• Lots of space inside
• Plenty of storage, usefully big boot
• Not quite as clever as the VW California in places

How much space is there?

Being based on a van, the Marco Polo is huge inside. While the front seats offer generous space, it’s in the middle where the bulk of room is. That said, while passengers in the back have plenty of space to stretch out, they will be sat right next to each other, as the rear bench is considerably narrower than the overall width of the van. This is because it needs to fit in next to the kitchen.

All current Marco Polos are four-seaters only, matching the number of sleeping positions. Previously an extra fifth seat was offer as an option, but this was not integrated very well and we always felt it was poorly implemented. We do like that the flat floor means you can easily move from the front to living area of the van when parked, and vice versa. This also means you can get people out on the passenger side via the front door; the sliding door is on the driver’s side, which is opposite to where the pavement is in the UK if you park aligned with the direction of traffic.

Boot space and storage

The boot is accessed by a vast, top-hinged tailgate or via the opening window in that tailgate, which is immensely helpful in crowded car parks The available space is listed as 670 litres, but this is divided in two by a shelf that forms part of the lower bed; beneath this is a storage basket where the optional camping table and chairs are stowed, so there’s not quite as much room back there as the bare figure initially suggests.

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However, the rear bench slides forward, so you can make more room behind this. Plus, being a camper there are lots of extra cupboards and drawers, including a 40-litre cool box that can go down as low as -18 degrees Celsius – handy for getting the frozen goods home from the supermarket as well as when you’re camping. A weekend away with four passengers should prove no problem, but if you’re planning a multi-week vacation you may need to pack more carefully. We’ve got a handy guide to the best campervan accessories.

The quality of the finish on the kitchen and other living area storage solutions is very high – we’d say a notch or two above that of the VW California. But Volkswagen scores points back for being cleverer with how it hides things away, with tables doubling as door panels and chairs hidden in the boot lid, for example. Fundamentally, we feel both look after you very well, though.

How easy is it to park?

Although it shrinks around you when you drive it on the open road, the Marco Polo is a large vehicle. At over 5.1m long it is unlikely to fit in any but the biggest home garages; the sub 2m height (just) should mean you’re okay in most car parks but do check the height restrictor on the entrance first.

Parking is made substantially easier by the 360-degree surround-view camera system now fitted as standard to UK models (previously you only got a reversing camera). However, UK buyers are not offered the digital rear-view mirror available in Europe. This is a shame as it makes it much easier to see what’s behind you when you’re driving.

Safety

• Seven airbags as standard
• Lots of safety tech
• Not all of it works flawlessly

Although the Marco Polo is based on a commercial vehicle, it comes with plenty of safety equipment as standard to keep you and your family safe. There are now seven airbags, including a centre one at the front, as well as a large number of sophisticated safety items including sidewind assistance, drowsiness detection, blindspot monitors, and a suite of active driver aids including adaptive cruise control that reacts to changes in speed limits and active lane keeping.

Euro NCAP awarded the V-Class people carrier (on which the Marco Polo is based) a five-star rating – but this was back in 2014, and the test has moved on significantly since then. We would still expect a good performance now, however, given the level of standard kit.

We were impressed with how well the active lane keeping and adaptive cruise control handled twisting Scottish roads in our most recent testing. Once set, speeds were adjusted according to the changing limits and the Marco Polo slowed itself down for tighter corners before accelerating out of them again, meaning all we had to do was steer for lengthy periods.

We were not so impressed with the autonomous emergency braking and PreSafe system, which twice reacted to danger that wasn’t there – tightening the seat belts and suddenly applying the brakes, frightening both the passengers and the car immediately behind. More calibration or better sensor resolution seems to be needed here.

There are two Isofix attachments on the rear bench to clamp the car seats of your nearest, smallest and dearest in safety.