That gets rid of some of the delta-v advantage though since it's in Mars' gravity well. It could make sense if you can design a spacecraft that can use Mars' a

That gets rid of some of the delta-v advantage though since it's in Mars' gravity well. It could make sense if you can design a spacecraft that can use Mars' atmosphere to slow down (aerocapture) without going all the way to a landing. Being able to use the atmosphere to slow down is why in some ways it's easier to land a heavy payload (like Curiosity) on Mars than on the Moon.