Indeed, it is the only premium wagon on the market. At least… in theory. The harsh reality is that the Mercedes T-class is not much different from the Citan Tourer. And so from its predecessor – Renault Kangoo. The competition offers about the same, and a few gems aren't really worth the price.
Do you want to read naTemat.pl without ads and customize the portal? Create your naTemat account
Whenever Citan Tourer Appeared on the market, everyone was still waiting Class T. This one was supposed to bring a breath of newness to the market carriages.
Because this market was the only one that resisted the expansion of SUVs. There are practically no vans and minivans left. If you have a larger family and are looking for a comfortable family car, you can buy a station wagon for much less than the average large SUV. And you'll be more comfortable in it and able to pack more.
The choice in the market is huge. Manufacturers love to create these cars collaboratively. So Volkswagen has the Caddy and Ford has the Tourneo Connect. These are about the same cars. The Citroen Berlingo and the Peugeot Rifter are also the same car… but that's not the end of it, because the Opel Combo and the Toyota ProAce City are also the same. Four cars!
And there is a third collaboration. Renault Kangoo is basically the same as Nissan Townstar and Mercedes Citan. And what is the T-Class in all this? Just more suitable for Citan.
At least that was the promise of the Germans. Citan does not particularly run away from its own car form of delivery character, so the T class had to be something more. real Premium wagon.
So how did it turn out? It did not work.
It didn't work out that, as I've never driven a Citan Tourer, I had to ask a colleague who has driven both a Citan Tourer and a T-Class what the difference is between the two models. And guess what?
There's just too much… not there. Mercedes promised a car aimed at a different segment of the market, more of a lifestyle. And Stuttgart marketing has done its homework, because everyone who thinks of the T-Class imagines this car as the family's S-Class.
Meanwhile, the main differences between the Citan Tourer and the T-class are better finishing materials (in the latter), although without any pleasure, because it is a different material (but also hard) on the dashboard and something soft on the armrests. in the door. additionally Ambient lightingOr rather, a poor relative of what Mercedes offers in other cars in this regard.
The T-Class is also initially better than the Citan (and therefore more expensive). And that's basically it.
So anyone sinister enough could say that the T-Class is essentially an overpriced Renault Kangoo. And… there will be a lot of truth in it. Because in this Renault/Nissan/Mercedes marriage, it must be said that the Kangoo is actually the original. And the Townstar and Citan/T-Class are younger siblings.
So the Mercedes T-class is a premium wagon, in which you'll also find an air-conditioning panel straight from Dacia (seriously). What did you not understand?
Given these facts, the Mercedes is pretty average and if you were expecting an EQS interior, not this time. But the car itself is quite good. The Germans took practically the entire engine range from Renault (there is no electric version yet, but the Kangoo already exists). The tested unit is powered by a 1.5-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 116 horsepower. This is, of course, a good old French dCi.
The engine grunts quite noticeably, but works perfectly with the automatic transmission (seven-speed and also from the French). Acceleration on paper is 11.6 seconds to 100 km/h, but this is probably some inaccuracy in the papers. The T-Class is quite lively and certainly dynamic. What's worse is that above 120km/h it's just plain noisy inside. The Germans were not convinced that the car was more premium in this respect.
Not impressive burning. Not bad, but eight liters of diesel fuel with such a small engine and a speed of 120-130 km/h is quite an average result. I got nine liters in the city.
The ride itself is also quite comfortable and just convenient. But beware – even though it's a Mercedes, it's only affordable front wheel drive. The competition, for example, in the Volkswagen Caddy model, offers AWD.
However, this comfort is mostly about front row driving. The seats are fine, but the driving position is…like I'm sitting in a chair. But that's fine, but forget the side grip. It's worse at the back. The sofa (which only has three individual seats) does not have an adjustable back and is very upright. After the three-hour drive, my wife was in complete pain.
However, families will appreciate most of it Storage compartments (near the ceiling is large) or a sliding back door. Putting a child in a car seat is simply trivial here. The front door itself opens at a 90-degree angle. The giant trunk also does its job. But beware – although there are supposedly three seats in the back, only the two furthest back have ISOFIX!
Overall, this is a good car for a wagon. Inside, it actually stands out a bit compared to the competition thanks to the materials used. However, in my opinion, it's not worth paying extra just to have a star on the hood and say “Hey Mercedes” to the car. Because yes, it is in T class MBUXAnd this system is light years ahead of Renault solutions.
Especially since Class T is simply more expensive. Configurator The current opening amount is PLN 142,776 in total. Instead, we get a car with a manual transmission and an engine with… 102 horsepower. And the list of additions in the configurator is long.
honestly If I really wanted a Mercedes wagon, I'd stick with the Citan Tourer. It is cheaper and not so bad.