• All models get six airbags as standard
• Marco Polo can tell if you’re drowsy
• Top five-star rating by Euro NCAP

Although the Marco Polo is based on a commercial vehicle, it comes with plenty of safety equipment as standard to keep you and your family safe from harm. There is a slew of technology to prevent you having an accident in the first place – plus some reassuring features to keep you safe should the worst happen.

Every model comes with Attention Assist to tell if the driver is behaving in a fashion consistent with being dozy and the Sidewind Assist System will automatically counter strong gusts to make sure it tracks straight and true even in high winds. There are also gadgets to monitor tyre pressure and ESP stability control quells the early signs of skids to prevent you sliding off the road in slippery conditions.

If you do have an impact, every seat comes with three-point seatbelts as standard, while front-seat passengers will be protected by front and side airbags to minimise injury in an accident.

The V-class Marco Polo won an impressive five-star rating in an independent crash test by Euro NCAP, with very high scores for adult and child protection. Mercedes-Benz has one of the best reputations for safety technology in the world; our judgment is that this is a very safe vehicle of its type.

It’s a shame the main sliding door is on the right hand flank; it deposits your passengers into the traffic in the UK, which is a questionable hazard; this is obviously not an issue in left-hand drive markets such as Germany, where the Marco Polo was developed.

How many Isofix car seats can I fit in a Mercedes Marco Polo camper van?

There are two Isofix attachments on the rear bench to clamp the car seats of your nearest, smallest and dearest in safety.

If you order the optional fifth individual seat on non-Horizon models, that too comes with an Isofix attachment for another child seat.

• A huge boot, large passenger compartment
• Only four or five seats depending on the version
• Packaging trails VW California’s in small details

The Marco Polo is predictably huge inside. While the front row offers generous space, it’s in the middle where the bulk of room is. It’s huge in here – passengers in the rear row will be treated to acres of room in which to stretch out.

However, it is worth noting that Mercedes only delivers the Marco Polo with a single rear bench seat, offering two pews. It’s a shame that a vehicle this big only comes with four seats as standard. You can, however, choose to order an additional rear seat, which clips into the sliding floor rails, to make a fifth berth. This is a) expensive and b) mucks around with the layout of the interior somewhat. WIth no kitchen cupboards, the five-seater Horizon is more spacious, but feels less special.

The boot is predictably huge at 670 litres, but the space is split in two by the rear bench/bed. You can store luggage above and below it, but remember that the two standard deckchairs gobble up valuable loadspace (the VW California rival cleverly stows these in the – admittedly heavy – tailgate).

Campers need lashings of storage space and the Marco Polo delivers here in spades: there are cupboards and cubbies throughout the cabin, with plenty of space to store the clobber of camping life. The largest receptacles are under the rear bench in a drawer, as well as the built-in cupboard at the back and the very well arranged units under the cooker.

A special mention to the quality of the storage items: they are beautifully made and a notch above the already-impressive units in the Volkswagen California. The way that lids close and drawers slide would shame many an upmarket home kitchen.

Although it shrinks around you when you drive it on the open road, the Marco Polo is a large vehicle. It is unlikely to fit in any but the biggest home garages, as its key dimensions attest.

Parking is made substantially easier by the standard fitment of a reversing camera. You can upgrade this to a 360-degree surround-view camera as an optional extra if you regularly park in crowded spaces.

The boot in the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo should gobble up all your luggage without too much problem. It feels bigger than its 670-litre capacity suggests – and you can slide the rear bench a long way forwards to extend the boot space dramatically.

Plus you have lots of extra cubby holes, drawers and cupboards to accommodate even more of your luggage and camping essentials. This is one of the most practical cars imaginable and we doubt you’ll trouble its load-lugging skills, even for a long family week away.