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Abel Alarm Company have bagged three new Mercedes-Benz Citan vans.
The Leicester-based firm purchased the long-bodied 109 CDI models from local dealer Mertrux, adding them to their 55-strong LCV fleet.
Lisa Smith, Fleet Administrator at Abel Alarms, said the company plan to buy more Citans as their 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 said.
“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.”
“[Mercedes-Benz Citan] was far and away the best and most popular choice, and definitely the most cost-effective van we could buy.”
Lisa Smith, Abel
Launched last year, the Citan marks the entry of Mercedes-Benz into the small van market.
The range offers fuel efficiency of up to 65.7mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 112g/km.
“Fuel economy and overall running costs were high on our list of criteria,” added Ms 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.
“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.
“The service we received from Mertrux was excellent too – sales executive James Rowley was very attentive throughout the process and nothing was too much trouble.”
