Mercedes EQT and eCitan go on sale

Mercedes is finally putting two of its little vans on sale - the EQT passenger version and the eCitan panel van. The vehicles were announced last year, and it took Mercedes nearly 6 months to get them ready for customers - and here they are.

The EQT is basically a Renault Kangoo E-Tech, Nissan Townstar EV, or Opel Combo e-life, but with a three-pointed star proudly gracing the grille. The passenger-carrying EQT is fairly compact at 177.1 inches, but it offers as much interior space as the much larger T-Class. Initially, only the compact version is available, and the 193.8 inches long-wheelbase models will go on sale at a later stage.

The 45 kWh battery won’t break the world records when it comes to long-range driving, but the 282 km (WLTP) sounds like a decent amount. The advantage of a small battery is its short charging time, in this case, it takes about 38 minutes to top up the EQT from 10% to 80% SoC thanks to its built-in 80 kW DC charger.

The crunch point though, is the price of the all-electric EQT. Mercedes asks $54,864 for the entry-level Advanced Plus version. There are two more models available - Premium and Premium Plus and the company claims they “represent an attractive offer.” Interestingly, the EQT’s twin Renault Kangoo E-Tech starts at $43,600 - $11,000 difference is a lot when the two cars are technically identical.

The panel van version eCitan comes with an identical battery, and the same 90 kW (122 hp) electric motor powering the front wheels. Thanks to the underfloor battery, the little van offers 2.9 cubic meters of cargo space with a 1,199 lb payload. The long-wheelbase version comes with 3.62 cubic meters of cargo space with its payload increased to 1,592 lb. The van's dimensions are identical to its EQT sibling, and so is the 284 km range.

The eCitan starts in Germany at $47,826 with VAT included, the long-wheelbase model starts at $49,830 and the eCitan Tourer demands $52,487 which again - is quite a big chunk of money for a small van. Thankfully Mercedes includes in the purchase a 4-year maintenance package, and the battery pack comes with an 8-year or 99,400 miles warranty.

The long-wheelbase EQT will be an ideal base vehicle for campervan conversions, in fact, Mercedes already teased the Marco Polo version last December, but with the EQT starting at nearly $55,000 expect to see close to $78,000 or even higher price tag on the camper. Whether that’s a good value or not is entirely up to the buyer. The thing about Mercedes vehicles - be it passenger or commercial - is that they hold their value for years.

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