Mercedes Raises the Roof on Its Marco Polo Camper for 2026

Mercedes has just rolled out an updated Marco Polo camper van, the latest version of its long-running V-Class conversion that blends daily driving with proper overnight stays. Orders open across Europe on August 5, and the changes center on giving people more usable space when the roof is up, simpler setup for camping gear, and tighter control over the living area from the cabin or a phone.

A brand new double-skinned aluminum pop-up roof is now the main focus of the living area. When completely extended, it provides approximately 10 centimeters of headroom in the back over the previous model, for a total of 370 millimeters. The lighter yet rock-solid exterior greatly improves stability, and the extra height makes life much easier once the van is parked. Having a little extra room to stand and move about makes a significant difference. Plus, the roof’s LED lighting allows you to set multiple scenes, such as colder, brighter light for cooking or getting ready in the morning, and warmer, softer tones for a restful evening. Later this year, we’ll have a sliding roof option and a large panoramic aperture in the canvas that lets in a lot more daylight and air during the day and allows you to see the stars at night


Not only is the roof being upgraded, but the camping equipment is also being given special attention. The new awning includes a crank kept in its own bracket, allowing you to simply attach it and remove the entire thing when you’re finished. This manner, you may take the vehicle through an automatic car wash without worrying about it being damaged. The magnetic blackout panels that go across the front cabin are a breeze to put up and take down, and the new gas stove and sink in the galley have a 40-litre compressor cool box alongside, which still manages to chill things down to -18 degrees C, but uses 25% less power than before, and the bits that slide in and out are so much smoother now, the folding tables feel way more solid, and the controls for the rear bench have been tidied up so it’s much easier to do.



The rear bench still folds out into a bed, but the pop-top now has a double mattress on top, allowing you to easily squeeze four people in when necessary, and the dual 12.3-inch displays and swivelling front chairs are identical to the V-Class, so the driving position will seem comfortable. The new eight-speaker audio system with a subwoofer has been tuned specifically for the Marco Polo, and you can stream music over Bluetooth even when the main infotainment screen is turned off, allowing you to listen to your songs at a campground without using all of the batteries. Mercedes-Benz Advanced Control has also received an upgrade. You may now utilize the main screen to configure lighting sequences, audio settings, and all of the other components that manage your living space, or you can do it all from your phone via the app.



Under the hood, the same old 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesels keep churning along. The outputs range from the lowest 163 PS and 380 Nm to the highest 300 d with 237 PS and 500 Nm. Each of them is equipped with a nine-speed automatic transmission and comes with either rear-wheel drive or 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The fastest of the group can hit 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds flat, yet at only 5.14 meters long and 1.93 meters wide without mirrors, and just under two meters tall with the roof down, it’s still small enough to fit into most garages or park in a city.



For the first time, Mercedes-Benz is handling the full conversion process in-house. The base V-Class is still being produced in Vitoria, Spain, while the living space is already completed at the company’s Ludwigsfelde plant in Germany. This transition ends the long-standing cooperation with Westfalia and introduces a whole new level of quality control, with the promise of faster delivery dates. They’ve also updated the Horizon model, which is a V-Class without the full kitchen and closet, so it now includes the new awning, magnetic panels, and expanded curtain airbags as standard.



Prices for the previous model in Germany ranged from slightly more than €80,000 to more than €100,000 for the top-of-the-line variants; we haven’t been given a definite price for the 2026 model yet, but we expect it to be in the same ballpark. To be clear, this is only a European market vehicle; there are no plans to bring it to North America.