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Fifth Seat in Marco Polo

Odysseus

New Member
Hi friends,

First post so please be gentle! We are looking at purchasing a camper van to make days away and holidays with the kids easier. Like I'm sure many people before us we're considering the VW California Ocean and now the MB Marco Polo.

While I know things are optimal if you're a family of four, we're a family of five (kids are currently 8, 6, and 1), therefore in the Ocean and the MP we'd need the additional extra seat.

Trouble is I can't find any pictures of the extra seat fitted to a MP, and the spec sheet for a new MP doesn't even seem to show one as an option. http://tools.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cu...17FE52A6475D0A490D4C%40AdobeOrg|TS=1595193051

Does anyone know if...
1. You can actually have a fifth seat in a Marco Polo?
2. Any feedback on how well this works from those in the know?
3. Any pictures of such a thing installed and used?

I fully appreciate it would need to be removed before the van could be used for sleeping, but this will also be the case for the kids' booster and car seats, so I expect we'd use a small tent to function as a storage area for stuff when we go camping.

I really hope the answers are encouraging as I must admit I'm more drawn to the yacht-like elegance of the MP and am less keen on the middle-class Hippy vibe of the California, but both cars are I'm sure lovely.

Thanks in advance for any help and assistance.
 

Steve B

Active Member
Hi and welcome - This is a photo from 2018 from another forum member showing the 5th seat in position. I don't have one so can't comment on its use, I'm sure someone else will give you a steer. Plenty on here about the pro's & con's and comparisons with the VW.
1595259654721.png
 

Roy C

Active Member
I had a fifth seat and sold it because I didn’t use it. As well as the config in the picture in the post above you can also fit the fifth seat in the middle (between the front seats and the rear bench) facing either forwards or backwards. You must buy a MP that had / has the fifth seat option specified since this also includes a middle rail allowing you to fit the seat. It’s tight for legroom with the fifth seat but comfortable enough and shouldn’t be a problem with children.
 

Roy C

Active Member
I had a fifth seat and sold it because I didn’t use it. As well as the config in the picture in the post above you can also fit the fifth seat in the middle (between the front seats and the rear bench) facing either forwards or backwards. You must buy a MP that had / has the fifth seat option specified since this also includes a middle rail allowing you to fit the seat. It’s tight for legroom with the fifth seat but comfortable enough and shouldn’t be a problem with children.
Oh and here’s my thread with some pictures https://www.marcopoloownersclub.com/threads/black-leather-5th-seat-for-sale-sold.719/#post-4842
 

RFT

Active Member
My advice would be don't buy a MP if there are 5 of you. Possibly buy a Horizon and tow a camping trailer if you must buy MB but realistically you should probably buy something much bigger. We toured in a Burstner 747 when the kids were younger and that worked well but at 28' parking in town centres was an issue that we wanted to avoid, so with just the 2 of us the MP is ideal.
 

Steve B

Active Member
If you want the internal kitchen and wardrobes a VW T6 conversion with the double front passenger seat could work.
 

Odysseus

New Member
Thanks for the advice all.

We’re not really interested in a motor home as we’d lose the spontaneity of having say a day trip to the beach in the family car potentially turn into an overnight adventure, plus our thinking is that the MP/California would be a daily car for one of us.

Also motor homes look only marginally better than caravans when stuck on the drive at home.

We’re hiring a California Ocean next month to test the principle of accommodating all of us in one vehicle and if that doesn’t go well due to bed space I think we’d definitely consider the Horizon, I much prefer it to the California Beach if I’m honest, which VW have dropped from the UK anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

caMPike

Member
We are family with 3 kids, MB Horizon is perfect solution, if You miss kitchen there are plenty of solutions either kitchen box in back or a smaller cabinet behing driver seat, there is much larger space in cabine without kitchen on side for “living” and sleeping in 5. Can’t imagine the 5th seat in MB Marco Polo while having bed mode.
 

Odysseus

New Member
Thanks all for taking the time to reply - I really appreciate the insights and suggestions.

Looking at the Horizon I'm slightly miffed that (on new cars anyway) a diesel heater isn't even an option. How much of a problem is this for camping? For those without diesel heaters how do you warm up the car? Run the engine normally? Not bother?
 

RFT

Active Member
We have both heaters. Only ever used the engine water heater, not the diesel heater in 2 years of ownership. Having said that, we have not camped in the middle of winter. I'm guessing that it is not considered important for the UK market.
 

WILLH

Active Member
Thanks all for taking the time to reply - I really appreciate the insights and suggestions.

Looking at the Horizon I'm slightly miffed that (on new cars anyway) a diesel heater isn't even an option. How much of a problem is this for camping? For those without diesel heaters how do you warm up the car? Run the engine normally? Not bother?

I have a 2019 Horizon for sale which has the air(night) heater-a £2700 option when new.I buy and sell Marco Polos and my van is for sale.
 

WILLH

Active Member
When the Marco Polo was first introduced into the U.K. the Horizon model was not initially offered so MB provided the option of a 5th seat in the normal camper van with kitchen.It wasn’t ideal however as with the 5th seat in place there is very little room for anything else apart from seating.MB probably realised this and discontinued the option of a 5th seat in the normal camper.
The introduction of the Horizon addressed some of the issues caused by the need for 5 seats and for my own needs,looking at how I have used my own van over the last 3 years,I would order a Horizon if I was ordering a van again as my sink I have never used,the cooker seldom used and then only for boiling water.The fridge I have used but with a Horizon there is an aftermarket one which fits well between the seats and can easily be removed if there is a problem with it.Likewise there is a camper pod you can buy which provides a small sink,table and cooker and is removal from the Horizon when not in use,I also prefer the manually operated roof and seats.The electric roof/seats have too much to go wrong,and do go wrong as you can read on here.Im also concerned about reliability and costs of repair outside of the MB warranty.
My wife and daughter find the downstairs bed in the normal camper very tight and the bed in the Horizon is far far better when sleeping 2 downstairs.
 

DEMP2015

New Member
Hi, reigniting this 5th seat conversation and increasing it to 6. I just bought the MP I’m vvv happy. It’s a 2015, I’m a Brit in Germany and will be bringing it home to visit the family once all this covid situation is calm. As such I will need additional seats for practicality. It’s not a horizon and I want to be able to either have it as a sleeper or a family taxi. I realise I have to keep uninstalling but... I don’t have a third rail so looking at a double seat option.. anyone with any experience/ photos of this in place, how much space they take up .. ir can passengers actually sit in them.. ease of installation, the mp is perfect in all other ways except the missing seat/s I saw a 2seat set of Vito Seats on fleabay, I’m not bothered if they match as long as they are functional. Advice please .. first post .. excuse my ignorance.
 

Method7

Active Member
I agree with @WILLH on the horizon

The seats are really really heavy and very difficult to move, that is just the single seat, previously I had a 7 seat v280 and moving them in and out was difficult because they are very heavy, odd shape and you cannot stand to lift them so it was more like walking them to one of the open doors (carpet floors - not advisable on your shiny boat deck flooring) then getting out and lifting them to storage, I can’t imagine putting one in a tent unless I could walk in fully stood up. You will almost certainly put your back out if you don’t take great care. You couldn’t remove a twin seat single handedly.
 

Grand Tourismo

Active Member
Hi, reigniting this 5th seat conversation and increasing it to 6. I just bought the MP I’m vvv happy. It’s a 2015, I’m a Brit in Germany and will be bringing it home to visit the family once all this covid situation is calm. As such I will need additional seats for practicality. It’s not a horizon and I want to be able to either have it as a sleeper or a family taxi. I realise I have to keep uninstalling but... I don’t have a third rail so looking at a double seat option.. anyone with any experience/ photos of this in place, how much space they take up .. ir can passengers actually sit in them.. ease of installation, the mp is perfect in all other ways except the missing seat/s I saw a 2seat set of Vito Seats on fleabay, I’m not bothered if they match as long as they are functional. Advice please .. first post .. excuse my ignorance.
I'm not 100% sure the seat rail gap would be the same across the V class range...it is possible the 2 rail gap in the Marco with the kitchen is specific to this model (because of the need for space for the kitchen)...just double check before you hit The'Bay!
 

DEMP2015

New Member
Ahh, clever Mercedes.. so that would mean me getting another pair to what I already have in the mp. I’ll start looking for the hens teeth , Know any breakers yards for MPs? Might have to check insurance and TUV here too I guess .. 4-6 hmm

thanks for your input. My quest continues.
I realise my front curtain is missing and I suffer from the mp flappy flap issue.. off to read the threads.
 

jasemikeb

New Member
Ahh, clever Mercedes.. so that would mean me getting another pair to what I already have in the mp. I’ll start looking for the hens teeth , Know any breakers yards for MPs? Might have to check insurance and TUV here too I guess .. 4-6 hmm

thanks for your input. My quest continues.
I realise my front curtain is missing and I suffer from the mp flappy flap issue.. off to read the threads.
Hi - very interested to see if you make any progress with the 4-6 seats. I’m in a similar position. I don’t mind moving a second bench in and out from time to time if a bench from a v-line fits...would this be classed as modified for insurance- I guess it might?
 

pumpsmynads

Active Member
Hi - very interested to see if you make any progress with the 4-6 seats. I’m in a similar position. I don’t mind moving a second bench in and out from time to time if a bench from a v-line fits...would this be classed as modified for insurance- I guess it might?
Does the bench have in built seatbelts?
 

DEMP2015

New Member
Looks like it..




Look at this on eBay
Mercedes-Benz original Zweisitzerstuhl rechts/links V Klasse 447 schwarz Sitz
 
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