Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo Review 2023

While the Volkswagen California is probably now the default vehicle for many people when they think of a campervan, to most people in the UK the Marco Polo name means virtually nothing. However, it’s been on sale in Europe since 1999. 

Despite not having any legendary progenitors to bolster its image, the Marco Polo does have one famous name in its favour (aside from the explorer on its tailgate): Westfalia. If you know your campers, you’ll know that Westfalia made its name converting Volkswagen vans, but that changed when Mercedes-Benz bought the company in 1999. 

What you get here then, basically, is a Mercedes-Benz California clone. There’s really no other way of putting it – the dimensions and interior layout are virtually identical to the latest California's, and previous ones, for that matter. There are only so many ways you can fit this much into a cube this size. 

But it’s all done exceptionally well here, from front to back. The framework may be the same as a California's, but the quality and ambience of the Marco Polo is truly car-like, especially from the driver’s point of view – a place where the California feels like a extremely polished van. 

It gets a camping table and chairs as standard, and although pricey, you can pay for a side awning (£700) and a water heater (£1350). You can also option a safety package that includes lane-keeping, automatic braking and adaptive cruise control, and, as per the passenger cars, Mercedes-Benz will hold you over a barrel for navigation: £1800. 

That’s all on top of a basic £53,000 list price. That makes it a little more expensive than an equivalent California (an ‘Ocean’, that is – Volkswagen does a Beach version without the kitchen stuff, from £38,000), but actually, when you consider the spec differences they’re roughly the same. The Marco Polo comes with an automatic gearbox as standard, for example. 

And while it’s true that this is not a cheap way to make layby stopovers available to you, it’s also about the same price as a fast executive saloon. In that context – you truly are buying a ‘lifestyle’ with one of these – it’s not so bad. 

Every Marco Polo comes with yacht-style wooden flooring, a full suite of kitchen cabinets, cleverly designed for maximum storage and neatness, a twin gas hob, a sink and a fridge. The rear bench adjusts electrically into a flat and very comfortable double bed while two more can sleep in the raised roof, also electrically operated. 

All four occupants are extremely well catered for, relatively, because the beds are large and soft, the auxiliary heating works well, plus there are privacy blinds all round. 

It’s reasonably quiet, and has plenty of power (or torque, rather) to spirit the Marco Polo along at a reasonable lick – it's impressively quick for what is essentially a studio flat on wheels and even with a full load of luggage and bikes on the back, it only starts to feel sluggish when you exceed the limit on a fast continental motorway. The standard automatic gearbox helps, it shuffles through it's seven speeds quickly and smoothly, making the most of the engine's relatively narrow power band.

You get a relatively respectable official fuel rating of 44.8mpg (169g/km CO2) in the Marco Polo, which means that while your road tax liability is quite high (it qualifies for the premium rate), you’ll be hitting economy in the mid-thirties, probably. Not bad at all for something this heavy.

Like the Volkswagen, it holds its value well. Don’t expect many used bargains. Prices start at around £40,000 for the Horizon version, but remember that’s not the full camper van, more a sleeper similar to the Volkswagen California Ocean. It means no sink or hob.