Volkswagen’s ID Buzz now has a customized camper van that is as good and charming as an electrical microbus. It is referred to as the eVentje, and it is now typically obtainable in Europe.
Designed and bought by Ventje, a small however quickly rising firm primarily based within the Netherlands, the eVentje tuner has been doing very nicely till VW lastly releases the Californian model of the ID Buzz – which can nonetheless be a minimum of a number of years away. The lengthy delay since gross sales begin in Europe in 2022 has made room for a booming aftermarket for ID Buzz campervan merchandise, together with the wonderful and comparatively low-cost Ququq camper field I’ve reviewed beforehand.
I first examined a Ventje campervan constructed on prime of a VW Transporter T5 van in 2022, then lived and labored on the ID Buzz for a number of weeks in 2023. . Let me let you know, that is positively a case of the entire being better than the sum of its elements. The ID Buzz has at all times been a sight to behold as you drive by – and now the thrill continues when the doorways open to disclose the adaptive Ventje inside.
The general design of the Ventje camper nonetheless depends on greater than 100 magnets to maintain all wood surfaces aligned and locked in place. There’s additionally a kitchen accessible from each the within and outdoors, a pop-up tent and a multifunctional inside area that may remodel from lounge to mattress to luxurious outside furnishings in minutes. Till now, all the pieces has been improved with one vital addition: a folding desk and hidden stools to create an out of doors bar. syncope.
The kitchen has acquired a number of enhancements, offering extra adaptable prep surfaces (at all times a problem in small areas) and smarter use of storage. Ventje additionally makes use of not one however two induction cooktops, which embrace a 2200W inverter and 2160Wh leisure battery (rechargeable through Volkswagen’s drive battery), a 350W photo voltaic panel and a mini on the again of the decrease part of the cooktop. Shore energy outlet.
Ventje additionally presents 8 USB shops (4 USB-A, 4 USB-C), a 12V automobile jack, 3 wi-fi charging interfaces, and three 230V AC shops, making it simpler to energy all of your gadgets powered by. There are extra lighting choices, together with dimmable LED gentle strips and closable skylights within the pop-up tent.
Volkswagen’s poorly designed software program nonetheless mars an in any other case wonderful driving expertise, and even with all of the Ventje’s customization, the trip stays rattling-free. Volkswagen is anticipated to ultimately allow tenting mode on the ID Buzz, a function already discovered on its present California vary of campers. This may make the ID Buzz’s heating and cooling extra intuitive when parked and permit house owners to extra simply disable the inside movement alert when all doorways are locked at night time.
The eVentje can seat 4 individuals, however at present solely 2 on the freeway. It is constructed across the regular-wheelbase ID Buzz, slightly than the long-wheelbase mannequin that shall be launched in Europe and america (lastly!) later this 12 months. Nonetheless, my spouse and I did not need extra space, even with the canine on the journey.
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The eVentje, just like the ID Buzz, is not low-cost, and shortly in Europe it must compete with Volkswagen’s new PHEV “T7” California campervan, which can go on sale in June and can possible value about the identical. However that mannequin lacks the retro-futuristic attraction of the all-electric ID Buzz, and its inside is arguably much less versatile than the Ventje’s heat customized design, and it is positively not as attention-grabbing.
Pricing for the revised eVentje ID Buzz begins at 95,000 euros (roughly $103,000 USD) in Europe. Orders positioned right now shall be shipped inside 9 months to clients within the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Ventje stated it additionally plans to increase to the UK and US in time.
Importantly, Ventje is doing one thing Volkswagen hasn’t completed because it first launched the ID Buzz in 2017: offering a worthy all-electric successor to the enduring Kind 2 camper van.
Pictures: Thomas Ricker/The Verge
