Mercedes Marco Polo: the most luxurious campervan?

Marco… Polo! Mercedes’ call-and-response titled campervan celebrated its 40th birthday earlier this year, and there is a new rendition set to roam onto the scene.

Since the lofty 2.97-meter tall “Bremer Transporter” first ventured onto campsites back in 1984, the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo range has firmly anchored itself into the campervan market. Now a meter shorter (and a whole lot less beige), the modern-day Vito based campers are known for their blend of luxury and practicality, going toe-to-toe with medium-sized campervans including the Volkswagen California, Citroën Holidays, and Ford Transit Custom Nugget.

As announced last summer, the Marco Polo will be included in the upcoming V-Class revamp, moving the already plush campervans even further in the premium direction. With sunshine finally starting to re-emerge across the UK, we hope Mercedes iconic camper hasn’t got stuck on the silk road, and that the new Marco Polo emerges soon.

Did you know, Marco Polo penned the tale of his famous eastward adventure from Europe to Asia whilst behind bars in an Italian jail cell? Well, you’ll be glad to hear that the updates to Mercedes’ namesake camper have ensured the interior is far from prison-like. 

However, before we dive into the changes, we’ll set the scene with some things that remain the same. The “proven living space concept” lives on, providing room for four people to cook in the kitchen (complete with high-grade stove, fridge, and sink), hang out around the folding table, and sleep either on the electrically lowering rear seats or in the pop-up roof. The wardrobe for storing all your vintage explorer garments is also still there — phew.

Whether the man himself would approve of the lack of silk, we cannot comment, but there’s now plenty of fresh, luxurious tech to be discovered when exploring the Marco Polo’s cabin. Surrounding the heated leather steering wheel, Mercedes have ditched the previous outdated infotainment system in favour of two 12.3-inch displays with smartphone integration, and this is where the glampervan experience truly begins. 

MBUX software provides access to fancy features including augmented reality navigation, placing guiding arrows amongst the real environment on screen for some next-gen wayfinding. The ‘Energising Comfort Control’ adopted from the S-Class lets you tweak the air-con, music, heated massaging seats, air fragrances, and ambient lighting (with 64 new colours) all at once to create ‘moods’ —  whether to stay sharp on your travels, or to zen out at your favourite campsite, this should set the tone. 

On the slightly more utilitarian side of things, the ‘Mercedes-Benz Advanced Control Interface’ lets you monitor battery status, and keep track of fresh and waste water levels (not to be mixed up). From here the suspension can also be adjusted to smooth out any uneven campsites, and the pop-up roof can be electronically raised and lowered without breaking a sweat.

It may not be an RV, but recreation is still the name of the game for the Marco Polo, and there are plenty of high-end driver assists available to keep your exploration stress free. From cruise control with adaptive speed and distance management, to lane and braking assists, to blind spot and parking aids, holiday trips should be a doddle.

That said, if you see yourself as more akin to Lewis Hamilton than to Bernd Mayländer, you’ll be glad to hear that the AMG package from previous iterations can still be added. Although unlikely to impact the driving characteristics, this does add some sporty accents to the facelifted exterior, including an LED frame around the imposing new grille — you’ll have to add your own ‘go-faster’ stripes though. 

Matching this energy, Mercedes previewed the new Marco Polo on high performance Continental Premium Contact 6 tyres, all set to supplement the energetic yet comfortable campervan’s characteristics.

So, we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled to see whether the new Marco Polo reaches us in time for summer, but does this revamped camper tempt you to explore some campsites?

Hero image credit: Mercedes-Benz