Volkswagen kicked off the warmer months by premiering an impressive all-new California camper van, but Mercedes-Benz won't be overlooked this (Northern Hemisphere) summer. It's refreshed its own midsize van camper, the Marco Polo, with an emphasis on making the four-sleeper mini-camper an all-out "smart glamping mobile." The new van features a bold, new look, even more smart-home-style remote control than ever and some serious lighting.
Mercedes-Benz introduced the refreshed V-Class MPV last year, executing a new strategy to elevate the luxury position of its passenger vans toward that of its cars. With a reinvigorated focus on the comforts of glamping, the renewed Marco Polo followed suit when it made a debut at the 2023 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon a few weeks later.
Mercedes announced this week that the reworked camper van is now rolling out to dealerships, just in time for summer travel and camping season.
The emphasis is very much on refreshed with this iteration of the 202-in-long (514-cm) Marco Polo, as it benefits from only a few changes, many of them cosmetic. Those start outside with a more upscale front-end treatment that combines a large, rather regal three-pointed-star-badged grille with a set of adaptive Multibeam LED headlamps and a more defined bumper design.
Basic cosmetic changes continue inside, where the driver's cockpit basks in the glow of twin 12.3-in widescreens that team up to display both instruments and infotainment from within one seamless housing. A new steering wheel brings in capacitive hands-off recognition and available heating, while the updated interior ambient lighting system offers 64 different color options for keeping base camp bright and vibrant.
Mercedes introduced its Mercedes-Benz Advanced Control (MBAC) system in the Marco Polo for the first time in late 2019, and it brings the latest edition to the gently revamped 2024 model. As before, it offers control and monitoring of key camper features from both the infotainment touchscreen and a mobile device.
Mercedes adds in a few handy, new MBAC bonus features, including push-button leveling operated via the optional adaptive air suspension. As someone who recently camped (often on an angled mattress) through Overland Expo in a truck without any form of fancy (or basic) leveling, I can attest to the value of such a simple, user-friendly concept.
The new MBAC also brings the ability to easily shut off features that aren't relevant to one's stay at camp, streamlining remote smartphone control for a hassle-free experience that lets the user get back to focusing on family, friends, fauna and flora.
As for the floor plan, Mercedes goes the "if it ain't broke" route and carries over its simple-but-functional layout. The Marco Polo sleeps four by way of its folding, rail-mounted bench/bed and pop-up sleeper roof. Its compact-but-capable driver-side kitchen block includes a dual-burner gas stove, sink, fridge box, and an attachable dining table that sets up between the rear bench and swivel front seats. In back of the kitchen block, a wardrobe provides storage for clothing and everyday provisions.
The new Marco Polo starts at €70,240 (approx. US$75,400) when equipped with the entry-level 161-hp diesel engine and 9-Tronic transmission.
40 Years of Mercedes #vanlife
Perhaps because it truly lacked for interesting new features to report about in the latest Marco Polo revamp, Mercedes has taken care to point out that the refresh comes during the camper van's 40th anniversary. The original 1984 model was based on the "Bremen Transporter," the larger T1 van. It was styled in a combination of "Bahama beige" exterior paint and "Bahama brown" interior fittings and topped with a boat-like high roof that lifted the complete vehicle to nearly 9.8 feet (3 m) high.
That height came tumbling down in 1996, when the Vito-based Marco Polo scored its now-signature pop-up roof, making it a more practical garageable mini-RV. The interior received an equally user-friendly update at that point, bringing on the style of floor rails and stowable dining table that feature today. The electric lifting roof was added in 2003 during the third-generation Marco Polo's debut atop a Viano passenger van. The current fourth-generation launched a decade ago, with an initial refresh following in 2019.
Looking ahead, Mercedes plans to cement its more luxurious passenger van lineup via a scalable, electric-only VAN.EA architecture to debut in 2026. Using that architecture, it will launch both midsize and large all-electric RV products, presumably bearing the Marco Polo name.
And in some hopeful news for USA road trippers, Mercedes has already announced plans to bring the new VAN.EA-based electric passenger van over to the US. We haven't heard any information about an American-ready Marco Polo, but even if Mercedes doesn't offer its camper van here, just having the passenger van will breathe some life back into the now-dead midsize US van market, providing a platform for more affordable pop-up mini-campers from third-party camper businesses.
And Westfalia isn't too far away now.
While that all-electric luxury van future remains a couple years away, you can see and learn a little more about the new diesel-driven Marco in the photo gallery of it journeying and camping amidst some of Scotland's most beautiful backdrops.
Source: Mercedes-Benz