Mercedes-Benz Citan Review & Prices

The Mercedes Citan is the smallest of three Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles. Sitting underneath the Vito and Sprinter, the Citan panel van is a posh-badged alternative to the likes of the Ford Transit Connect, Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo.

It’s extra-specially an alternative to the Kangoo, because underneath the badging and some plusher interior components, the Citan is mechanically identical to the French van. It’s a bit like a Waitrose sandwich - you’re pretty sure it comes out of the same factory as the Asda one, but the packaging’s a little fancier.

Being based on the Kangoo is no bad thing. It means the Citan gets a good engine, loads of safety equipment and a comfortable drive. However, it also inherits the Kangoo’s not-so-brilliant points, including an overall smaller load area than alternatives.

Mercedes also doesn’t offer the Citan with anything like as much choice as other vans on sale. At present you can only have two body lengths and one diesel engine - though there is also an all-electric Mercedes e-Citan. The other choices are simple, as all you have to do is pick from one of two trim levels and decide if you’d like an automatic gearbox.

The diesel engine in question is a good one. It’s carried over from the Renault Kangoo, though it’s the lower-powered of the two Renault offers - meaning you get 95hp, plenty in a small van.

The trim levels, meanwhile, are called Progressive and Premium and are largely appearance-based, with the entry-level van looking significantly more roughty-tufty with its steel wheels, black bumpers and halogen headlights. Progressive models look more upmarket thanks to body-coloured panelling, LED lights and metallic paint.

Whichever Citan you get, it feels very posh for a small van on the inside. Mercedes has shoehorned in lots of components from its passenger car range, including the upmarket MBUX infotainment system. This sits high up on the dash, and compared to the clunky touchscreens you get in a Renault Kangoo or Citroen Berlingo it feels very good to use.

You also get Mercedes’ own column stalks, air vents and dashboard mouldings - though some of the switchgear is carried over from the Renault Kangoo, which can feel a little jarring as it doesn’t exactly look up to Mercedes standards.

The Citan is definitely one of the smaller vans in the sector. While this makes it easy to manoeuvre around town and great for parking in small spaces, it also means that the load space doesn’t have the capacity of alternative small vans.

Payload is limited too, with a maximum capacity of just 662kg - among the lowest on sale.

Still, if your needs are lightweight and what you want is a small van that’s comfortable to drive, great for long distances and packed with tech, then the Citan could well be the van for you.

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The Mercedes Citan is just a little more expensive than the equivalent Renault Kangoo, starting at just over £21,000 ex.VAT. All versions do come with air-conditioning, that MBUX infotainment system and a large screen between the dials for driving functions, though, so you do feel as if you’re getting something reasonably upmarket for your money.

Comfortable to drive with a great diesel engine - but you don’t get much choice

In contrast to other small vans which may offer two or three engine options, the Mercedes Citan has only one. Named the 110CDI, it’s a 95hp 1.5-litre diesel engine which you can have paired to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

It’s the same engine as you’ll find in the Renault Kangoo and it’s great - more than powerful enough to cope with the Citan’s small dimensions and limited payload. All the power comes very low down in the rev range, so you can make really nice relaxed progress around town and cruise comfortably at the legal limit on the motorway. It does get very loud if you take it much over 2,000rpm, so it’s a good thing you rarely have to.

The six-speed manual gearbox is adequate, but can feel a little notchy to operate. The seven-speed automatic is good, though - it’s less jerky than the eight-speed auto you can get on a Citroen Berlingo, but not as quick to change or unobtrusive as the DSG available on a Volkswagen Caddy Cargo.

Wind and road noise are limited, with excellent sound insulation in the cab. The Citan also deals excellently with poor road surfaces. The suspension doesn’t have too much bounce to it, even if you’re driving around without a load in the rear, and it doesn’t crash over big potholes or speed bumps. It feels very good compared to the stiffness of a Volkswagen Caddy Cargo.

However, it’s not very satisfying in the corners, as the steering’s quite dull and lifeless - though it is very light to make city manoeuvres easy.

A small load area and limited payload make the Citan one for lighter-weight users

The Citan’s load space won’t win any awards for overall capacity - it’s among the smallest in its class. You don’t get a load of clever features to make up for this either - it’s largely the case that what you see is what you get.

What you do get is a full-height fixed bulkhead, six interior lashing points, asymmetrical barn doors at the rear and a single sliding door - with a second door optional. The interior is lit with bright LED lighting.

Internal and external measurements
Exterior dimensions (L1/L2)
Exterior length: 4,498mm/4,922mm
Exterior height: 1,8632mm
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,159mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 1,919mm

Interior load length (L1/L2)
To bulkhead: 1,806mm/2,170mm

Interior loading width
All versions
Max: 1,570mm
Between wheel arches: 1,248mm

Interior loading height (L1/L2)
Max height: 1,256mm/1,248mm

Rear door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,115mm/1,256mm

Mercedes Citan towing capacity

The Citan can to up to 1,500kg braked, or 750kg unbraked.

Mercedes Citan payload

The Citan’s maximum payload is just 662kg from the L2 van in Progressive trim, with all other variants within a few kg of this. That’s significantly lower than most of the alternatives, and lower than the Kangoo on which it’s based. The best small vans can carry over a ton, leaving the Citan looking rather weedy.

A posh-feeling cab with lots of standard tech, though not the roomiest

The Citan’s cab is immediately recognisable as a Mercedes - not just by the three-pointed star on the steering wheel, but by the infotainment system. It’s a version of Mercedes’ MBUX system, similar to the one on its passenger cars and shared with vans like the Sprinter.

The whole dashboard is redesigned from the Renault Kangoo on which it’s based, which is a nice touch - the previous Citan felt like a Renault with a different badge glued on. The result looks quite good and goes quite a way to disguising the hardwearing but decidedly unluxurious materials it’s been made from, by using interesting textures.

Meanwhile, the items you touch - such as the gear lever, column stalks and air vents - all feel nicely damped and luxurious. Build quality also seems very good.

There’s lots of adjustment available and tall drivers should just about fit, though anybody much over six foot will be getting close to the bulkhead. Mercedes doesn’t offer a double front passenger seat, but it wouldn’t be much use in a cabin this narrow.

The MBUX touchscreen can feel a little like its interface is cramped into a smaller screen than intended, but for the most part it works well - with a clear, responsive display and plenty of functionality. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are built in, too.

Storage is decent for a small van, with space for large bottles in the door bins, a deep centre storage compartment, lidded storage on the dash top and a reasonable glovebox. There’s also a useful tray between the seats where you can chuck phones and keys, with USB ports for charging devices immediately in front of it.

The only part of the Citan’s interior that doesn’t feel simple to use is the steering wheel. This has far too many buttons, including two awkward touch-sensitive pads used to control the touchscreen and the screen between the analogue dials. It’s awkward to do this on the move.

Mercedes claims up to 53.3mpg from the Citan. We found this easy to beat with 55mpg average very possible from the automatic model. 

Combined with a large fuel tank that gives a maximum range of more than 600 miles - great if you have deliveries or customers a long way away and don’t want to waste time filling up. The automatic is likely to be more efficient than the manual model on long motorway trips, too, as its top gear is much higher - meaning the engine doesn’t have to rev as high and can be in its efficient band more of the time.

All Citans are fitted with an 18.6-litre AdBlue tank.

Safety is high on the Mercedes’ Citan’s list of priorities, coming with six airbags as standard - impressive when some manufacturers still only fit one. All models also have hill start assist, crosswind assist and attention assist, plus autonomous emergency braking and even a reversing camera.

When the Citan was tested as the passenger-carrying Mercedes-Benz T-Class by Euro NCAP, it scored the maximum five-star rating, which is encouraging.

An alarm is standard-fit, but it’s not Thatcham-approved, so you may wish to add a third-party system.

Mercedes is typically noted as a reliable brand, and though the Citan is based on Renault technology it gets access to Mercedes aftercare. That means a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, flexible servicing and maintenance and three years of free breakdown cover and roadside assistance.

Service intervals are every 2 years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.