What has been the reaction to your Marco Polo??

[Duncs04]

Hi All,

I was wondering what kind of reaction you get from other campers when you pitch-up in your Marco Polo?

I have read the comments on the California owners club forum comparing the two and whilst some points are well reasoned (chair & table storage, night heater as standard etc), others are not. It seems some California owners simply love to hate the Marco Polo, which I find strange. Seems there is some inverted snobbery amongst some.

We have a V250 AMG Cavansite Blue, it looks gorgeous and I cannot fault the interior quality or layout. Also I have just had a quote for a new 2019 factory order and have been offered 13.5% discount so far - so cheaper than the California.

It seems that there must be a demand for these vehicles, especially in the rental market. The Marco Polo is common to rent in the EU and in the UK Campervantastic have added them to their fleet of California's.

 

[Roy C]

I've had quite a few people come over and want a tour round the van and have a chin wag on how I've found the Marco Polo, some of whom have been VW campervan owners. All genuine interest and very pleasant. When I posted on the VW Cali forum there was more of a mixture of reactions and there are some people that are more defensive / justifying their decision and, with the anonymity / distance of social media, some people are more inclined to be negative. I think once people have handed over 50 or 60 grand on a car there is a natural tendency to want to reinforce their decision (VW and MB owners alike). I had never previously owned a campervan before I got the MP about a year ago and I made my decision on what I felt suited me. I felt I was being objective at the time but actually there is now a very strong urge when someone says something negative to leap to the defence of the MP. I think if the time comes to consider a replacement I might regain some more objectivity as I weigh up the pros and cons again.

Still, I am waiting for the day when someone marches across the campsite and says in, what I like to imagine, a voice with a pronounced nasal whine, "I just wanted to pop across to tell you that your rear seats are over-engineered and probably going to fail horribly and cost you a lot of money and I for one will be happy to read about the heartache that has caused you because you chose the wrong van....oh and can I borrow your camping mallet for my drive-away awning pegs?". "Of course you can, here you go.", I will say, "By the way is that a spot of galvanic roof corrosion I can see on yours....?"

 

[Duncs04]

Still, I am waiting for the day when someone marches across the campsite and says in, what I like to imagine, a voice with a pronounced nasal whine, "I just wanted to pop across to tell you that your rear seats are over-engineered and probably going to fail horribly and cost you a lot of money and I for one will be happy to read about the heartache that has caused you because you chose the wrong van....oh and can I borrow your camping mallet for my drive-away awning pegs?". "Of course you can, here you go.", I will say, "By the way is that a spot of galvanic roof corrosion I can see on yours....?"

Haha! Agreed!

 

[Method7]

I’m not sure I care what VW owners think. All vehicles have their flaws, idiosyncrasies and in some special cases personality. The challenge of ownership lies in embracing those little and sometimes irritating things that separate and define our vehicles.

I have never purchased a car, motorbike or bicycle simply because it was the popular choice, or because some spotty reviewer lost his noodle over it. All of that just raises alarm bells for me.

I think the VW California is a fantastic vehicle, the problem for me is that it has been accepted as the de facto solution to a very simple problem.. This is deeply engrained in VW T[n] history along side a entire counter culture of hippy and surfer dude descendants who blindly choose a VW quite simply to perpetuate the dogma.

Having said that VW have a great and a well earned legacy but times are changing and VW have been milking the camper van gravy train for decades, I chose the MP because I didn’t want to be part of that.

I quite simply want to enjoy a big comfortable well performing car that can sleep the entire family, carry our junk and give us access to the world outside regardless of how inaccessible.. The bonus is that the MP and the California both look fantastic in the car park, who wouldn’t want to climb in one and go on a adventure.

 

[BabaJen]

Going on an owners forum and expecting to see glowing reports of a competitive vehicle is not really realistic

I think the MP has a lot going for it but it was not for me. No 4WD and a total lack of dealer interest in selling me one were the two biggest factors in my choice plus also the comfort in the "devil you know", both my Cali's have been faultless and delivered in spades when it comes to the smiles per miles. I would also definitely have needed extra off-grid electrical power and the auxiliary heater if I went MP (which I was very tempted to do) but then that's my lifestyle and not necessarily someone elses.

I love the layout in the MP, not brilliantly happy with lack of cubby holes in the front - the price you pay for "more car, less van", lovely ride compared to the slightly rustic suspension of the Cali, but then again it's the "devil you know".... I had a most spectacular airborne excursion in the cali that blew two tyres on landing it was that heavy but the vehicle was unscathed and just drove on after being rescued and tyres changed.

If I had an MP I would be very pleased with it. I would do as I do now, sit there with a glowing smugness looking at it in the drive and just itching to get away in the thing and put more smiles on my face. It really is down to personal choice. It's also brilliant that there is another vehicle on the block that is a hugely credible alternative to the Cali. I love it.

Now, another Cali - basher on the scene: