Overview

Looking for a cutting-edge mid-size campervan? Then the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo should be somewhere near the top of your list – an update for 2024 brings in a revised interior with extra tech, a new look nose, and some optional equipment that not even the fabled Volkswagen California can match. In addition to the way we test cars usually, we’ve traversed Scotland and camped in comfort in this latest version and can confirm it’s a rather appealing piece of kit.

The current Marco Polo dates back to 2017 in the UK, which is when Mercedes finally elected to start selling its VW California rival on these shores. The three previous generations were never available here, but their existence tells you Mercedes has been as nearly committed to van-life over the years as Volkswagen. It’s based on the Mercedes V-Class MPV, itself a high-end variant of the Mercedes Vito van.

The upgraded 2024 Marco Polo is limited to just one high-end trim level (Premium Plus, though there is an optional AMG Line package) and one powerful 237hp diesel engine (badged V300d), and comes with a price tag that reflects both this and the plushness of the fit and finish inside. It’s a Mercedes factory-built conversion, rather than a third-party effort. But like its other main rival, the Ford Transit Custom Nugget, it uses bits supplied by campervan specialists Westfalia; by contrast, the California is designed and developed entirely in-house by VW.

Be in no doubt: the Marco Polo is substantially more expensive than both those competitors, with the revised model starting at £88,420 before options at launch. But for that you do get an ultra-modern driving environment with the twin 12.3-inch screen set-up that Mercedes now favours on most of its cars, lots of safety equipment, and mobile accommodation that’s much more glamping on the Riviera than holidaying at Butlins.

An electrically operated pop-up roof provides the interior headroom for cooking and entertaining, with the Marco Polo mirroring the integrated lounging and kitchen area layout of the California rather than following the alternative kitchen-at-the-back, lounge-in-the-middle set-up of the Nugget. Which you prefer may come down to how limber you are; accessing the more comfortable roof-top sleeping area in the Mercedes (and the VW) means climbing up through a hole over the front seats – in the Ford you get to this space from the back, via a ladder.

Electrically folding rear seats provide another sleeping area downstairs, giving the Marco Polo four berth capacity and the same number of passenger seats when driving. In our test vehicle, crockery with magnetic bases and neatly wrapped cutlery cut down on the usual campervan chorus when driving, though other storage solutions aren’t as immediately ingenious as some of VW’s – we’ll return to this on the next page when discussing practicality.

The driving experience, however, is first class in campervan terms, while the optional air-suspension is able to self-level the van when parked in order to compensate for the undulating surface of most camping grounds. A very neat trick, and not one you’ll find on any rival. This alone may make the Marco Polo a worthy upgrade for many buyers.

That said, do note an all-new VW California and an all-new Transit Custom Nugget are also due later in 2024, which should make life harder for this merely updated Mercedes.

Over the next few pages we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the latest Mercedes Marco Polo, including what it’s like to sleep in, the quality of the interior, how easy it is to operate and what it’s like to drive, before delivering our final verdict on how high it’s set the campervan bar for those incoming alternatives. Keep reading.