By Otsile Kadiege

Are you in the market for a compact people mover with a three-pointed star on the radiator grille? Well, you’re in luck. Today Mercedes-Benz unveiled their all-new T-Class. The T-Class caters to the leisure and sport enthusiast consumers who will need the space and versatility of a private, small van. The new T-Class boasts a contemporary design, it features an extensive range of safety equipment, versatile connectivity and diesel and petrol engines.

Exterior design

Upfront the new Mercedes-Benz T-Class features a chrome-plated radiator grille with three horizontal slats. It’s flanked by slightly angular LED High Performance headlamps (standard for the Progressive Line). Other exterior highlights include body-coloured outside mirror housings, door handles and front bumper, standard 16-inch 10-spoke light-alloy wheels, and a chrome trim strip on the tailgate.

The small van combines compact exterior dimensions with a huge amount of space. The five-seater T-Class is 4498 mm long, 1859 mm wide and 1811 mm tall. A long-wheelbase variant with up to seven seats will follow.

T-Class grades

The new T-Class will be available in two grades, namely Style Line and Progressive Line. The Style Line features hallmarks of exclusivity like the standard seat covers in black Artico man-made leather/Microcut microfibre with double topstitching, and high-gloss black trim elements on the doors and centre console. As an option, these trim elements are available in matt limonite yellow and the seat covers in black Artico man-made leather with white contrasting topstitching. Both the front and rear door centre panels are covered in the contemporary Neotex faux leather. Providing additional touches are the chrome highlights on the air vents, loudspeakers and door handles. The driver’s seat has a lumbar support and the front passenger seat is also height-adjustable.

Practical folding tables are installed on the back of the front seat backrests. Items such as smartphones, tablets or children’s toys can be conveniently placed here. Exterior features of the T-Class Style include 16-inch, 5-spoke design wheels and dark tinted windows for the rear and tailgate.

The top-spec Progressive Line features high-end Neotex trim with contrasting topstitching on the upper section of the instrument panel. Seats in black Artico man-made leather with white topstitching and trim elements in matt silver on the centre console and doors further accentuate the vehicle’s high quality character. The sliding doors have electric windows. The exterior makes a visual statement with a chrome trim strip on the tailgate, 16-inch 10-spoke light-alloy wheels and LED High Performance headlamps.

Interior design and technology

Inside, the new T-Class has a similar design of the new Citan revealed earlier this year. Highlights include a standard 7-inch touchscreen running on the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system with “Hey Mercedes” voice assistant Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth hands-free system and digital radio (DAB and DAB+).

With practicality and flexibility being a few of the most important features of a compact MPV, the new T-Class features a low loading sill of just 561 millimetres which should make loading heavy objects easier. It also has wide-opening sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle. This should enable passengers to get in and out of the vehicle quickly. It also provides a choice of loading from three sides, including the tailgate. The sliding doors provide an opening measuring 614 millimetres wide and 1059 millimetres high.

The rear seat bench of the T-Class folds down as standard to create a virtually flat loading area with the luggage compartment floor. Its luggage compartment features a tailgate with heated rear window as standard. A two-section rear door is available as an alternative. Both sections of the door can be locked in the 90-degree position and can be pivoted to the side at an angle of up to 180 degrees.

Engine line-up

The new Mercedes-Benz T-Class will be sold with a choice of two diesel and two petrol engines. Here are more details on the powertrains.

All engines are combined with an ECO start/stop function. Alongside the six-speed manual transmission, the two diesel models and the more powerful of the two petrol models are also available with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Mercedes-Benz is also working on an all-electric version of the T-Class dubbed the EQT. We’ve already had a glimpse of the EQT with the unveiling of the Concept EQT last year. This model will add to the EQ tally as Mercedes-Benz prepares for an all-electric future line-up.

Safety

In matters of safety features the new T-Class has a lot to offer as well. Numerous driving assistance systems come as standard alongside a tyre pressure loss warning system and the Mercedes-Benz emergency call system. These include Hill Start Assist, Crosswind Assist, Attention Assist, the fatigue warning system, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Speed Limit Assist. The Driving Assistance Package is available as an option and additionally includes Active Distance Assist Distronic (also available as an individual option) and Active Steering Assist2. For additional convenience and safety when entering and exiting parking spaces, there’s the optional Active Parking Assist with Parktronic and reversing camera. In combination with the optional trailer coupling, the T-Class also has Trailer Stability Assist.

Availability

Mercedes-Benz South Africa are yet to confirm local availability.