Mercedes Citan 109 CDI - a novelty under the scrutiny of a professional
Citan is built for hard work. How does a small Mercedes work in everyday use? Does it have solutions that make it much easier or harder to use? We decided to find answers to these questions together with the owner of the fishing store.
Let's start with the most delicate issue. The Mercedes Citan is a Renault Kangoo in disguise. After the publication of the first pictures of Citan, opponents of "stamp engineering" howled. This is right? In the passenger car segment, such a transformation would be virtually inappropriate. However, the world of commercial vehicles has its own rules. The most important thing is the parameters of the car and its durability, and not its origin or manufacturer. Collaboration and outsourcing of production to a partner company is in the order of things. Recall that the Volkswagen Crafter is based on the Mercedes Sprinter, the Fiat Ducato is made in line with the Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper, and the Renault Master twins are the Opel Movano and Nissan NV400.
How is Citan different from Kangoo? Mercedes received a completely different front end, new seats and dashboard. A massive lump of hard plastic doesn't look very good. However, this is offset by ergonomics. - In this machine, you do not have to guess what it is for and how it works. You get in and drive like a car you know well we heard from an entrepreneur who helped us evaluate Citan.
The only exception to the rule is the multifunction switch on the steering wheel. Citan, like other Mercedes models, received a lever for direction indicators, wipers, a washer and a high beam to low beam switch. The first attempt to turn on the wipers usually reveals a lack of prior contact with the Mercedes. The uninitiated will turn on the turn signals or high beam, and only then wipe the glass. After a few hundred kilometers behind the wheel, a particular decision ceases to bother you. Moreover, it seems that it is more convenient than two separate levers. Another advantage of the Citan are the hard-upholstered and well-shaped seats, which do not tire even on long journeys. Unfortunately, this cannot be said about the armrest on the door - when using it, you can injure your elbow.
– The car is maneuverable, the steering wheel lies comfortably in the hands. Maneuvering is facilitated by large mirrors. But why is the mirror also in the cabin, since there are no glasses in the back door The tester thought aloud. However, I am confused by the shape of the front of the case. Although the seats are high, the contours of the body are not visible, so you have to maneuver by touch. he added after a moment.
A practical solution that does not require additional payment - a spacious shelf above the windshield - a great place to store a briefcase with bills and small things. It is worth paying extra (PLN 123) for a large locker in front of the passenger and (PLN 410) for a central armrest with a locker. The space in the central tunnel was used inefficiently. There are no compartments and hiding places for small items. You must improvise. A good place to store the phone turned out to be ... an ashtray.
The Citan's suspension has been recalibrated. It's stiff, making the Mercedes ride much better than the original, without being significantly different from typical passenger cars. Something for something… Already at the first bumps, the tester noticed a considerable rigidity of the chassis. He also noticed that the shift lever was in the perfect place, high up and right on the steering wheel. The mechanism with good accuracy allows you to effectively juggle five gears.
The Citan under test is a more powerful version of the 109 CDI. Under its hood, a 1,5-liter turbodiesel rumbles, developing 90 hp. The temperament of Cytan is very decent. "Empty" acceleration from 4000 to 200 km / h takes 1750 seconds, and the maximum speed is 3000 km / h. Those who care about the safety of their employees and their fuel bills can order a speed limiter for 0, 100, 15 or 160 km/h for a small surcharge. With moderately dynamic driving, Citan consumes 90 l / 100 km on the highway and 110-130 l / 5 km more in the city.
The engine is audible throughout the entire rev range. There are other sounds in the cabin. It is difficult to expect otherwise, since there is a huge sound box behind the back of the driver and passenger. The noise level, however, is not so high as to be tiring while driving.
It's time to confront Citan with the first batch of goods. There is a space with a length of 1753 mm and a volume of 3,1 m3. Load capacity - at the request of the customer. There is a choice of 635 and 775 kg. The correct shape of the "box", a large number of handles for securing the load and the floor covered with plastic have proven themselves in everyday work.
The door is also an ally of the Citan owner. The rear opening angle reaches 180 degrees, which allows you to drive up to the door of a building or ramp and effectively reload the load. Side sliding doors also facilitate quick loading. - However, the shape of the doorway due to the notch of the wheel is incorrect - problems with larger objects may arise. - we heard while trying to load a bale of bubble wrap onto the deck of a car to pack shipped fishing accessories. Our expert drew attention to one more detail. The luggage compartment lamp is located on the left rear roof pillar. The amount of light reaching the front of the "box" is small, and when we load the car up to the roof, we will have to use an additional light source. It is desirable to have additional light.
Some doubts are also caused by the method of connecting the protective plastic of the rear sill and the floor of the cargo compartment. There is a small crack and gap there. One loading and unloading of goods was enough for a large amount of dirt to accumulate in this place. The brush is not enough to remove it completely. You will have to reach for the vacuum cleaner - it is doubtful that the driver of a commercial vehicle has the time and desire to do this.
The make and appearance of a car are important, but another factor usually plays a key role in the buying decision. When asked about the possibility of acquiring Citan, we heard “and how much does it cost“? After setting up the tested version we get about PLN 70 55 net. A lot of. However, it is worth noting that the price started from a ceiling of PLN 750 1189 net and was increased due to the many options ordered. Unfortunately, accessories are not cheap. A relatively simple radio with Bluetooth, AUX and USB costs PLN 3895, and manual air conditioning costs PLN 410. Hooks for securing cargo in the side walls increased the cost of the Citan by 492 zlotys, a height-adjustable driver's seat added 656 zlotys, and Mercedes expects zlotys for a passenger airbag.
The moment of truth for the Citan is the inclusion of the configurator… Renault Kangoo. There are doubts. Why does Mercedes charge more for the same extras? An on-board computer for a French car is cheaper by a "hundred", and we will save twice as much on adjusting the height of the driver's seat. We'll even pay more for luggage securing handles. Surprisingly, Renault, which has been trying to promote safety for years, is skeptical about stock ESP, and counts on a passenger airbag more than Mercedes.
The differences in the pricing policy of both companies do not end there. For a mid-length Kangoo with a 90 dCi 1.5 hp engine. we will pay from PLN 57 net and above. The missing ESP is available in a richer version of Pack Clim (from PLN 350). The basic version of the 60-horsepower Mercedes is cheaper (from PLN 390), and the buyer can fine-tune the accessories to suit their needs. And good. Why pay for something we won't use? After equipping the Kangoo with equipment similar to the tested Citan, it turned out that the Mercedes would cost more than PLN 90 more. Is it worth it? The verdict will be made by the clients.
