system fitted under the parcel shelf. Folds out over the chairs.
I don't understand the reluctance to take wheels of when loading a bike. Take the wheels off and two 27.5 MTBs and camping gear go in a Zoe. You'd get about eight in the space in that Buzz with some sheets of foam to protect them. Try laid flat diagonally on a slight angle. Taking the tyres off is a great space saving idea but even I'd find that a little too time consuming. 😉
I can get a good salary sacrifice deal on an LWB GTX. Would it be fairly easy to unbolt and remove all the rear seats, store, then put them back at the end of the lease deal?
The rearmost 2 just unclip and pull out . I’ve got the 6 seater , the middle seats would need to be unbolted ( or just fold them down ?). You would have the gap between them to play with if you keep them in .
Hello @joemgh
Could you please let me know which version you have, is this the short wheelbase 5 seater?
I'm looking into getting a Buzz through our salary sacrifice scheme and would like to be able to get my size large Strive:on in the back without removing the front wheel every time.
If you can make by on 3 seats, the cargo version is cavernous, has slightly better range and you won't mess up your nice light coloured interior with muddy bikes.
I have the long wheelbase 6 seat GTX. The 6 seat versions are good as you have a central 'tunnel' with the third row seats removed. This makes getting bikes in very easy. I am fairly confident you wouldn't fit a whole bike in the short 5 seat unfortunately
When I was buying a car I took a CLEAN bike with me and made sure it would fit where I was hoping it would fit.
Why not do this?