Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo campervan

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Mercedes V-Class Gross weight: 3,200kg Payload: 760kg

Up until now, Volkswagen’s highly successful California has been the only campervan to be sold nationwide through a motor manufacturer’s own dealer network. That has now changed with the long-overdue arrival of the Marco Polo on our shores. It’s not a new model (having been a stalwart of the German market for years) but is now available through Mercedes-Benz car dealers all over the UK in right-hand drive form.

Like the VW, it retains an offside sliding door. Unlike the VW, it is actually built by specialist converter, Westfalia, rather than in-house.

The Marco Polo may bear a passing resemblance to a Vito but this is no converted panel van, more a complete luxury leisure vehicle.

Prices start at £53,180 and the range is simple. You can have 163bhp (V 220 d) or 190bhp (V 250 d), and Sport or AMG Line trim. All models are diesel-engined and rear-wheel drive, and all come with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

As soon as you climb into the cab, you can see the justification of the price tag. Here is a driving environment that’s a world away from anything previously seen in the motorhome market. The iPad-like screen in the centre of the dash really grabs your attention – its 8.4-inch colour display serves not only the optional COMAND Online system but also radio and phone functions, heating and climate control and vehicle settings. The Marco Polo’s luxury car-like spec continues with the powered opening of both tailgate and sliding door – even by remote control. Then there’s the Driver Assistance package with Distronic cruise control, which slows you down rather than letting you get too close to the vehicle in front.

You’ll be impressed at the amount of floorspace inside, too – more than in the California. Partly, that’s because the ‘long’ version of the V-Class used by Westfalia sits between the short and long-wheelbase derivatives of the VW T6 in terms of overall length. It’s also as a result of the Marco Polo having a shorter rear boot area.

As you’d probably expect, the Mercedes also comes with a sliding rear seat and twin swivel cab seats. That the front chairs rotate easily without opening the cab doors is a big plus, while the rear bench is probably the most comfortable of its type on the market. The Marco Polo comes as a four-berth as standard. The rear seat slides forward and the backrests flatten electrically after removing the headrests. The resultant bed is commendably long, sufficiently flat and firm, while the head of the bed can be raised at an angle.

Diesel heating is an option but, more importantly, at night the pale beige material of the elevating roof lets in a lot of light. That’s a pity because this is probably the best campervan roof bed we’ve ever seen.

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