High-roof station wagons are the secret stars on the car market.

At least for those buyers who want as much space and space as possible on a small footprint and at moderate prices.

The market leader is the recently renewed VW Caddy, which is being pressed by the likewise brand new Renault Kangoo, which is also available in the form of the Mercedes-Benz Citan and the Nissan Townstar.

The congenial trio was developed jointly by Mercedes and Renault and is built in Maubeuge in northern France.

While the Citan and the Kangoo differ more, the Nissan is a Renault under different auspices.

Boris Schmidt

Editor in the "Technology and Engine" department.

  • Follow I follow

But that's not a bad thing.

But in contrast to its sister company, it is only available with a 1.3-liter petrol engine, a diesel is not in the range.

However, all three models will be available later this year as purely electric versions, initially in the van variants with a generous loading volume of around 3,300 liters.

In this regard, the VW Caddy will have to fit for the foreseeable future.

In terms of charging and space talents, the Townstar follows the Kangoo, which was detailed on this page on September 21, 2021.

It is simply impressive how much space can be accommodated in a basic length of 4.47 meters if you build upwards.

The trunk has a volume of 775 liters, if you fold down the seats, it is 2,800 liters with a loading area length of almost 1.90 meters when loaded to the roof.

The heavy and huge tailgate is a bit of a disadvantage, but it swings up sufficiently.

Unfortunately, a glazed wing door for an additional charge of 250 euros is only provided for the basic Acenta version.

This should probably appeal to price-conscious families in particular, it costs 26,600 euros.

The top variant Tekna for 30,450 euros, which leaves little to be desired, was a guest in the editorial office.

The petrol engine has 130 hp, which is quite sufficient for the nature of a high-roof station wagon.

The front wheels are driven, the power is distributed with a six-speed gearbox.

An automatic is not available.

The Townstar wanted an average of 7.8 liters of Super, while the Kangoo with diesel was significantly more economical at 5.9 liters.

In terms of price, both are on the same level.