Mercedes Citan Review
Everyone associates German vehicle manufacturer Mercedes with high-quality, luxury vans and automobiles, that are a pleasure to drive and give off an aura of professionalism and elegance.
However, it turns out that no-one has more confidence in Mercedes than the guys that design and produce it - but that's probably an excellent sign!
"The new Mercedes-Benz Citan and e-Citan. International Van of the Year. Available to order from December 2022, every aspect has been engineered for success by Mercedes-Benz. And although small in size, there's no compromise on the things that really matter. With new standards in design, handling, technology and safety, our vans perform at their best. We can ensure you can do the same - helping you and your business get ahead" - https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/vans/en
So how is the Mercedes Citan?
The Mercedes Citan is the German vehicle manufacturer's first small van and as such, is aimed at both the passenger car and light commercial vehicle markets.
In typically German fashion, safety and security feature highly in this vehicle's priorities. It received four passenger stars in the Euro NCAP safety tests and even then, they indicated that they wished to improve the safety performance of the vehicle, especially the deployment of the side airbag and the installation of child restraints.
The e-Citan
As with so many vehicle manufacturers nowadays, we all have an increased responsibility to go green, and make the world a better place concerning our carbon footprints. You can imagine that with the vanguardist technology at their disposal, the team at Mercedes is no different.
So, the curtains have now opened on the new Mercedes-Benz e-Citan - a battery-electric variant of the Citan LCV, released to the world in October 2021 alongside the regular Citan, with availability beginning the second half of 2022.
The e-Citan has an electric traction motor driving the front wheels, drawing from an eight-module lithium-ion battery carried under the floor forward of the rear axle with 44 kW-hr of usable capacity.
The estimated range is an astonishing 285km (177 miles) under the WLTP combined driving cycle and the standard on-board charger has a capacity of 11 kW (AC), but as an option, a 22 kW (AC) / 75 kW (DC) charger can be ordered, which gives the vehicle a CCS Combo 2 port.
So, is it worth the hype?
In short, this van is top-class. Whilst some people may have initially criticised the Citan as being too similar to a Renault Kangoo, but with the pretence of having a Mercedes badge, this time, the team at Mercedes has had more involvement and turned the latest version into a standalone product. And, not only does it stand alone, it stands out.
It has a new design which totally sets it apart from the Kangoo, as well as a bespoke infotainment system, making this van one of the best you can drive anywhere.
