Comparison test
The battle of the German single bed luxury campervans – Malibu’s latest takes on the Globecar Campscout
Globecar Campscout Elegance
THERE’S no shortage of fixed bed Fiat Ducato-based campervans on the market these days. Think of a major European brand and chances are it will offer a 6m transverse double bed layout as well as a longer (6.36m) single bed model. Our combatants here take the similarities further, in that they both hail from Germany and they are each new models this season.
Globecar is a campervan specialist, as well as a market leader in its homeland, and its new Elegance models have been launched, primarily, to give a fresher, more up- to- date look to interiors that were already highly regarded for quality.
In contrast, while Malibu (part of Carthago) also builds low-profile and A-class motorhomes, its roots are in van conversions. It offers a huge range of Fiat-based campervans, of which this Charming GT 640 LE RB is the newest – in addition to claiming the title for the longest model name.
As tested, it’s also significantly more expensive, although starting prices are very similar. The Malibu, as seen here, is the piña colada with mini umbrella to the Globecar’s pint of best – but you don’t have to have it in bold Batic Orange, nor even with the porthole windows that YouTube followers insist on referring to as toilet seats…
Inside, too, the Globecar takes a more conservative approach. A new feature (along with the Oxford tweed upholstery and revised cabinetwork) is the Open Cab Roof Concept, which gives you a full-height walk-through into the cab and a far greater feeling of space. The Malibu matches that in Coupé form, but here it’s the (£1,320 dearer) GT, which benefits not only from the extra headroom but also an overcab skylight. Both of these features are becoming increasingly common in this market sector.
OFFSIDE OPENING
Each of our protagonists has an offside sliding door (as layouts remain in continental style), although only the Globecar’s soft closes, reducing the amount of effort required and the noise created as it shuts.
Malibu Van Charming GT 640 LE RB
The flush-fit habitation windows on the Campscout also look neater and provide superior security to the Malibu’s caravan-style glazing, but we have to admit rather liking those controversial portholes. The dark grey Globecar looks a world away from the orange Malibu, here, but take the former in Tizian Red and the latter in metallic black and the roles would be reversed. Almost.
Both our test vehicles were supplied as automatics and it seems that up to two thirds of customers in this category are ordering the new nine-speed transmission – even at over three grand extra we’d not hesitate to choose it, too.
The Malibu comes with 120bhp as standard but was tested with the 160bhp upgrade ( priced at £ 2,735), while the Globecar gets 140bhp as standard and was driven in this form. You can’t have the 120- horsepower motor as an auto’ but 140 gee- gees are sufficient. That said, the 160bhp motor is the one we’d choose for its increased torque (400Nm versus 350Nm) – and it’s only £1,295 extra on the Campscout.
Eagle- eyed readers will also spot the black mouldings around the front wheelarches of the Globecar, meaning that it’s based on a Ducato Maxi with larger brakes, additional towing capacity and the possibility to upgrade to a 4,100kg gross weight. In standard form, though, it’s the Malibu that wins the payload shoot-out by over 100kg.
As is all too often the case, base prices of each are slightly misleading. You won’t want a Campscout without the UK Pack of cruise control, Traction+, black grille and headlamp surrounds, leather steering wheel, Truma 4 E gas/electric heating, wheeltrims and radio preparation – priced at £1,995.
Nor will anyone who doesn’t wear a hair shirt and live in a monastery order a Charming GT without the Chassis Pack (£2,645), which adds electric/heated mirrors, rear parking sensors, air-conditioning, cruise control, a passenger airbag, 90- litre diesel tank, higher- output alternator, cab blinds, a height- adjustable passenger seat, sliding door flyscreen, radio
preparation and four speakers. And you’ll probably also insist on the Main Cabin Package, which adds another £1,010 and gives you a microfibre headlining, LED ceiling lights, a kitchen upgrade, a better mattress, lashing points in the garage and an insulated waste water tank.
The Malibu we sampled also featured the £1,375 Driver’s Assistance Package (lane departure warning, automatic lights and wipers, traffic sign recognition, etc), as well as automatic air-conditioning (£410), and a DAB radio with sat-nav (£1,195), which partly explains why it ended up rather pricier than its rival. Both charge extra for metallic paint and any audio equipment but the Charming GT has the more comprehensive options list, potentially pushing the total price to well over £70k.
LIGHT FANTASTIC
It’s unarguable that the loss of the fixed overcab shelf of older Ducato campervans has created ’vans that feel roomier inside – and, with this style of layout featuring massive stowage space in the stern, the loss of that shelf is no big deal from a locker capacity standpoint.
Both models have excellent LED interior lighting, although the Malibu’s is more eyecatching with those strips that follow the roofline down towards the windscreen. Although both campers have a large rooflight over their respective half-dinette lounges, the Charming GT also has that fixed overcab window for even more daylight (something Globecar only offers on its Summit Prime range). There’s also a lot more choice of décor in the Malibu, which comes with two furniture styles and 13 upholstery options (if you don’t like the Elegance interior, Globecar can only point you towards a different model in its line-up).
Both of these German campervans excel in the quality stakes, with the Globecar being especially impressive in terms of its rattle-free drive. At first glance, the half-dinette lounge areas seem almost identical – not just to each other, but every other fixed bed campervan! – but closer examination reveals neat details in each. The angled galley alongside the lounge
in the Globecar enhances the feeling of space as it narrows towards the cab, while the table is also shaped to ease access into the cab and the rear bench might be just a tad more comfy than its rival. It also offers Isofix as an option.
The Malibu fights back with a net curtain on the side window, rear speakers, concertina blinds and easy-to-reach storage under its bench seat. We also like the way the habitation controls are concealed under an opaque panel so that their lights don’t disturb your slumber.
GETTING A GRILLING
Spoiler alert – neither of these campers comes with an oven/ grill, not even as an option. If that’s a deal- breaker for you then we’d suggest
you take a look at rival models from Adria, Pilote and Rapido. If, however, you can live with just a two-burner hob, then it’s worth noting the differences here.
Both use compressor fridges, but where the Malibu favours outdoor living (its fridge being positioned at the end of the galley, where it can be reached through the sliding door), the Globecar adopts a stoop- free, waist- height location for the chiller, above the wardrobe and just forward of the bedroom. With the fridge mounted high, there’s a more secluded feel to the Campscout’s sleeping quarters, too – or a less spacious feel, without a through view, depending on your personal opinion. Fridge sizes are similar but the Globecar can, optionally, be
ordered with a huge, 138-litre cooler.
The kitchen layout certainly allows for rather more worktop space in the Malibu, but storage is a win for the Globecar, thanks to its super-sized drawers that feature the added wow factor of electric central locking.
EXPANSION
A disadvantage of the Globecar’s fridge location is that it becomes inaccessible when the shower is in use, because the Campscout’s washroom uses a pair of tambour doors to expand the ablutions area into the aisle. With these screens pulled around, the bathroom virtually doubles in size, while the wardrobe is now ideally placed for accessing a fresh outfit. The shower tray is
hidden under a panel in the floor in the central corridor and there’s plenty of space to use the shower or the loo. An opening window is a further plus.
So, the Globecar has everything you need to be independent of campsite facilities, it’s just that the Malibu, perhaps, goes one better. You can use its swivel toilet, corner washbasin and shower without compromising the kitchen, or access to the bedroom. Its loo slides away to create even more room for showering (although, we think Pilote does this better). But the topping on the gateau is what Malibu calls its ‘two rooms concept’, the feature that debuted in this 640 LE RB model. It’s a simple enough idea and one that’s similar in ethos to the folding divisions in many coachbuilts – basically, the toilet room door can be opened out to close off a private en suite bedroom that has plenty of space for dressing and undressing and even comes with two low-level wardrobes (one under the offside bed, the other beneath the end of the galley).
BEDDED BLISS
If you’re OK with a transverse double bed, then both makers offer sister models to these in the 5.41m and 5.99m Fiat vans, but the advantage of going longer is lengthways sleeping with easier access to your mattress (via steps) and not having to clamber over your partner at night.
Both ’vans here have unequal-length single beds that fill the full width of the rear of the camper, although Globecar adds a couple of central cushions to do this.
In the Malibu, the longer bed is on the offside ( 1.95m), while the nearside bed measures 1.81m. The Globecar isn’t quite as suitable if you’re very tall, its longest mattress (on the nearside) being 1.92m, but its beds are closer in size, with the offside one being 1.86m. And, if you prefer to turn the whole bedroom area into a vast double, it’s the Campscout that takes an easy victory.
Both bedrooms feature a small roof vent, as well as an array of opening windows, but the differing cupboard arrangements mean that it’s only in the Malibu that you can sit up in bed.
The Charming GT also has useful little shelves at the head of each bed – perfect for your specs – while the Campscout has the better bedroom lighting (the Malibu’s is rather fierce when you’ve only just woken up!).
Both models are shown here in two-berth form but they can each add an extra lounge area bed as an option – always check these out carefully as they can be painfully awkward to erect and/or equally lumpy to sleep on!
If you want a full four berths to go with the quartet of travel seats, then Malibu offers the Charming GT as a Family-for-4 model with a pop-top roof costing an additional £3,530. Globecar also offers a rising roof (priced at £5,250) but only on its older D Line models and not this new Elegance range.
Of course, at the rear, each of these campervans is as much about the generous, almost garage- style storage on offer as the bedrooms. With the beds in situ, the Malibu’s boot space is taller (880mm plays 690mm) but, otherwise, it’s the Globecar that offers more room for your chairs, barbecue, etc – its 1.52m by 1.16m central load area easily beats the Malibu’s smaller (1.29m by 0.93m) space.
If you want to get tall items (bikes, perhaps) on board, then each of these campers offers a way of folding the beds away to create even more room. This time the tables are turned, though, and it’s the Malibu that wins with a much easier way of stowing the beds.
AND THE WINNER IS…
These are top-quality campervans that take a popular recipe and add the latest in contemporary campervan design. Both have their advantages, but it’s the Malibu’s more expansive kitchen, more convenient fridge position and neat ‘two rooms’ design that make it our winner. That said, the Globecar looks better value and its more conservative design will suit some. And these are by no means the only options in this category. We’d suggest you also take a look at some of the other alternatives (including the Adria Twin Supreme 640 SLB, Dreamer D68 Limited, Hymer Yellowstone and Pilote Van V630J Premium) – if you can find any of them in stock at a local dealer – before you decide…