The Mercedes-Benz Citan appears to be making solid inroads into the small van sector, eroding the market share of the primarily French companies who formerly dominated this sector, along with the Ford Transit Connect.

Despite being based on the Renault Kangoo — in itself a good van — the Citan seems to have succeeded in capturing the core Mercedes virtues of build quality, reliability, prestige and cost-effectiveness. One of the latest converts to the Citan’s cause is high-end security technology firm, Abel Alarm Company.

The Leicester-based firm, one of the UK’s largest privately owned providers of electronic security systems, purchased its first three Citans from city Dealer Mertrux. All Long-bodied 109 CDI models, they have joined its fleet of 55 light commercial vehicles.

Abel Alarms’ Fleet Administrator Lisa Smith says the company plans to buy more Citans as its other vans fall due for replacement:

“We’ve been sourcing our fleet from another manufacturer for a long time, but last year conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all the alternatives,” she explains.

“We trialled demonstration units from various suppliers and gave them a thorough workout. We also turned some over to our engineers, and asked them to rate the vans against a series of criteria, with scores of one to five.

“Most of the vehicles we looked at scored highly in some areas, less so in others. But the Mercedes-Benz Citan stood out, achieving fours and fives across the board. It was far and away the best and most popular choice, and definitely the most cost-effective van we could buy.”

Launched last year, the Citan marks the entry of Mercedes-Benz into the small van market. The range combines impressive fuel efficiency of up to 65.7 mpg with CO₂ emissions as low as 112 g/km, and is packed with clever features such as a folding bulkhead, to provide maximum load length as well as protection for the driver.

“Fuel economy and overall running costs were high on our list of criteria,” continues Lisa Smith. “As well as returning excellent mpg figures, the Citan offers long service intervals which translate into lower maintenance costs and less downtime.

“Another benefit is the standard three-year, unlimited mileage manufacturer’s warranty,” she continues. “Our engineers cover the whole country from a network of 13 depots throughout the UK, and they each rack up around 25-30,000 miles per year. It’s reassuring to know their vehicles are fully covered, no matter how far they drive.”

Established in 1965, Abel Alarm Company provides security systems to large businesses and public sector organisations such as universities and hospitals, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises and residential customers – it numbers high-profile sports and media personalities among its clients.