The letter T was actually reserved for the station wagon versions of sedans at Mercedes. Now it also serves as the series name for a high-roof station wagon. It's new, but not unknown. Like the Citan, the newly launched T-Class comes from the partnership with Renault.
Mercedes has a reputation for excellence that needs to be defended. It therefore seems somewhat surprising that a star bearer is essentially not a real Mercedes. It's about the newly launched T-Class, which, like its predecessor Citan built between 2012 and 2021, comes from the partnership with Renault. But unlike the Citan, the new T-Class is rarely seen as a false flag Kangoo. Mercedes has given the high-roof station wagon, which is blessed with plenty of car DNA, its own stamp that lives up to the reputation of the brand.
There's the optics. In contrast to the old Citan with its inharmonious proportions, the new T-Class is a shape that, with its unique front design, gives the large star in the radiator grille a dignified frame. In contrast to the Kangoo, the Stuttgart counterpart does without SUV airs. Nevertheless, the T-Class is also an imposing sight. This is of course due to its sheer size, because the Benz is quite long at 4.5 meters, quite high at 1.81 meters and quite wide at 1.86 meters.
The big man is not an empty promise, because the inside of the T-Class is also a giant. The scope for development for the maximum of five occupants is beyond any doubt. Thanks to the doors opening at a 90-degree angle, front guests enjoy easy access and a slightly elevated seating position. The multi-adjustable seats offer pleasant car comfort even on long journeys. This also applies to the rear seats on the back bench, which can be reached via sliding doors.
The cockpit surprises with a lot of look and feel à la Mercedes. Apart from the user interface of the automatic climate control, the similarities with the Kangoo device remain small. The optional leather steering wheel with touch controls, the leather-covered automatic selector lever, round air vents, the on-board computer graphics - everything bears a Mercedes signature. The color black dominates, which looks very chic paired with plenty of chrome decoration.
However, what is noticeable when you take a closer look: Hard plastic dominates the surfaces. Only artificial leather inlays in the door panels and a velvety leather-look cover on the dashboard convey a little tactile finesse. More importantly, however, the processing seems to be better overall than the Renault counterpart. Unlike the driving presentation of the new Kangoo in 2021, we no longer noticed any creaking noises this time.
The Mercedes feeling also comes up when you put your right hand on the non-slip leather gear knob of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and, after the petrol engine has started, pushes to D with a full shift feel. T 180 is the name of the top-of-the-line engine we tested, with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 96 kW/131 hp. The 1.6-tonner does the sprint to 100 km/h in 11.6 seconds, with a maximum of just over 180 km/h.
In interaction with the self-shift transmission, the petrol engine is perceived as pleasantly quiet, especially since the wind noise that increases with speed and increasing consumption values encourage a more relaxed driving style. In our case, we used 7.6 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers on freeway tours, mainly at a speed of 130 km/h. The driving behavior is car-like binding and neutral, but the substructure cannot serve with sedentary qualities - as you would actually expect from a Mercedes.
The T-Class is a commercial vehicle type, which comes with some practical advantages. Over 500 liters of luggage fit window-high in the trunk. If the backrest of the rear seat is folded down, the storage space increases to over 2100 liters thanks to lowering seat surfaces. The large tailgate, which requires physical effort to close, is almost oversized. In return, the luggage compartment with its low loading sill makes it easier to load heavy objects. Folding down the rear seat backrest increases the load compartment length from 1.02 to 1.88 meters.
If you want, you can stretch out in the rear of the T-Class for a nap or even for a night. Bicycles can also be easily loaded without removing the wheel. Families or recreational athletes - who like to travel with children, bags, dogs and/or cones - get their money's worth here, as with the Kangoo or the sister model Nissan Townstar, which has also been available since this year.
Speaking of which: when it comes to costs, the T-model is also on par with Mercedes. The Swabians are asking around 32,000 euros for the top-of-the-range T 180 engine that we tested. In our case, the price rose to almost 45,000 euros together with the highest equipment line Progressive, automatic and a few other extras, which also marks the upper limit of the series. Only a few equipment wishes remain unfulfilled. One was a distance cruise control, which is not offered. According to the manufacturer, however, a Distronic, as Mercedes calls this function, will follow at a later date.
Mercedes-Benz T 180 7-speed DCT - technical data
