Compare the2026 BMW iXVS 2025 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the iX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The BMW iX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The iX’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the ID.BUZZ.

The BMW iX’s optional Surround View offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

Both the iX and the ID.BUZZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the ID.BUZZ’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the ID.BUZZ (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 10 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The iX has more powerful engines than the ID.BUZZ:

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the ID.BUZZ:

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the ID.BUZZ on a full charge:

The BMW iX has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.BUZZ. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The iX stops much shorter than the ID.BUZZ:

For better traction, the iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.BUZZ (275/40R22 vs. 235/50R20).

The iX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ID.BUZZ’s 50 series front and 45 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX offers optional 23-inch wheels. The ID.BUZZ’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The iX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The ID.BUZZ’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The iX has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The iX’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the iX is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the ID.BUZZ.

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 2.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the ID.BUZZ (8.8 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The BMW iX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ.

The iX is 8.5 inches shorter in height than the ID.BUZZ, making the iX much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The front grille of the iX uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The iX has .9 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, 3.6 inches more front hip room and 2.4 inches more front shoulder room than the ID.BUZZ.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume than the ID.BUZZ with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 18.6 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the iX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The iX’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the ID.BUZZ’s (3500 vs. 2600 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ 4Motion® is only 3500 pounds. The iX offers up to a 6834 lbs. towing capacity.

The iX has a higher standard payload capacity than the ID.BUZZ (1003 vs. 948 lbs.).

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the ID.BUZZ’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The ID.BUZZ has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Compared to the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, the BMW iX eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

The BMW iX outsold the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ by almost 8 to one during 2024.