Cali or Marco Polo? My decision process

[RichardP]

Currently looking to buy a new van after having the VW California we've had for 6 years stolen. We loved the California but it did have some silly problems, EGR valve failure, snapped springs, broken control unit knob, roof corrosion, all common issues and all but the springs covered by warranty. The nearest MP dealer is within walking distance, the nearest VW van centre an hour away, so we'll be having a very good look at the Marco Polo in the near future.

 

[Paul Hellawell]

I had a 2012 California Berghaus Edition. I really enjoyed it, apart from the hassle of getting the roof corrosion issue that many Cali's suffer from rectified under warranty - it took two attempts because they didn't pay attention to the blistering that I pointed out in the middle of the pop top roof first time around. I seriously considered another California this time but in the end the decision came down to considering what I spend the majority of time doing with the vehicle when using it as both a camper and as my main ride. I'm in no doubt having experienced both that the drive in the MP is less 'van like', although the Cali was good. The MP wallows around less and handles better. The cab is on a different level for luxury and comfort, although again, the Cali was good - first world problems, eh? But when it comes to camping expeditions this is where the MP builds win upon win for me. If you are on site lounging in the van there are a few things that really stand out. The MP kitchen is more practical and easier to keep looking good - and bigger. The kitchen storage is much more user friendly. The roof bed is more comfortable with the froli springs. But when you are just lounging, the individually reclinable rear seats with adjustable pressure cushioning are just a delight, compared to the workmanlike bench in the Cali - no extra cushions necessary. And then there's the lounge space, which for someone tall is a real bonus that far outweighs the slightly bigger footprint of the vehicle. So on to the criticisms of the MP. Yeah, the chair bag is a drag - got rid of that. You can win back that space and add a couple of compact and more comfortable folding chairs - even Mercedes own brand - for small beans. I'm not really concerned about the criticisms about over-engineering and more things to go wrong in the MP, because that is not really substantiated by reliability comparisons with VW when choosing between the two. I'm not sure about any argument that the Cali actually looks better? I'd like to take a poll on that because for me the Merc definitely wins that one. I was also genuinely shocked that a Merc at the same spec level also wins on price. Fuel economy is also better. I like to think I'm not that biased because I genuinely loved having a Cali, most of the time. But both as a main drive and as a camper, I can't see why the VW would ever be my first choice again after experiencing this beauty.

 

[GeorgeG]

I had a 2012 California Berghaus Edition. I really enjoyed it, apart from the hassle of getting the roof corrosion issue that many Cali's suffer from rectified under warranty - it took two attempts because they didn't pay attention to the blistering that I pointed out in the middle of the pop top roof first time around. I seriously considered another California this time but in the end the decision came down to considering what I spend the majority of time doing with the vehicle when using it as both a camper and as my main ride. I'm in no doubt having experienced both that the drive in the MP is less 'van like', although the Cali was good. The MP wallows around less and handles better. The cab is on a different level for luxury and comfort, although again, the Cali was good - first world problems, eh? But when it comes to camping expeditions this is where the MP builds win upon win for me. If you are on site lounging in the van there are a few things that really stand out. The MP kitchen is more practical and easier to keep looking good - and bigger. The kitchen storage is much more user friendly. The roof bed is more comfortable with the froli springs. But when you are just lounging, the individually reclinable rear seats with adjustable pressure cushioning are just a delight, compared to the workmanlike bench in the Cali - no extra cushions necessary. And then there's the lounge space, which for someone tall is a real bonus that far outweighs the slightly bigger footprint of the vehicle. So on to the criticisms of the MP. Yeah, the chair bag is a drag - got rid of that. You can win back that space and add a couple of compact and more comfortable folding chairs - even Mercedes own brand - for small beans. I'm not really concerned about the criticisms about over-engineering and more things to go wrong in the MP, because that is not really substantiated by reliability comparisons with VW when choosing between the two. I'm not sure about any argument that the Cali actually looks better? I'd like to take a poll on that because for me the Merc definitely wins that one. I was also genuinely shocked that a Merc at the same spec level also wins on price. Fuel economy is also better. I like to think I'm not that biased because I genuinely loved having a Cali, most of the time. But both as a main drive and as a camper, I can't see why the VW would ever be my first choice again after experiencing this beauty. View attachment 165

Like you, I’ve had a California (2007 174 auto for 4 years). We upsized to a Westfalia camper based on a 6m Fiat Ducato which was one of the best of the Fiat conversions, but an awful drive. In the end we decided to downsize back to a California size camper to use as a daily driver and get rid of one of our cars. We initially assumed we’d go back to the Cali as extensive research over the years, visiting various manufacturers as well as the NEC and Düsseldorf shows, led us to conclude that most VW conversions are flawed and very expensive for what they are.

We’d been to the Westfalia factory in Rheda-Wiedenbrück and seen all the Vito and V-Class vans parked up and waiting for conversion to Jules Verne and Marco Polo vans respectively. Also, we’d seen a current generation lhd Marco Polo in Düsseldorf as long ago as 2015, but we’re told there were no plans at that time to produce a rhd version.

By chance, we dropped into a Mercedes dealer on the way to view a California and were surprisingly impressed with the MP but considered it a bit bling. Initial thoughts on the Cali were that it was good value. However, on viewing a showroom model, it became clear that an MP with a half decent spec was very very expensive, even as a pre-reg.

Subsequently, we test drove an MP (a V250) and the decision was made. Great drive, quieter and smoother than our old 5 cylinder California. The problem was finding a stock MP (we didn’t want to lose a summer waiting for a factory order as we had with our last van) with the warm air heater. Within a few days we found a pre-reg V220 with all the desirable options (except the 360° camera which is brilliant) for 20% off list and only 75 miles covered. I thought the 220 may have been an issue compared with the 250, but I thought it perfectly adequate for a camper, and I’ve owned a few ‘performance cars’

On the question of value for money, it’s no contest. I reckon we saved £10k on the equivalent Cali. As Paul said, it’s also a better camper on balance, although it’s a pretty even competition. The main negative with the Cali for me was the number of times I had to take ours in for warranty work - new earth strap, new seat cover (twice), new roof bed, new window blinds (twice), battery issue, etc. It was a 130 mile round trip so very irritating. After 4 years ownership we decided to get rid, particularly as our experience with VW reliability is not good (my wife’s 3 VW cars, bought from new fortunately, had serious warranty issues - new gearbox in one , new engine in another. For that reason, I’d never buy a VW car, especially with the DSG gearbox.

In conclusion, as far as I’m concerned, the MP is the better camper and daily driver, especially at the prices available when we bought in July of this year.

Apologies for the long post. I’m on a ferry to Vancouver, BC with nothing else to do.

 

[GeorgeG]

Just to add, I recently saw a Westfalia Jules Verne (based on the Vito as mentioned previously) for a shade under £60k. Considering that it’s now built in the Flourette factory (Rapido) in France with inferior materials - plastic seats, poor cabinetry, the van dashboard, etc, the MP looks like amazing value all things considered. My contact in the Westfalia factory considers the MP a far superior vehicle, unless you of course you want a fixed toilet.
Must go, ferry just docking!