Feeling adventurous? Want to take that road trip to the great outdoors? Then you might be interested in the latest camper van to come from Stuttgart – the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo.
Based on the new W447 V-Class, the Marco Polo was developed by Westfalia and features a two-seater bench at the rear which is mounted on sliding rails and can be converted into a single or double bed within seconds at a touch of a button. The electropneumatic side bolsters are deflated when the seat is reclined, and the bench seat rises to conceal seat belt buckles that would otherwise dig into your side as you sleep.
The glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) pop-up roof is erected electrically and rises to a greater height than the previous Viano Marco Polo. Inside, there is another bed, consisting of a high-quality foam mattress and a slatted frame of special elasticated spring elements that is claimed to offer sleeping comfort right to the edges. A protective net can be affixed to the front edge to protect children.
The interior can be upholstered in either beige or black Santiago fabric or beige Lugano leather, and the yacht decking inspired flooring is available in light or dark colours to match. The furniture, on the other hand, is finished in light porcelain and piano black lacquer.
There is a kitchen cupboard module with self-closing drawers, an extendable worktop and impact resistant glass covers for the two gas burners, sink and a refrigerator. A folding table is attached to the module and can be slid in and out to accommodate up to four people seated on the bench seat and the swivelling front seats. The large wardrobe at the rear has sliding doors, a clothes rail and an illuminated swing-out mirror.
Also included are two camping chairs and a table which can be stowed in a bag under the bed extension. The Marco Polo is also fitted as standard with an electric vent window on the rear right, as well as black-tinted glass at the rear to fend off prying eyes and heat build up. To darken the interior still further, there are roller blinds at the back and curtains for the front windscreen and side windows.
Optional features include a separately-opening rear windscreen as well as an electrically-operated EASY-PACK tailgate for ease of loading and unloading cargo.
Elsewhere, the Marco Polo is pretty much identical to the standard V-Class and comes with all of the latter's bells and whistles, including curtain and front side airbags, Crosswind Assist and Attention Assist. Also available are Active Parking Assist, a reversing camera, a 360-degree camera view, Blind Spot and Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Prevention Assist and intelligent full-LED headlights.
What comes under the bonnet is probably the least of your concern when it comes to a car like this, but just for your information, the Marco Polo features the same 2.1 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine as on the V-Class, developing 136 PS/330 Nm in the 200 CDI, 163 PS/380 Nm in the 220 CDI and 190 PS/440 Nm in the top variant.
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