The Volkswagen California is an iconic name in motorcaravanning.

But early last year it received a new rival in the UK: the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo.

They’re both high-end campers with an almost identical layout – there are differences, however.

While the VW California is built in-house and sold via the company’s Van Centre network, the Marco Polo’s conversion is subcontracted to well-respected brand Westfalia.

The latter is also sold through franchised car retailers. The Marco Polo can offer that aspirational three-pointed-star badge on the front, too.

The Marco Polo is based on the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, which was launched in the UK early in 2015, after replacing the aging Viano MPV.

Our testers spent several days away in the Marco Polo, before reaching their full verdict.

How does it compare with the VW California, which with a similar specification costs around the same price?

How does it compare with models by smaller converters?

And how does it fare as a base for tours longer than a couple of nights?

Here’s how we got on.