Abarth 500E vs Volkswagen ID. Buzz

What's the difference?

It’s not perfect, but it’s everything a hot hatch should be in the electric era — engaging, exciting, and, above all, fun.

The only way to make this car cooler would be to add a split fold-out windscreen and a tube steel luggage rack on the roof.

It’s fast, super practical, comfortable and guaranteed to put a smile on the face of premium family buyers ready to go for something different. And that smile will extend to just about everyone who lays eyes on it. I love it.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

I’m just going to come right out and say it — I love the look of the Abarth 500e, even if the colour of our test car should be renamed Acid Trip, rather than Acid Green. 

I love its perfectly proportioned, hunkered-down hot-hatch styling, the new ABARTH lettering on the body, and the new scorpion logo pasted to the side.

Basically, if you can look at the Abarth and not smile, then you need to find more fun in your life.

Inside, it’s a predictably cramped-feeling space, but it’s all nicely laid out, and the more I use them, the more I like the horizontal drive controllers that don’t eat up the little space you have with a traditional shifter. The materials are a bit hit and miss, though.

The ID.Buzz GTX is characterised by a unique front bumper with new integrated daytime running lights near its outer edges and a narrower black honeycomb grille. 

GTX badging and the exterior mirror housings are finished in high-gloss black, and 21-inch alloy wheels are standard.

The rich ‘Cherry Red’ solid paint finish of the launch test car is exclusive to the GTX and it’s a fair bet many buyers will stump up the extra $4K required for a two-tone treatment, in this case with ‘Mono Silver’ as the highlight colour.

The interior is familiar ID.Buzz territory, with the long, broad dashtop pushing the windscreen and small front windows beside it into a quintessentially Kombi ‘bay window’-style design.

A 12-inch central multimedia screen sits proud of the multi-layered dash, and a slick 5.3-inch LCD instrument and car data display is fixed in front of the driver.

A black headliner dials up the sporty feel, the electric front seats are a GTX-specific design and the synthetic diamond pattern microfleece trim is highlighted by red contrast stitching and piping. 

The red cross-stitching extends to the steering wheel and smile-inducing stainless steel ‘play’ and ‘pause’ symbols on the accelerator and brake pedals are retained.

The sub-zero cool exterior design manages to merge with a more restrained and practical interior perfectly. VW has solid retro form with the ‘New Beetle’ from the 1990s and this primo ID.Buzz looks amazing. It drew an instant crowd of curious onlookers every time we stopped. 

While I like the addition of the central screen, it’s surprisingly annoying to use — I found myself jabbing at the buttons again and again before it reacts. You need a Stephen Hawking-level intellect to figure it all out.

I was trying to turn off the Abarth Sound Generator, which I'm reliably informed is possible, but after about five minutes digging through sub-menus, I abandoned all hope.

Normally I’d spend a bit of time exploring the back seat, but frankly, once in there I didn't really feel like spending excess time back there.

The Abarth 500e is only around 3.6m long, 1.7m wide and 1.5m tall, and suffice it to say, the space is tight, and you’ll only be using the two seats in the back in an emergency, or for the smallest of kids.

The boot is pretty tiny, too, starting at 185 litres (VDA) with the rear seats up, but growing to 550L (VDA) with the split-fold rear seat lowered. 

So, not much to write home about. But criticising the tiny Abarth for a lack of practicality is like criticising a horse because it can’t swim – it’s not really in its job description.

The ID.Buzz GTX is offered in shorter wheelbase variants with five- and six-seat configurations for other markets, but here it’s seven seats and long-wheelbase only.

At close to five metres long and just under two metres wide, it’s road-trip ready with heaps of breathing room for all seven occupants.

Placement of the gearshift on the right-hand side of the steering column frees up extra space in the front and there’s heaps of storage including a moveable (and removable) centre console unit between the front seats with pull-out drawers at either end, two trays in each door (the lower one offering room for multiple large bottles), a decent glove box and a fold-out dual cupholder unit.

There’s also an oddments shelf in front of the passenger, a wireless device charging slot in the dash and adjustable fold-down armrests on both sides of the front seats.

Pull the handle on the power-opening sliding side doors and the second row opens up with three seating positions offering hectares of room in all directions. 

This row can be moved 200mm longitudinally if a turf war erupts with those in the third row. And storage is great with two pockets and a fold out table on each front seatback as well as huge door bins with waste baskets included. There are also adjustable vents with temperature control in the roof.

There’s enough head and legroom for adults in the third row although the backrest is relatively upright. Even access is straightforward and there are numerous storage trays, cupholders, air vents and storage slots back there.

Power across the cabin runs to two USB-C ports in the dash, another in the front passenger area and four USB-C charging sockets in the rear.

Boot space increases from a handy 306 litres with all seats up to 1340 litres with the 50/50 split-folding third row down, and 2469L with it and the 60/40 split second row lowered. That’s plenty.

And that 1.6-tonne braked trailer towing capacity means a jet ski, even a mid-size camper trailer, is within hauling range.

The power tailgate is welcome and the rear of the boot’s load platform sits above two storage boxes. But you won’t find a spare of any description back there; a repair-inflator kit is your only option. So beware, a flat could really suck the air out of this mobile family room.

The new ID.Buzz GTX 4Motion is priced at $109,990, before on-road costs, which puts it in the same price zone as a diverse range of large, primo people haulers.

On price, it competes with three-row EVs like the Kia EV9, LDV Mifa 9, and if you stretch the price equation a little further, the Zeekr 009. But in terms of style and personality, this machine lives in a world of its own.

Maybe its VW California Beach sibling comes closest, however that van’s traditional turbo-diesel powertrain stands in stark contrast to the ID.Buzz’s pure-electric vibe.

Once you’ve crested the $100K mark, it’s fair to expect a healthy list of included features and the ID.Buzz GTX doesn’t disappoint.

Aside from the performance and safety tech we’ll get to shortly, the highlights include adaptive cruise control, auto LED matrix headlights, 13-speaker (plus sub-woofer) Harman Kardon audio with digital radio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, three-zone climate control, a panoramic (dimmable) glass roof, 30-colour ambient lighting, power-adjustable heated front seats, heated (outer) rear seats and 21-inch alloy rims. 

There’s also a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, microfleece seat trim, keyless entry and start, electric side doors and tailgate (the latter with hands-free functionality), ‘Ask IDA’ voice control and dark tinted windows.

That’s a strong, class-competitive value equation. Metallic or pearl effect paint will set you back $1890, the two-tone treatment is $4090 and black 21-inch alloys add $380.

There’s a single front-mounted electric motor providing the go here, with a total 113.7kW and 235Nm on offer fed through the single-speed gearbox, which is enough to push the 500e from 0-100km/h in 7.0 seconds.

Happily, the way that power is delivered makes it feel faster, and that Sound Generator does a pretty good impersonation of a petrol-powered hot hatch, rising and falling with your inputs.

The GTX is a twin-motor AWD, the front unit generating 80kW/134Nm and the rear 210kW/560Nm. Total output is 250kW/590Nm which boosts towing capacity from 1.0-tonne in the single-motor ID.Buzz to 1600kg.

A single-speed transmission sends drive primarily to the rear wheels to maximise efficiency, the dual-motor set-up able to direct power to the front axle as required during acceleration or to manage available traction.

Right, there’s one obvious downside to the Abarth experience, and that is that it is fitted with a 42kWh battery that delivers a claimed 253km of driving range.

It’s worth noting that there are three Drive Modes — Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track — and that only the first one will deliver the maximum range, because it limits inputs to 100kW and 220Nm.

Engage the other two — I’ve had it locked in Scorpion Track, for example, which gives you all of the power and deactivates one-pedal driving — and you can expect those numbers to drop.

When it comes time to charge, the Abarth 500e is set up for 85kW DC fast charging, which should take you from flat to 80 percent charged in around 35 minutes, as well as a maximum 11kW AC charging, which takes just over four hours to get to fully charged. Or you can plug it into a regular socket, which means more like 15 hours to recharge.

One last caveat: I actually wasn't able to get it to charge, which curtailed my adventures a little bit. I tried three chargers, all of which conjured an error message on the screen, and after a quick call to the folks at Abarth it transpired that a quick software update is required.

The ID.Buzz GTX’s 86kWh lithium-ion battery delivers a claimed (WLTP) range of 473km and the car uses a CCS Type 3 socket. VW includes a Mode 2 and Mode 3 cable as standard.

The claimed 10-80 per cent 200kW DC fast charge time is 26 minutes, while the same top-up takes nine hours at a maximum 11.0kW AC capacity.

Claimed energy consumption on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 20.2kWh/100km (WLTP) and over several hundred kilometres of mainly B-road and freeway running on the launch we saw an average of 24.5kWh/100km, which isn’t out of order given the type of driving involved.

Remember what I said about how just looking at the Abarth should put a smile on your face? Well, driving it paints on an even bigger grin, and it starts as soon as you fire it up.

While most EVs start silently, leaving you wondering if they're on at all, the Abarth takes a different approach, instead leaning on its sound generator, modelled on the exhaust note of the 695, to give you a throaty rumble when you fire it up. It even revs! And yes, you can turn it off (apparently), but why would you?

On the road, electric drive has actually improved the Abarth experience, I reckon, because all the harshness of the drivetrain has been ironed out, instead just leaving this smooth, potent flow of power every time you plant your right foot, with no gear changes or harsh vibrations to get in the way.

The steering is predictably direct, too, and the whole vehicle feels nimble and quick to react to your inputs.

It’s honestly the kind of car that’s fun driving anywhere, be it suburban streets or twisty backroads, and despite having a couple of options parked at my house, I found myself pulled to the Abarth for all of my trips.

Downsides? The ride is firm but comfortable on most roads, but downright uncomfortable when you clang over bumps or road imperfections. You’ll have to decide if that’s a price to high to pay, but I can live with it for the trade off. And while the cabin tech looks nice, but is fiddly and annoying to use.

Finally, the range relegates the Abarth to a second car, or for those who rarely leave the city. Which is a big ask at the price point.

Despite the fact that it weighs in at around 2.8 tonnes (2780kg), Volkswagen Australia says this dual-motor ID.Buzz accelerates from 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds and on to a 160km/h maximum velocity, if you dare. 

And there is always some serious oomph lurking under your right foot. Trundle along at 65km/h, pin the accelerator, and in roughly two blinks of an eye you’re doing 95km/h. 

Proportionally, this car is like a loaf of bread on wheels - about as high as it is wide. And on the windy launch drive we were buffeted a bit, the car moving sideways slightly when hit with a gust. But overall, it remains stable despite its proportions. That said, some wind noise comes over the bluff nose on the freeway, but never to an alarming degree. 

The ID. Buzz rides on VW’s Modular Electric Drive (MEB) platform and there’s been past criticism of the short-wheelbase versions' ride quality, but there are no such issues here.

Suspension is by struts at the front and semi-trailing arms at the rear and this GTX has had a suspension retune with particular attention paid to key components, including the dampers.

On rural roads that have seen better days, dotted with potholes, bumps and thumps, a combination of that suspension retune and the longer wheelbase helped the GTX handle it well. 

There are five drive modes with Comfort the default. Eco smooths out acceleration, tapers the climate control and reduces overall power, while Sport dials up the powertrain, suspension and steering. Traction optimises the AWD system for loose or slippery surfaces and Individual allows you to cherry pick various attributes for a custom set-up.

Steering is progressive rate and you can feel it loading up nicely as you head into a corner. Not the last word in terms of road feel, but the car points accurately and turn-in is nice and progressive.

At the same time you’ve got the electric motors constantly shuffling drive between the front and rear axles, helping you out if you decide to explore the car’s sporty nature and have a crack in the corners.

Tyres are Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 EV specials (235/45 fr - 265/40 rr) and in long, sweeping bends, taken at pretty decent speed, they grip hard. Even on coarse-chip B-road surfaces there’s a bit of rumble but it’s far from a roar.

Braking is by large (358mm) ventilated discs in the front and, believe it or not, drums at the back. A well-designed, modern drum brake can work effectively and the regenerative braking in an EV like this is a big factor in terms of washing off speed.

In terms of lower speed manoeuvres, you’ve got a 360-degree camera view as well as a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. If you really need some help, Park Assist Plus will get the job done for you.

In terms of ergonomics, we spent hours behind the wheel and the front seats remained comfortable and supportive in terms of lateral grip.

Speaking of grip, the steering wheel is nice to hold. And the cool little 5.3-inch instrument and car data display is clear as a bell, and the large 12-inch media screen is easy to use and working through the different screens is largely intuitive.

The current ID. Buzz range hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP although its sister organisation, Euro NCAP, awarded it a maximum five-star rating in 2022.

As you’d expect, a full suite of driver-assistance tech is onboard including highway-speed AEB with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, adaptive cruise, lane-keeping assist, lane-change assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring.  

There’s also a 360-degree view and reversing camera, plus Park Distance Control incorporating front and rear proximity sensors.

The airbag count runs to seven - front, front side, curtains covering the second and third rows, as well as a front centre bag. And multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent impacts after an initial crash

There are five top tethers for child restraints; three across the second row and two in the back row, with four ISOFIX anchors across both rows.

It’s an interesting ownership proposition, because the car is covered for three years or 150,000km, which is underwhelming and then some compared to the warranty offerings of its competition, but there is capped-price servicing, at $300 per visit, required every 12 months or 15,000km, which lasts 10 years.

The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

The ID.Buzz GTX is covered by Volkswagen Australia’s five-year/unlimited-km warranty with two years’ roadside assistance included. On top of that, there’s an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the drive battery.

That general warranty is in line with the mainstream market, although it’s worth noting an increasing number are stepping up to longer terms, including 10 years.  

There’s a 12-year corrosion perforation warranty and keep servicing with an authorised VW dealer and that roadside assistance support will be rolled over for another two years each time.

The recommended maintenance interval is two years/30,000km. Standard scheduled service pricing is $687 for each of the first five workshop visits, while pre-paid plans covering six, eight or 10 years represent savings of between 30 and 35 per cent on that figure, which is pretty handy.