Mercedes-Benz camper gets air lift

Mercede's factory-built mobile glamping van can now lift its body away from harm off-road as part of a whole raft of updates

The Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Activity has been upgraded for 2020, with the luxurious camper benefiting from many of the updates introduced on the recently facelifted Vito van.

In Europe, buyers now have the option of five engines – with the powerful Activity 300D at the top of the performance tree, producing a punchy 176kW and 500Nm. That's enough to haul it to 100km/h in just 7.9 seconds and on to a 210km/h top speed.

The other power variants of the same 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder include the 140kW 250d, 120kW 220d, 100kW 200d and, finally, a new entry-level 170d engine  sourced from Renault with just 75kW.

The least powerful version comes with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual while the rest of the range is rear-wheel drive and gets a more sophisticated nine-speed auto with the handy option of all-wheel drive, for those that like to venture out into the bush.

Speaking of which, another useful new addition to the Marco Polo is an adaptive Airmatic air suspension that not only boosts ride comfort but can raise the body by around 35mm at speeds of up to 30km/h.

The ride can also drop by 10mm at speeds over 100km/h for optimised aero and reduced fuel use.

Within the cabin the Marco Polo gets the car-maker's classy turbine-style vents and lots of piano black trim. There's also now an infotainment system that works with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Like the current van, there's still the choice of five or seven seats and the pop-up roof remains.

Finally, the Marco Polo boasts an improved array of driver assistance systems that include active brake assist, an upgraded adaptive cruise control and a camera display that's incorporated within the rear-view mirror.

There's no word yet about when the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Activity will head Down Under, where the current camper van costs $73,290 (plus on-roads).