A seven-seat people-carrier makes the Mercedes-Benz Citan even more family friendly, says motoring editor Andy Russell.

The Citan range has proved to be a huge success since it was launched and Mercedes-Benz is now growing its appeal further.

Launched as panel and Dualiner crew vans and a fully-glazed five-seater Traveliner model, Mercedes has now expanded the range with an extra long wheelbase seven-seater Traveliner which, despite being classed as a commercial vehicle, is also attractive to families with active lifestyles.

The new variant is ideal for alternating between carrying crew and cargo in commercial applications, use as a taxi or for a mix of professional and private use.

With three rows of seats, this people-carrier is a credible alternative to a conventional family car and, being based on a van, it’s even more spacious and practical when it comes to carrying loads – whether it is people or equipment such as mountain bikes.

Sliding rear doors make getting in and out of the cabin easy. The middle row of seats split 60/40 and fold forward to give access to the third row of two individual seats which each slide back and forth by 130mm – which means it can carry seven adults with decent leg and headroom for all – and can be folded down or removed altogether. With all the seats in use, there is 300 to 400 litres of load space, depending on the position of the third row of seats. Removing those rearmost seats creates a huge load bay of up to 2,200 litres – fold down the middle row and you have a 3,500-litre van, albeit with side windows.

Cabin storage is also plentiful with large doorbins and glovebox, a wide shelf above the windscreen and you can have underfloor cubbyholes in the middle row footwells.

The extra long wheelbase Citan Traveliner also gets the 110hp 1.4-litre turbo diesel engine, alongside the 90hp version. These high-torque units punch above their weight and the more powerful version is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and capable of 60.1mpg combined. With strong mid-range performance it makes light work of carrying loads and is flexible and refined.

For a commercial vehicle it is very car-like to drive with good ride comfort and stable, confident handling with the wheels pushed well out to the corners to give it a large footprint on the road.

The interior uses hard plastics that are easy to clean and should prove durable – important for the demands of any people-carrier while the standard spec includes cruise control, air-conditioning and a host of electronic safety aids.

Whether you need to carry seven passengers, a van-load of cargo or a mix of both, the Citan Traveliner fits the bill and is even more appealing with 0% finance and up to £2,500 dealer deposit contribution.