The test of the Mercedes-Benz Citan , the new generation of the compact van from the German company. It belongs to an important segment, destined to grow considerably in the coming years: mobility; is definitely changing, urbanization & egrave; a rapidly growing phenomenon, e-commerce has become sensationally developed and also many of our little daily habits are changing in favor of the growth of home deliveries. The latter in the not too distant future will also be entrusted to self-driving vehicles but, at least for now, there are many companies and people who choose these traditional compact vehicles.
The House of the Three-pointed Star has redesigned it in every detail thinking about the new needs of mobility; urban and, above all, professionals who will grind us kilometers every day. Mercedes Benz still made it in collaboration with Renault (the & ldquo; brother & rdquo; & egrave; the Kangoo), with a joint development program, but the impression & egrave; that this time it has a more DNA; close to what distinguishes the products of the & ldquo; premium & rdquo; & hellip; brand
- DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS
- HABITABILITY & # 39; AND INTERIORS
- TECHNICAL SHEET Citan 112 CDI
- TEST Citan 112 CDI
- ADAS AND SAFETY
- TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD
- EQUIPMENT AND PRICES
- THE ALTERNATIVES
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS 
The new Citan & egrave; available in the Van and Tourer versions, but this time I really wanted to try the one intended for the transport of goods. & Egrave; true, & egrave; a van but, as you may have noticed, in recent years also the design of these vehicles is; much more; cared for that in the past.
From the very first glance, belonging to the brand is; evident, the DNA & egrave; unmistakable: the typical Mercedes front, characterized by the flat headlights, which are equipped with daytime running lights and LED indicators even in the entry level version. In the front & egrave; more The relationship with the top models of the range, Vito and Sprinter, is evident, with the radiator grille with three double louvers and the star in the center. The side profile is; characterized by a muscular waistline and the pronounced lines of the door sills that develop above the two wheel arches.
Overall, the van of the Stella is elegant but also a little bit elegant. aggressive; the dimensions they are quite compact, ideal for the city: length 4.498 mm x width 1.859 mm x height 1.832 mm, with a wheelbase, in the standard version, of 2.716 mm.
HABITABILITY AND INTERNAL 
Comfort is also entrusted to the suspensions, which are able to absorb any roughness well, even with the 16 & rdquo; of the pi & ugrave; equipped with PRO version. I couldn't try it on the motorway but, on the roads just outside the Emilian capital, it immediately gave me the impression of a van with safe road behavior. Even the power steering, which intervenes according to the speed; of running, offers a precise and safe driving even at speed; more elevate.
When the speed increases you appreciate even more & ugrave; the silence; of the new Citan: the reduction of aerodynamic noises & egrave; very important especially when you have to spend whole days with a van. Even in correspondence with the sliding doors, the van of the Star can & ograve; boast a reduced noise level. They achieved these results by adopting thicker crystals than the previous model, a second seal integrated into the doors and more soundproofing. curated.
It should be noted that the test is; was carried out with the van empty and the short journey did not allow us to accurately evaluate the consumption of this diesel version more; powerful. The company declares an average fuel consumption in the combined cycle of at least 5.8 liters per 100 km, but the impression in this first contact is; that does not deviate much from what was promised.
ADAS AND SECURITY 
The goal of those who designed the new generation of the van is; that of offering a less demanding and less tiring drive but, above all, more; safety. In the standard equipment of the van there are six airbags (7 on the Tourer, which is also equipped with the central airbag), the hill start aid system, the assistance system in the presence of crosswinds, the signaling system of the 39; fatigue Attention Assist and emergency call.
For the version intended for passenger transport, the Tourer , the active braking assistance system, the Blind Spot Assist , the automatic limit detection system are also standard speed with recognition of road signs and active lane departure. The latter, active from 70 km/h, as in the new generation of Class C (tested by Simone) and Class S (take a look at Luigi's test) intervenes on the steering instead of the brakes.
Among the options other systems are available driver assistance, such as the active distance maintenance system DISTRONIC , which allows you to automatically manage driving in queued traffic, and the active steering assistance system, which helps you to keep the van in position inside your own lane.
The hill start aid system intervenes almost imperceptibly, we can put the others to the test during a longer test; in-depth.
TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD 
The technology, even if not all is; standard, & egrave; among its strengths. The Citan & egrave; set up to use digital servicesMercedes me connect , to always be connected to your van, using many useful functions remotely. Standard c & rsquo; & egrave; a small TFT display and space for the car radio, but it can be; be equipped upon request with the now famous MBUX infotainment system, available in different versions. For commands you can & ograve; entrust the 7 & quot; touch display or to the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel or via the voice assistant & quot; Hey Mercedes & quot; . There is no shortage of hands-free system with Bluetooth connection, digital radio and compatibility; with Apple Car Play and Android Auto .
The navigator l & rsquo; I put it to the test in the streets near the center of the city & agrave; and if l & rsquo; & egrave; fared quite well: I think it can be a good ally for delivery work or business; similar. Destinations can also be entered using the system's three-word code what3words . In addition, thanks to Live Traffic Information and Car-to-X communication, it allows you to avoid queues and save time. On the test model there was also the wireless charging system for the smartphone. In short, if the potential customer is; willing to spend pu & ograve; have a & ldquo; premium & rdquo; van, which has nothing or little to envy to a top of the range car, but the price increases significantly.
The visibility, as I already have; said, & egrave; good but in a closed van model the maneuvers are not always so; simple. To give you a hand, among the options, there are two dedicated packages: the first, with ultrasonic sensors and an integrated camera detects what is happening behind. The reversing camera is activated as soon as reverse gear is engaged: if c & rsquo; & egrave; l & rsquo; MBUX the image is reproduced on the central display otherwise you will see it on the interior rearview mirror.
The second proposal is; the active parking assistance system with PARKTRONIC which, in addition to identifying parking spaces, helps you during entry and exit maneuvers by acting on the steering; ready to help you even in comb and longitudinal parking lots, & egrave; also able to recognize the obstacles arranged to the side and to signal their presence. Even in terms of maneuvers it has nothing to envy to a car.
EQUIPMENT AND PRICES 
The new Citan, also with front-wheel drive, is; offered with three diesel and two petrol engines, all Euro 6d. For the Van versionc & rsquo; & egrave; a 1.5 turbodiesel in three power steps: 55 kW/75 hp, 70 kW/95 hp and 85 kW/116 hp or a 1.3 turbo petrol engine with 75 kW/102 hp or 96 kW/131 hp.
< p> For now the Tourer you can & ograve; choose only with the intermediate diesel engine with 95 horsepower and the two petrol engines, but soon the offer will be; identical to that intended for the freight version. In both cases, in addition to the six-speed manual gearbox, the diesel and gasoline engines more & ugrave; powerful can also be equipped with a DCT seven-speed dual-clutch transmission from the second quarter of 2022.
There are no hybrid or plug-in versions but in the second half & agrave; next year will come presented the eCitan , fully electric, which promises a range (based on WLTP parameters) of about 285 kilometers . This is a value rather in line with what may be the needs of potential customers who will use it in the urban environment. At fast-charging stations (if they are found …) they say it should recharge the battery from 10 to 80% in about 40 minutes. Furthermore, the electric traction, fortunately, will not involve & agrave; no downsizing of the load compartment and payload.
The fittings two are available: BASE and the pi & ugrave; rich PRO. The standard equipment of the entry level version already offers; all the basic equipment you need: for the Van there are electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, adjustable steering wheel and seat, center armrest, climate, DAB audio system, light and rain sensor, Hill Holder, Attention Assist and more. By choosing the PRO 16 & rdquo; wheels are added, MBUX, Cruise Control, multifunction steering wheel, seat with lumbar support, floor covering in synthetic material; the door handles and the cover for the sliding door strip are painted in the body color; passenger compartment and load compartment are illuminated with LED technology. The standard equipment of the Tourer is; even more; rich.
The price list , for the Van, starts at 18,689 Euros for the 108 CDI with 75 hp and reaches the 21,189 required for the 112 CDI with 116 horsepower. In the case of the Tourer, it ranges from 20,868 for the 110 petrol engine with 102 hp to the 21,768 required for the most; powerful 113 with 131 hp and for the 110 CDI. Prices are all VAT excluded.
For all, for now, & egrave; available only a body called Long, which in reality & agrave; & egrave; the standard one. In 2022 the long wheelbase versions and the Mixto will arrive, which reconciles the transport of people with that of goods, thanks to an extra long platform. In this launch period c & rsquo; & egrave; a & rsquo; offer valid until 31 December 2021 , dedicated to holders of a VAT number, for the Citan 110 CDI Long Van , which costs 20,189 Euros and in Leasing provides for an advance of 1,660 Euros, 47 rents of 185, a final redemption of 7,581, against a good residual value of the new van of the Star. To find out more contact the official dealerships.
The compact van segment continues to grow and is already growing; today, in Italy, it constitutes 35% of the commercial vehicle market. The competition is fierce and the choice & egrave; broad: Ford Tourneo Connect (the base & egrave; the Volkswagen Caddy from which it also borrows the MQB platform), Peugeot Partner, Opel Combo, Citroen Berlingo, Toyota Proace City and, of course, the & ldquo; relatives & rdquo; Renault Kangoo and Nissan Townstar. For sure the Citan & egrave; the more & ugrave; & ldquo; premium & rdquo; but, as already; said, it is also addressed to those who & egrave; willing to spend more & ugrave; to get the top.
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