• We bought our Subaru Outback in 2018 when we had our first child.
• It's been a super reliable car, but with three growing kids, we've outgrown it.
• We tested the new electric 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz, and we loved it.

We've had our Subaru Outback since 2018, when my first child was just a newborn.

Now that our kids are 7, 5, and 5, while the car is still as reliable as day one, it's become a source of stress because our kids fight so much in it from the lack of space.

My husband had been suggesting a minivan for our family, with three rows to space the kids out and sliding doors for easy loading. I, however, refuse to be a minivan mom. I find them ugly and impractical.

That all changed when I saw the new electric Volkswagen ID Buzz, so we decided to test it with our family — and now we are torn.

We need more space for our family so decided to test out the electric Volkswagen ID Buzz.

There's no denying we need more space in the car. With three car seats, growing limbs, and all the stuff from school and sports, the back row is tight.

That's the major cause of fights in our car, which makes any trip (short or long) incredibly stressful for whoever is driving.

As for the rest of the car, it's got what we need: a big trunk, the ability to place a turtle top, and an overall reliable engine.

My first car was a Volkswagen Golf, which I loved, so I've always been a bit partial to the brand. We also tested the Volkswagen Atlas Crossport, which has two rows instead of three, and even having just a bit more space in the second row made our kids more comfortable and manageable.

When we saw previews on social media of the ID Buzz, VW's new version of their 1950s Bus, I was intrigued. It looked cuter than a van, but still offered what we thought we needed.

The third row is a true row.

When the kids saw the VW ID Buzz, they all squealed in excitement. I won't lie, it looks so cool in person. Even while driving it to summer camp drop off, we saw people turn around to do a double take and kids pointing as we drove past. If you don't like the attention, be warned that this car attracts all the looks.

The ID Buzz we tested didn't have captain seats, so we had to lower one seat for one of our kids to sit in the third row. As I was setting up the car seats, I noticed that the third row is a full row. I'm 5'6" tall and was able to sit comfortably with extra space for my legs.

Loading the kids was pretty easy.

You can open the sliding doors with the key, and even with the seat lowered, it was easy for all three of them to navigate their bodies inside.

One detail I loved was the ability to open the doors three different ways: from the remote, as mentioned, from the actual door, and also from a button near the driver's seat.

This last option made it so I could get in the car, type in our destination on the screen, and not have to wait around to close the doors.

It doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles.

One of the biggest complaints online has been the interior design, which some feel is lacking compared to how innovative the exterior design is. For my family's needs, this wasn't a problem at all.

Coming from a 2017 car to a 2025 model, we could tell the difference in things like heated seats in the middle row and a more dynamic screen (our Subaru's screen doesn't even show a map). That said, the VW ID Buzz doesn't have that many bells and whistles, and I actually like that.

We recently drove a BMW 7 Series after getting a free upgrade from a rental car company, and I really disliked all the extra buttons in the back row.

My kids kept changing the temperature and radio station, annoying everyone.

The trunk space was limited but enough for day-to-day use.

The trunk space in the ID Buzz is nonexistent compared to the space in our Subaru Outback if the third row is in use. I do like that the ID Buzz has two baskets that can be covered by a platform, allowing us to store groceries or sports equipment without taking up precious trunk space.

While the amount of space wouldn't be an issue on a day-to-day basis, if we were going on a road trip, the space in the trunk does feel a bit limited.

But there was one major drawback for us.

Overall, I've found the Volkswagen ID Buzz easy to drive, fun, and reliable. While there's criticism for the range — which is advertised at 230 miles — as a city car to move kids from one location to the other, the range felt fine. We were able to run almost a full week without charging, and then stopped to charge while during groceries for about 30 minutes.

The one criticism I have for the ID Buzz is its price point. The 4-wheel-drive, which is what we would need in Maine, is retailing at over $72,000. This puts it over our other car, an Audi Q7, the 2025 model of which is now retailing at $70,000 and is considered a luxury SUV.

• Before having kids, my husband and I would travel carry-on only.
• With kids, we felt like we needed more space and often checked luggage.
• We took a trip through Sicily with carry-ons, and we are never going back to checking bags.

"Your bag didn't make it to this airport," the woman behind the counter told me in 2023. We had just arrived in Madrid, jetlagged, delayed, and exhausted.

Before having kids, my husband and I were experts at traveling with carry-on only, but since we had three kids in two years, our packing situation has become a little more, well, complicated.

That is, until this year, when I decided that we were going to try to travel without any checked baggage to Italy for over two weeks. It was a success, and I'm never going back to check luggage.

We got our kids cute roller suitcases

With my kids, everything new we do depends on the delivery. Knowing that they would moan if I simply said, "Everyone needs to roll their own carry-on," I decided to invest in cute, fun bags for them.

I got three Away kids' carry-ons in different colors. I figured they'd be into them because they are fun and smaller than a regular carry-on. I was correct.

They all practiced rolling their bags around the house and watched me pack their things into the separate compartments. We then talked about how they were responsible for their own bag at the airport and that we couldn't leave them behind.

I packed very light

We were in Italy for 16 days, and I decided to pack extremely light. Not just so the carry-ons wouldn't be super heavy, but also to have room for treasures I knew we would find in some of our magical destinations, and for new outfits.

I checked the listings for our Airbnbs and planned where and when we would be doing laundry. I ended up packing five outfits for each of us and bringing two pairs of shoes each.

In the end, because we spent so much time at the beach, I felt like I could've packed even lighter on clothes for the kids since they mostly wore bathing suits and flip-flops.

Having small bags made moving around Italy easier

Most of the places we stayed had stairs, which we didn't know in advance. The first house in Taormina had about three flights of stairs right as you walked in, on a flimsy staircase not for the faint of heart.

Bringing small bags made it easier to check in and out of places like these. We also took a trip to a remote island by ferry, and navigating the cobblestone streets and port was much easier with our carry-ons.

We each had a backpack to access things like passports, snacks, and stuffed animals. That way, once the carry-ons were zipped, I didn't need to get into them until the next location.

I'm not going back to checked bags

Now that my kids are older and we don't need to bring things like diapers, formula, car seats, and all the stuff that comes with babies, I'm ready to never check a suitcase again.

While it requires more planning pre-trip, I felt like it paid off significantly during our travels. My husband and I did, at certain points, take over our kids' carry-ons, especially when rushing to catch a connection or getting on and off escalators. Since our bags had four wheels, it wasn't super hard to do so.

And the idea of never losing a bag and having to track it with an AirTag from a different country sounds quite appealing to me.