With the new T-Class, Mercedes brings the passenger car version of the Citan. The high-roof station wagon should score points in terms of variability and equipment. All information and data can be found in this article.
Mercedes is expanding its van portfolio with a new entry-level model – the T-Class. But it's not really new, because the T-Class is basically just a better-equipped version of the Mercedes Citan, which in turn is a technical clone of the Renault Kangoo . The same applies to the Nissan Townstar , which should be mentioned for the sake of completeness. So, now to the Benz, which definitely wants to be more than a Kangoo copy with a new face. ,
Dimensions and space
As a five-seater, the T-Class is 4.50 meters long, 1.86 meters wide and 1.81 meters high. The Stuttgart-based company will later add a seven-seater variant with a long wheelbase. Particularly important for the target group: how much can I fit in a vehicle area of 8.37 square meters? 520 liters of luggage fit under the parcel shelf behind the large tailgate, which can also be ordered as a gull-wing door as an option. With a quick movement, however, this can also be stowed away on the back of the rear seats.
If the second row of seats (which can be folded down one-third to two-thirds) falls, 2,127 liters of cargo space are available. Depending on the equipment, a maximum of 538 kilograms of additional weight may be carried. According to the roof load specification, the optional railing carries a maximum of 80 kilos. If you want to travel with a lot of luggage, you can book a trailer hitch under the 56 centimeter deep loading sill and also take up to 1.5 tons on the hook or up to 75 kilos on the hook - for example in the form of a bicycle rack. If you prefer to have very small people on board instead of a lot of luggage, you will be happy about the possibility of attaching up to four child seats (three of them with Isofix). Three of them fit next to each other on the back seat. The rear of the vehicle is accessible on both sides via sliding doors that open 614 millimeters wide. ,
Engines and transmissions
The drive chapter is dealt with comparatively quickly. The T-Class has a petrol engine and a diesel engine, each with two output levels. The performance range of the four-cylinder in-line cylinders ranges from 95 hp in the small diesel T 160 d to 131 hp in the large petrol engine T 180. Mercedes couples the units to a manual six-speed manual transmission as standard. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is available as an option, which is only denied to the small petrol engine.
By the way, Mercedes is adding the EQT as a purely electric variant. It comes with an independent design, but above all with a pure electric drive. The 90 kW and 245 Nm electric motor only drives the front wheels.The lithium-ion battery installed in the underbody offers a usable capacity of 45 kWh, which should make a range of up to 282 kilometers possible. With a charging capacity of 80 kW, the battery can be recharged from 10 to 80 percent in 38 minutes.
Equipment lines and options
The T-Class comes in three variants. In addition to the basic version, Mercedes also offers the compact family car in the "Style" and "Progressive" lines. In the entry-level model, the occupants sit on gray fabric seats and see black high-gloss decorative elements in the interior. While the 16-inch steel wheels with decorative covers may hurt one or the other aesthetic eye, the extensive standard equipment puts this small sting into perspective. Standard features include air conditioning, a light and rain sensor, a center armrest, seven airbags, the MBUX infotainment system in the form of a seven-inch touchscreen, four USB ports (2 x USB-C and 2 x USB-A), hill start assist , a blind spot warning, an active brake assistant, and the multifunction steering wheel on board. However, if you want to elicit the full potential of the infotainment system from voice control to real-time navigation, you have to add a navigation package to the option list. The T-Class is already available with smartphone integration, digital radio and Bluetooth hands-free system at no extra charge. ,
Of course, you can also choose one of the higher equipment lines. The T-Class "Style" beautifies Mercedes with an interior made of Artico artificial leather in combination with microfibre and white decorative stitching. There are also various chrome applications, decorative elements, white ambient lighting and 16-inch alloy wheels. The top model "Progressive" supplements the catalog as standard with further decorative elements in the interior as well as LED high-performance headlights (halogen lights are standard). There is nothing more ex works, from here the option list must be used. There you will find extras such as automatic air conditioning, a parking package with reversing camera, multicolored ambient lighting, heated seats for driver and front passenger, heated steering wheel, an inductive charging cradle, Distronic adaptive cruise control and a high-beam assistant.
As far as design freedom is concerned, Mercedes offers a total of ten paint colors for the T-Class. In addition to the usual black, white and gray tones, these also include extrovert appearances in limonite yellow or rubellite red (exclusively for the T-Class). The rims can be upgraded to 17-inch wheels with a five-twin-spoke design. However, it cannot be ruled out that the customization options will receive a few more updates over time. On the outside, the only difference between the T-Class and the Mercedes Citan Tourer would be the bumpers and exterior mirrors painted in the vehicle color. And even that can be booked with the Citan for an extra 210 euros.
Prices, market launch and start edition
The basic version of the T-Class is available from 29,314 euros for the T160 with the 102 hp petrol engine. A feature that the family car within the Mercedes car portfolio only shares with the basic variants of the A-Class. The T180 with the 131 hp petrol engine costs from 30,441 euros, the T160 d with the 95 hp diesel engine is in the price list at at least 31,218 euros, the T180 d with 116 diesel hp from 32,345 euros. The equipment line Style costs 1,879 euros extra, for the Line Progressive 3,633 euros are required. It has been possible to order since May and deliveries have been going since July 2022.
As is now customary at Mercedes, the new T-Class will also be available at market launch as a special T-Class Edition model with extensive equipment for Germany. The edition model is based on the Progressive line and combines this with additional equipment highlights such as the seven-speed automatic transmission, metallic paintwork, 17-inch alloy wheels and the MBUX infotainment system including navigation and automatic climate control. The T-Class Edition with the 131 hp petrol engine is available from 32,487 euros. The diesel version with 116 hp costs 33,990 euros.
A fully equipped Citan Tourer Pro with a small diesel and manual transmission currently costs around 35,000 euros, while the basic price is around 26,000 euros. ,
Conclusion
The technical basis is already known from the Citan Tourer and the Renault Kangoo. With the T-Class, Mercedes is now launching the pure passenger car version with a more elegant look and extensive standard equipment. With affordable family cars seeming to be a dying breed, customers might be happy with the base model, which starts at around €29,300.
The Mercedes stands out from the technology siblings Renault Kangoo and Nissan Townstar primarily due to the good infotainment system MBUX. The Stuttgart-based company is also adding a purely electric version (EQT) and a variant with a long wheelbase and seven seats.
