Mercedes Citan 112 CDI panel van
Differentiator
Mercedes Citan W420
© press-inform – the press office
When Mercedes launched the current Citan in cooperation with Renault, it was criticized because of the similarities to the French sister model. With the new high-roof station wagon, the Swabians have done everything they can to differentiate themselves. That works for the most part.
“Take a look! The cables on the roof are clean and completely covered. Not everyone has that either”; says the Mercedes man and points to the plastic covers in the luggage compartment of the Mercedes Citan. Proud of a van with the star on the grille? With the Swabian automaker, they weren’t necessarily the case with the predecessor, regardless of the praise the marketing machine produced. After all, the high-roof station wagon of the W 415 series was the result of a combination with Renault and was much more similar to its French counterpart than one should expect from a Mercedes. So compete with the VW Caddy? Rather not. In Hanover, their eyes lighted up at this Citan.
That changes with the Mercedes Citan of the W 420 series, which will be available from dealers from the end of the year. The Swabians were involved in the development from the start and tried to put their stamp on the version with the star on the radiator grille. “The new Citan looks like a Mercedes,” says the strategic series manager Dirk Hipp. He actually does. It starts with the key and ends with the interior. The cockpit with the seven inch touchscreen, the rotary push button and the piano lacquer applications on the steering wheel is more reminiscent of that of an A-Class than the workplace of a commercial vehicle. However, we are sitting in a very well-equipped version, with the more rustic workhorses the proportion of hard plastic is even higher than is already the case. It is a good idea that the variants without a permanently installed navigation system can wirelessly integrate the smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The fact that there are USB-C ports at the front and the classic USB A version only at the back is not that exciting.
Practicality is paramount with a rustic overalls. So all Citans have two sliding doors and a low loading sill that is only 59 centimeters high on the panel van. The wide-opening doors at the rear, which can be locked in the 90-degree position, are also helpful. Thanks to the identical interiors, fixtures can be switched from one car to another. The cargo space is 2,517 liters. The engineers have also thought of the guys who have to jump out of the car quickly at the front and installed doors that swing open wide. In order to achieve the five stars in the NCAP test, the Mercedes technicians have provided the Citan with a B-pillar on both sides, unlike with its brother Renault Kangoo. This makes the body stiffer and reduces the noise level in the interior.
You can tell from the price lists that every penny counts for commercial vehicles. In the overalls, details such as a blind spot assistant cost an extra 450 euros (net), while it is standard on the Tourer, which private people also like to buy. Our test car has a basic price of 26,159.77 euros (21,983 euros net) and, with all the pipapo, a final price of 38,728.55 euros (32,545.00 euros net). This also includes the Active Safety Package for EUR 1,200.00 (net) and the Navigation Package for EUR 1,120.00 (net). From a Mercedes point of view, this strategy makes sense, since the box-type Citans are taken very hard, every piece of technology can only break and is not needed on the drive to the construction site anyway. To make the journey as pleasant as possible, the Mercedes engineers have fine-tuned the chassis. After all, the Citan shouldn’t jump around like a nervous jumper, but should also be able to move around in a relaxed manner when fully loaded. This is also important for the tourer, which will also be available in a long version with sliding individual seats from the middle of the year.
The Mercedes engineers can confidently check off this point in the specification sheet. The Citan panel van drives like a car even when it is loaded. There are also comfortable seats (cost 478 euros extra). The ESP plays an important role, stabilizing the vehicle with imperceptible interventions in cross winds and also suppressing inconvenient hobbling of the wheels as well as possible. Speaking of which: the 1.5 liter diesel (internal code OM608) cannot completely hide its presence. Nevertheless, its 85 kW / 116 PS and the maximum torque of 270 Newton meters are enough to swim along quickly in city traffic. Mercedes specifies an average consumption of 5.8 l / 100 km. When loaded, the coil spring torsion beam axle can cope with unevenness and the Citan remains stable. That’s good news!