Earlier this year, Mercedes introduced the Marco Polo Horizon camper van at the CMT show, one of Germany's major annual camper expos. Now it's launching a few limited edition variants at the biggest of all those expos, the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. The highlight is the gorgeous metallic red edition shown above, bringing some much-needed style and color to the camper van market.
While there are the occasional Flow Campers and Knaus Sinner & Saints, it seems there are far too many whites, grays and blacks in the camper van market. The brown that Mercedes showed the Marco Polo Horizon in earlier this year was actually a welcome change, but the dazzling red of the new Marco Polo Horizon Limited Edition is on another level.
That red is a specific shade from Mercedes' Designo palette called hyacinth red metallic, a color that's known for hugging the curves of Mercedes passenger cars like the C-Class and E-Class. Not only is it a gorgeous color in its own right, it appears in the photos to bring out the V-Class' every line and contour, making the van itself look that much more attractive.
Though the red metallic paint is certainly strong enough to stand on its own, Mercedes splashes some of the edges and components with the blacks of the Night Package, standard on the Horizon Limited Edition. This package, which will be offered optionally on non-Limited Edition Horizon campers, includes the black pop-top roof, high-sheen black 18-in alloy wheels, black-tinted rear windows, obsidian black metallic mirror caps, and black louvres and chrome inserts on the grille. Those that don't dig the black roof can opt for a body-color roof.
The Marco Polo Horizon Limited Edition "Designo hyacinth red metallic" will be available from September in Europe, and Mercedes will also offer the package for the more robust Marco Polo camper van and the V-Class van on which both camper vans are based.
Following last year's Marco Polo and Marco Polo Activity Edition models, the new Marco Polo Horizon Edition doesn't boast the deep-red of the Limited Edition, but it does have some other stylish highlights, including metallic paintwork, 17-in alloy wheels and tinted rear windows. Convenience and comfort features include an opening window on the lift-gate, 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission, parking package with reverse camera and active parking assist, and Audio 20 CD multimedia system. The Edition will be offered in Germany from September starting at €55,750 (approx. $65,600).
The Horizon is sort of Mercedes' mid-level camper van, a V-Class that sleeps up to five with its folding bed and pop-up roof. Unlike the top-level Marco Polo, it does not include a kitchenette, just sleeping, storage and various available seating configurations, making it less a full motorhome and more a multipurpose activity van with overnighting capabilities. A six-seat layout with two front seats and four standalone comfort rear seats joins the current available seating lineup as a new option.
While Mercedes is anxious to highlight its own Marco Polo offerings, it will also be showcasing the full spectrum of three-pointed star-badged camper van possibilities at Düsseldorf 2017, just as it did last year. Its stand will include Sprinter 4x4 conversions from Hymer and CS-Reisemobile and a VanEssa modular kitchen/bed solution for the smaller Citan.
Source: Daimler