Hamburg, Germany was the launch city this week for the all-new second generation Citan from Mercedes-Benz Vans.
Compact external dimensions coupled with a generous amount of space and a high load capacity open up a diverse range of applications for the new Mercedes-Benz Citan, especially in inner-city delivery and service provision operations. It is available both as a Panel Van and a people carrier Tourer. Wide-opening sliding doors on the left and right sides of the vehicle, as well as a low loading sill optionally enable comfortable access to the interior and easy loading of the vehicle.
During the event, Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans stated to members of the International Van of the Year jury: “With the Sprinter and Vito, we are successfully present in the large and mid-size van segments. And the new Citan in the small vans segment will round off our portfolio. It was entirely re-developed by professionals for professionals. From its unmistakeable design to its driving characteristics, not to mention its safety and connectivity systems, the Citan bears the DNA of a Mercedes-Benz.
At the same time, the Citan is also the last new vehicle project for commercial customers at Mercedes-Benz Vans to use a combustion engine. All future new developments will exclusively be available with an electric drive. A logical step of this consistent electrification is thus the new eCitan.”
Muscular shoulders and striking wheel wells underline the vehicle’s power and emotive appeal – unusual styling elements for a small van. “At first glance, the new Citan is clearly discernible as a member of the Mercedes-Benz family. The clear shapes with reduced lines and powerful surfaces impart our philosophy of sensual purity,” explained Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at the Daimler Group.
The Citan combines compact exterior dimensions (length: 4498 mm) with a generous amount of space. Thanks to a number of different versions and practical equipment details, it offers plenty of different usage possibilities and convenient loading. The Citan will be launched on the market as a Panel Van and a Tourer. Later there will be further variants with a long wheelbase as well as a Mixto version. But even in the short wheelbase variant (2716 mm), the Citan offers much more space compared with the predecessor model – on the Panel Van, for example, the load compartment length is 3.05 metres (with the flexible partition wall).
Sliding doors are a practical feature, especially in tight parking spaces. The new Citan is available with up to two sliding doors. They offer a wide opening on both sides of the vehicle measuring 615 millimetres. The height of the load compartment opening is 1059 millimetres (both figures represent the clearance). At the rear, too, the load compartment is easily accessible: the loading sill of the Panel Van sits at a height of 59 cm. Meanwhile, the two sections of the rear doors can be blocked at an angle of 90 degrees and can even be moved through 180 degrees to the sides of the vehicle. The doors are asymmetrical, whereby the left-hand door is wider and has to be opened first. As an option, the Panel Van can also be ordered with rear doors featuring heated windows and a windscreen wiper. Upon request, a tailgate is also available which equally features these two items of equipment.
The Tourer already comes as standard with a tailgate featuring a rear window. As an alternative, it is also available with rear doors. The rear bench seat can be folded down in the ratio of 1/3 to 2/3. Numerous stowage spaces and compartments facilitate everyday use of the Citan.
Besides the fixed partition wall (available with and without window) between the driver’s cab and the load compartment, the Citan Panel Van is also available with a folding variant. This option has already proven its worth in the predecessor model and has since been further optimised. If long objects need transporting, this grille on the co-driver’s side can be swivelling through 90 degrees, before being folded in the direction of the driver’s seat and locked in place. The co-driver’s seat can be folded to create a level surface. The load protection grille is made of steel and serves to protect the driver and co-driver from the load.
Travelling to the building site early in the morning, driving through tricky stop-start traffic, or providing shuttle services at the airport – as a driver of a small van, you know your working day can be hard-going. But thankfully, the Mercedes-Benz Citan developers placed great emphasis on achieving a level of comfort typical of the brand, including exemplary noise levels and seating comfort, not to mention a range of practical equipment items. And this doesn’t just help drivers’ well-being, but is also particularly beneficial to safety: relaxed drivers can concentrate better on the traffic situation.
At market launch, the engine range of the new Citan will be formed by three diesel and two petrol models. Shared strengths of all these are great driveability even in the low rev range and economical consumption values. For even faster acceleration, for example when overtaking, the 85-kW version of the diesel engine available for the Panel Van features an overpower/overtorque function. Up to 89 kW of power and 295 Nm of torque can be called up briefly.
The power units fulfil the Euro 6d emissions norms. All engines are combined with an ECO start/stop function. Alongside the six-speed manual transmission, the most powerful diesel and petrol models will also available with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission next year.
Series Two Citan will be on sale in Ireland during Q2 2022. eCitan, the electric version will also be launched by then.
