Mercedes-Benz Citan Review 2024

Mercedes-Benz Citan At A Glance

5/5

+Polished driving manners, great interior tech, flexible load bay

-Rivals can carry a heavier payload, clever tech costs extra, not on sale until mid-2022

The  Mercedes-Benz Citan should be at the top of your shopping list if you want a small van with a flexible load bay and comfortable cabin that'll make hours behind the wheel that bit easier to swallow.

The Citan is based on the same chassis as the Renault Kangoo and Nissan Townster and as a result, has the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo and Citroen Berlingo showing large in its crosshairs. 

One of the Citan's strongest points is its cabin. Mercedes-Benz has focussed on making the interior as comfortable as you could hope at this price point with a particular focus on cabin-noise suppression and seat comfort. The dashboard design has enough touches to make it feel a cut above the rival vans it shares its platform with, although it's pretty spartan unless you splurge your budget on the options list.

We wouldn't recommend doing that, but Mercedes' MBUX infotainment system is worth considering. It has a clear display, intuitive controls and a hands-free voice recognition system – which launches when you say "Hey Mercedes..." – means there's no need to risk your licence playing with your phone behind the wheel.

We have only sampled the short-wheel-base model that's 1806mm long, 1524mm wide and 1256mm tall. It has a 2.9 cubic meter load volume and a maximum payload of 782kg. 

When the new Citan arrives next year, you'll be able to choose from three diesels and two petrol models. A pure-electric version's also due in 2022.

Mercedes-Benz expects the Citan to be popular with inner-city sole traders and trade workers and if you will indeed mostly drive in town we'd recommend the basic 110 petrol which has all the power you need at low speeds.

The only diesel we have driven is the top-of-the-range 112 model which is quiet, smooth and perfect for shifting a heavy load. Its fuel economy means it'll be the perfect companion for far-flung jobs which will give its diesel particulate filter plenty of time to regenerate. 

What does a Mercedes-Benz Citan cost?