Mercedes’ first historically speaking little van is entirely like an item from a humbler brand. Truth is stranger than fiction, rub back the metallic paint on the Mercedes Citan and you’ll discover the outline, innovation and Mercedes Petrol Engine from the somewhat humbler Renault Kangoo.
The two vans are manufactured next to each other at Renault’s processing plant in Northern France, yet Mercedes has changed a portion of the suspension – in addition to that it has changed the enormous Renault badge with a tasteful looking Mercedes grille.
So why pay the additional for the Citan? Simply because Mercedes has the badge appeal. Mercedes’ bigger business vehicles, the Sprinter and the Vito, have turned out to be exceptionally famous among organisations which need to pass on a somewhat more upmarket picture than the individuals who go around in Transits, and the Citan is set to proceed with that.
The scope of Citan models gives the van wide interest. The littlest Compact is practically identical in size to the Fiat Fiorino and Peugeot Bipper. The Citan offers 2.4 cubic meters to the 2.5 cubic meters of the Nemo, Fiorino and Bipper, and like these models, the Citan offers a collapsing traveller seat to amplify the heap floor length on the traveller side.
The bigger Citan 1,753mm-long load compartment is shorter than in the VW Caddy, Fiat Doblo Cargo, Vauxhall Combo, Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner, while the additional long’s 2,137mm load length is longer than in the Nissan NV200, Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, Fiat Doblo Cargo L2 and Vauxhall Combo L2. Fiorino and Bipper, while the Citan long and additional long, with a 735kg to 810kg gross payload go, can’t coordinate the 1,000kg of the Fiat Doblo Cargo and Vauxhall Combo.
The Ford Transit Connect, Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner likewise offer higher payloads. Deviated raise entryways are standard, with the alternative of a rear end. Four, six or eight load lashing rings in the floor are standard, contingent upon the model, and there’s a possibility for all the more lashing rings or rails fitted to the sidewalls, with moveable rings. Stack choices incorporate a rooftop fold at the back and an assortment of rooftop racks, in addition to towing hardware.
The Citan has a considerable amount of rivalry, yet none of it shares the excellent interest of the Mercedes identification. So there’s the in-house equal, the Kangoo, and additionally the two other French contenders – the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo. Somewhat further upmarket sits the Volkswagen Caddy, while the Fiat Doblo and Ford Transit Connect likewise advance. At long last, sitting on a comparable wheelbase however with a very surprising shape, the Nissan NV-200. Phew.
The Citan is accessible in three lengths; reduced, long and additional long. A combi adaptation, formally known as the Citan Crew Van gives up to five seats and an adaptable load space, utilising a 60:40 split-collapsing back seat. There’s additionally a completely coated five-situate MPV-sort adaptation called the Citan Tourer.
The Compact model is practically identical in size to Fiat Fiorino and Peugeot Bipper. There’s no Renault Kangoo Compact, the model was pulled back from the UK in late 2011. Mercedes says it has re-designed a few parts of the van, including the wiring, and it feels more refined than the Kangoo. The Citan is controlled by Renault’s long-running 1,461cc diesel engine from the Kangoo, with power yields of 75bhp, 90bhp and 110bhp. There’s additionally a 114bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine.
Renault’s 1.5-litre diesel engine has been controlling auto and van models for quite a while and has built up a notoriety for offering great mileage, regardless of the possibility that it’s not up to the fuel-effectiveness benchmarks of more up to date diesel engines.
In the Citan, Mercedes cites a scope of consolidated utilisation figures somewhere around 60.1mpg and 65.7mpg, with CO2 emanations of 112 to 126g/km, which are among the most reduced in its class.
The best figures recommend possibly preferred fuel utilization over the Citroen Nemo, Fiat Fiorino and Peugeot Bipper, while for the BlueEFFICIENCY long model, the figures are aggressive with models, for example, the Citroen Berlingo Airdream EGS6 and Peugeot Partner EGC, yet superior to the Fiat Doblo Cargo, Nissan NV200 (controlled by a similar diesel engine), or VW Caddy.
Benefit interims are in front of most adversaries, coming up each 24,000 miles, while protection gatherings might be assisted by the standard ESC with a scope of 5e to 9e.
The Citan is too new to have built up a dependability record, however the Kangoo appears to have a sensible unwavering quality notoriety and the 1.5-litre diesel engine seems to give great administration.
The Citan is the main van in its class to be fitted with electronic soundness control (ESC) as standard, giving the van a security edge over its opponents. ESC will brake singular wheels to keep the driver in control in elusive conditions and the framework in the Citan will make up for a heap, interceding prior with a substantial load on board than when delicately loaded.
In spite of its moderately little size, the diesel engines perform well, in spite of the fact that the 75bhp 108CDI variation is more qualified to short-separate, lighter-weight work, while the 90bhp 109 CDI engine is a decent execution/economy bargain. Both the 112 and 111CDI engines are outfitted with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the other diesel engines accompany a five-speed manual gearbox.
The 112 is outfitted with Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY bundle as standard, which incorporates engine stop-begin and alternator administration to charge the battery when the engine is not under load. BlueEFFICIENCY is a choice with all diesel engines.
On the in addition to side, the Citan is more refined than the Kangoo on which it is based, proposing that Mercedes has invested some energy in managing commotion. The van additionally feels more rigid, with less of the delicate floundering suspension than with the Kangoo. Mercedes has benefited work with the accessible material.
