Compare the2026 Mercedes EQS SUVVS 2025 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes EQS SUV have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

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 EQS SUV 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 Mercedes EQS SUV has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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 EQS SUV’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the 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, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the EQS SUV. But it costs extra on the ID.BUZZ.

Both the EQS SUV and the ID.BUZZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The EQS SUV’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.BUZZ’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 15 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes 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 Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 42 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

The EQS SUV has more powerful engines than the ID.BUZZ:

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

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

For better stopping power the EQS SUV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ID.BUZZ:

The Mercedes EQS SUV 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.

For better traction, the EQS SUV has larger standard tires than the ID.BUZZ (275/45R21 vs. 235/50R20). The EQS SUV’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.BUZZ (F:275/40R22 & R:285/40R22 vs. F:235/50R20 & R:265/45R20).

The EQS SUV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ID.BUZZ’s standard 50 series front tires. The EQS SUV’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the ID.BUZZ’s 50 series front and 45 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EQS SUV has standard 21-inch wheels. Only 20-inch wheels are available on the ID.BUZZ. The EQS SUV offers optional 22-inch wheels.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the EQS SUV can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The front and rear suspension of the EQS SUV uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the ID.BUZZ, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The EQS SUV has a standard 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 EQS SUV has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The EQS SUV’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 maneuverability, the Maybach EQS 680’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the ID.BUZZ’s (36 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The EQS SUV’s turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the ID.BUZZ 4Motion®’s (39 feet vs. 42.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the EQS SUV has a greater minimum ground clearance than the ID.BUZZ (7.3 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the EQS SUV to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The EQS SUV 550 4MATIC’s minimum ground clearance is 1.5 inches higher than on the ID.BUZZ (7.8 vs. 6.3 inches).

The EQS SUV is 8.4 inches shorter in height than the ID.BUZZ, making the EQS SUV much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The EQS SUV has .1 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room and 1.4 inches more rear legroom than the ID.BUZZ.

The Maybach EQS 680 has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room and 1.4 inches more rear legroom than the ID.BUZZ.

The EQS SUV has a much larger cargo volume than the ID.BUZZ with its rear seat up (22.7 vs. 18.6 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the EQS SUV’s second row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The EQS SUV’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the ID.BUZZ’s (3500 vs. 2600 pounds).

The EQS SUV has a much higher standard payload capacity than the ID.BUZZ (1190 vs. 948 lbs.).

The EQS SUV has a higher maximum payload capacity than the ID.BUZZ (1190 vs. 1113 lbs.).

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the EQS SUV to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the EQS SUV Maybach has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

The EQS SUV’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.

The EQS SUV has standard heated front and middle row seats and optional heated third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Volkswagen doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the ID.BUZZ.

The EQS SUV has standard front air conditioned seats and the EQS SUV Maybach also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Both the EQS SUV and the ID.BUZZ offer available massaging front seats. The EQS SUV Maybach also has standard massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the ID.BUZZ.

Compared to the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, the Mercedes EQS SUV 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 Mercedes EQS SUV outsold the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ by almost four to one during 2024.