A Look At The Second Generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Posted by www.eMercedesBenz.com on June 7, 2006 It's been nine years since the world was introduced to the Mercedes- Benz Citaro at the UITP Congress in Stuttgart, and to date, nearly 15,000 models of the regular service bus have been sold. Although certain details have been modified over the years, the Citaro has remained largely unchanged, a clear symbol that the original Mercedes' design was a successful one. Following in this successful tradition, Mercedes has now introduced the second generation of the Citaro, a vehicle that offers a wealth of new technical and visual features while still maintaining the same qualities that made the original so outstanding. As with most second generation designs, the Citaro's most notable difference is undoubtedly the bus' new exterior appearance. On the front of the bus, a new curved recess between the headlamps gives the appearance of a grille and displays the Mercedes-Benz star; turn indicator housings have been turned upwards to give the Citaro a more friendly appearance; a continuous black molding appears to draw the windscreen further downwards and makes the wiper arm attachments seem as if they are set further back; the front-end flap is flush-mounted; and the bumper has a softer shape. In the rear, the Citaro is substantially more three-dimensional in shape and now features markedly elegant lines. The imposing V-shaped rear window is drawn impressively upwards, stretching as far as the roof; at its uppermost limit, the engine flap is rounded off by a ventilation opening covered by a black mesh plate; the tail lights now feature a tapered design and are drawn deeply around into the vehicle flanks; and a new-look bumper rounds out the Citaro's refined appearance. Inside, the second generation Citaro can boast of a number of enhancements as well. New inclined ceiling side panels merge almost seamlessly into the main part of the ceiling; the strip lighting design has been specially adapted to suit the form of the new ceiling; the Opticool windscreen reduces heat and energy inside the cabin by about 10%, thus considerably reducing the interior temperature and enhancing the driver’s comfort and well-being; and a closed cover in the semicircle of the dashboard paneling conceals the previously visible fire extinguisher. And finally, after addressing the new Citaro's design elements, the final issue Mercedes' engineers addressed was the Citaro's performance characteristics. A new independent front suspension featuring lower wishbones and a standard-fit stabilizer, an increase in ground clearance to 165 mm, a reduction in turning radius by half a meter, and an increase in the bus' maximum spring travel by more than a third are just a few of the new performance attributes the Citaro is blessed with. Of course, the Citaro still benefits from Mercedes' extensive lineup of powerplants. All engines produced for the second generation Mercedes Citaro meet Euro 4 emissions standards and are based on BLUETEC technology. Depending on the requirements, customers can opt for the extremely compact and lightweight OM 906 hLA six-cylinder in- line engine, which has a displacement of 6.4 litres, an output of 210 kW (286 hp) and a peak torque of 1120 Nm at 1200 - 1600 rpm. If more power is needed, customers can also opt for the tried-and-tested OM 457 hLA six-cylinder in-line turbodiesel engine, which boasts a displacement of 12 litres, a choice of out-puts – 220 kW (299 hp) or 260 kW (354 hp) – and a maximum torque of 1250 Nm at 1100 rpm or 1600 Nm at 1100 rpm, respectively. Got all that? If not, don't worry - I have a refresher course. Give your eyes a break; look at some photos of the new Citaro by visiting www.eMercedesBenz.com; or check out the full press release for an even more comprehensive look at the second generation Citaro's impressive list of features. Enjoy. OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE New-generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro Second-generation Citaro with new-look interior and exterior Independent front suspension enhances comfort and handling Clean and economical Euro 4 engines Stuttgart/Mannheim , Jun 07, 2006 The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is already one of the best-selling regular- service buses bearing the Mercedes star. With nearly 15,000 models sold since series production began in 1998, it can be seen on the streets of almost all of Europe’s major cities, from London to Madrid, Paris to Istanbul and Berlin to Rome. First unveiled at the UITP Congress in Stuttgart in 1997, the Citaro has gone from strength to strength ever since, whether it be in urban or rural regular- service bus guise. Although certain details have been modified over the years, its characteristic features have remained largely the same. This success story is now set to continue following the arrival of the second-generation Citaro. The latest line-up displays a wealth of new technical and visual features and has been boosted by the addition of three „Low Entry“ urban and rural-service variants. The numerous innovations, already part and parcel of the „Low Entry“ variants, are also being introduced for all new, Euro 4-compliant Mercedes-Benz Citaro regular-service buses with immediate effect. A new face on the regular-service bus scene One of the first things that catches the eye is the „face“ of the second-generation Citaro, first seen at the premiere of the new „Low Entry“ Citaro LE (urban), Citaro LE Ü and Citaro LE MÜ (rural- service) variants in October 2005. Further new features include a curved recess between the headlamps, which looks like a radiator grille and creates a visual link with the latest Mercedes-Benz touring coaches and rural-service buses. This is where the Mercedes star is now displayed on its own special base. The turn indicator housings have been turned upwards at the outside to give the Citaro a friendly appearance. Like the main headlamps, they have clear-glass covers. Furthermore, a continuous black moulding appears to draw the windscreen further downwards and makes the wiper arm attachments seem as if they are set further back. Meanwhile the front-end flap is flush-mounted, and the bumper has a softer shape. None of the screwing points are visible at the front end of the new Citaro regular-service buses. Like the front-end flap, the corner panels, including the headlamp housings, can be opened, making the entire front end ideally accessible for routine maintenance work. Features that remain unchanged include the specific windscreens for the urban and rural-service bus versions as well as the destination indicators. Powerful, three-dimensional rear end The rear end of the Citaro is now more three-dimensional in shape and features elegant lines. The imposing V-shaped rear window is drawn impressively up-wards, stretching as far as the roof. At its uppermost limit, the engine flap is rounded off by a ventilation opening covered by a black mesh plate. The entire design vocabulary of the Citaro is reminiscent of the new-generation Mercedes Benz touring coaches and rural-service buses. The same can be said of the three-dimensionally prominent tail lights with a single glass cover. Originating from the same modular system as the tail lights on the new Travego, they feature a tapered design and are drawn deeply around into the vehicle flanks. There is also a new-look bumper. Together, these measures give the regular-service bus a more coherent and rounded form, lending it a softer and more harmonious appearance. Keen observers will also notice the new frameless hinged windows and the grey instead of green tinted glass for all the windows apart from the driver’s window and the front entrance door. Refined interior and driver’s area The design vocabulary of the interior has also been refined. For instance, the in-clined ceiling side panels merge almost seamlessly into the main part of the ceiling, which is smooth, easy to clean and trimmed in aluminium. The strip lighting design has been specially adapted to suit the form of the new ceiling. The Opticool windscreen, already a tried-and-trusted feature of the Mercedes Benz Travego touring coach models, is a new addition and offers extremely effective thermal insulation. It absorbs infrared rays and lets through around 10 % less heat and energy, thus considerably reducing the interior temperature and enhancing the driver’s comfort and wellbeing. The interior design of the front section has also been enhanced on a visual level. Boarding passengers are now met by the Mercedes-Benz brand lettering at the entrance. And a closed cover in the semicircle of the dashboard panelling conceals the previously visible fire extin-guisher. The driver’s area still incorporates the proven VDV dashboard. To the left of the driver’s area are new, generously proportioned compartments which can be supplemented by an optional electrically cooled bottle compartment. Further features on the left-hand side, mounted on a console, include handy switches for additional functions and the parking brake lever. Clean and economical Euro 4 engines All of the engines for the second-generation Citaro models are Euro 4 powerplants based on the new BlueTec diesel technology. The wide range of engines for the Citaro covers all power output requirements. On the one hand, the extremely compact and lightweight OM 906 hLA six- cylinder in-line engine has a displacement of 6.4 litres, an output of 210 kW (286 hp) and a peak torque of 1120 Nm at 1200 - 1600 rpm. On the other hand, the tried-and-tested OM 457 hLA six-cylinder in- line turbodiesel engine boasts a displacement of 12 litres, a choice of out-puts – 220 kW (299 hp) or 260 kW (354 hp) – and a maximum torque of 1250 Nm at 1100 rpm or 1600 Nm at 1100 rpm respectively. All of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro engines deliver impressive pulling power, even at low engine speeds and when the bus is full, which is vital for pulling away quickly in urban traffic. Independent front suspension enhances comfort and handling Whilst many of the Citaro’s radically modified features are clearly visible, some of them are well hidden. New equipment for the Citaro includes independent front suspension with a design based on lower wishbones and a standard-fit stabiliser. Benefits of the independent suspension system include extremely impressive straight-line stability, less road impact on the steering, a substantial weight reduction, lower unsprung masses and a general improvement in handling and ride comfort, since the wheels do not affect each other if the road conditions are worse on one side of the vehicle than they are on the other. Even though the entrance height is identical, the Citaro has a greater ground clearance of 165 mm beneath the front axle, thus reducing the risk of bottoming. The steering gear has been moved further rearwards and is now outside of the area at risk in the event of an accident. The front axle has a very large steering angle (inside 53 degrees, outside 46 degrees), without restricting the aisle width of 910 mm between the wheel arches in any way. As a result, the turning circle of the 12-metre long Citaro variant has been reduced by half a metre from 21.5 m to just 21.0 m. Even the larger variants have smaller turning circles than before: 23.7 m (Citaro MÜ), 24.3 m (Citaro L/LÜ) and 22.9 m (Citaro G/GÜ). Furthermore, the driver and passengers benefit from enhanced ride comfort as the maximum spring travel has been increased by more than a third from 70 mm to 94 mm, the air spring volume per bellows has been boosted by over 10 % to 10.5 dm³ and the natural frequency has been reduced substantially. The result is, by low-floor bus standards, extremely sure, smooth and comfort-oriented handling. Extensive model line-up The extensive Mercedes-Benz Citaro line-up now comprises the 12 m long Citaro, the 15 m long Citaro L and the Citaro G articulated bus measuring 18 m in length. Plus the Citaro Ü (12 m), Citaro MÜ (13 m) and Citaro LÜ (15 m) rural-service variants. Further new additions to the range include the Citaro „Low Entry“ regular-service bus – first unveiled in autumn 2005 – which is available as an urban bus (Citaro LE, measuring 12 m in length) or as a rural-service bus (Citaro LE Ü and Citaro LE MÜ, measuring 12 m and 13 m in length respectively). For more Mercedes-Benz news and information, visit www.eMercedesBenz.com.