Roof box/storage and mpg for everday life

[Simon Fletcher]

Hi all

New to the thread and potentially considering buyer a MP in future months.

Just wondering about the storage capacity of the MP and how we can maximise its use?

Roof box - Considering the use of a roof box on the Marco Polo as I we would need to store our wetsuits and beach based items. Are you able to open the roof and sleep with a roof box permanently in place and full? What about in windy conditions?

Wardrobe - Has anyone bought or created shelving options to replace the hanging space? I'm guessing you can only hang 8-10 items yet if there are a couple of shelves I guess you can store double the amount?

Brenderup items - I have seen items on the forum by Brenderup that clip onto the small window above the fridge and on the back of the driver/passenger chairs. If you have bought these or others (hyperlinks to cheaper alternatives would be very much appreciated) have these been useful and do they actually provide a large quantity of extra space or do they look better than they are? Can you still rotate the front seats when these are in place?

MPG - I have searched honest John to try to find out some realistic stats on mpg with little luck. I know that the Mercedes official figures state 44.8mpg combined for the 220d and 44.1mpg for the 250d but I very much expect this to be inaccurate for daily driving. We are going to have to use the van on a daily basis averaging 10k miles before holiday/breaks so the running costs will be extremely important to us, we mainly drive 60mph A roads with a 30 mile daily return trip to work. Is there a better engine to go for with regards to the mpgs, 220d or 250d???

Many thanks

Simon

 

[mptripsaway]

We are a two up in our MP and so far we have found the standard storage to be more than adequate for our needs so can't comment on available accessories that you mention.
Max roof load for the electric roof as stated in owners manual is 50kg open or closed.
In terms of fuel costs/MPG, Mercedes much like all manufacturers exaggerate what is achievable in the real world! I use my 250amg MP daily on country roads and in town, my journeys tend to be around 20 to 30 miles and my average fuel consumption is between 32 and 34 MPG, on longer journeys with less stop/start at speeds around 65mph I regularly achieve around 44 MPG.

 

[Simon Fletcher]

thanks ever so much for the info, much appreciated

 

[Carbonio]

50kg isn’t a lot, after looking at them today I think we will struggle carrying all our gear in one. A roof box would make it a lot more viable.

 

[simoncbcooper]

50kg isn’t a lot, after looking at them today I think we will struggle carrying all our gear in one. A roof box would make it a lot more viable.

One other option would be to mount a luggage box on the bike rack. These are made by Fiamma and Thule. You could try it on the MB rack but the electric lift system might struggle, or use a tow bar mounted rack - we have one which slides away to allow you to open the rear door.

 

[Carbonio]

One other option would be to mount a luggage box on the bike rack. These are made by Fiamma and Thule. You could try it on the MB rack but the electric lift system might struggle, or use a tow bar mounted rack - we have one which slides away to allow you to open the rear door.

Thanks, my dad had a tow bar mounted rack on his VW years ago. That might be an option.

 

[simoncbcooper]

Thanks, my dad had a tow bar mounted rack on his VW years ago. That might be an option.

And presumably a greater weight allowance than 50kg if you’re using the tow ball...

 

[Carbonio]

And presumably a greater weight allowance than 50kg if you’re using the tow ball...

Definitely, you could even fit a bike rack above the tow bar mounted rack if you want.

 

[mptripsaway]

And presumably a greater weight allowance than 50kg if you’re using the tow ball...

I believe the tow bar max load is 100kg.

 

[Carbonio]

I’m guessing you mean downward pressure, not towing capacity?

 

[mptripsaway]

I’m guessing you mean downward pressure, not towing capacity?

Yes, the nose weight. Towing is 2500kg braked or 750kg unbraked

 

[Martin]

Hi

I drive the Marco Polo 220D automatic. My grand average over the first 10 months of mixed use is 6.8 l/100km = 41.5 mpg as reported by the trip computer. I have a 30km daily commute, half at city speeds and half on roads of up to 100km/h, and I regularly get around 6l/100km on that commute, although it has fallen to around 7l/100km during the long cold winter. On several extended motorway trips of 500km + I've seen that I'm getting around 48 mpg driving at around 110km/h. I'm very happy with the fuel consumption. It exceeded my expectations actually. Of course, one has to drive efficiently to obtain these figures (smooth accelerations, little braking ;-) but the smoothness of the automatic and the comfort of the ride encourages this style of driving.

Martin