Malibu Relax Ambition 640 LE R

A new campervan offering from German manufacturer, Malibu, that provides space and comfort and plenty of spec – at a price

Malibu has been in the business of premium campervans for a long time, with its Van range arriving in the UK in 2013. All models come with a high spec and the impressively high build quality of its German parent, Carthago. Its innovative flagship model, the Genius, bagged the Campervan of the Year title in last year’s Out & About Live awards.

With its new Relax campervan range, Malibu has come up with something for 2026 that is being billed as more of an entry-level product, without compromising on its spec. 

The Relax range is advertised as having a base price of £52,340. That sounds impressive, although the reality is you won’t be able to buy one for less than £58,150. And, as this is a German brand of campervan (actually built in Slovenia), you’ll not be too surprised to learn that you’re likely to end up spending considerably more. 

What are the options?

In fact, the model we tested comes in at £74,075 on the road; although, to be fair, that could still be considered a competitive price today, when it sometimes feels like anything under 80 grand qualifies as a budget campervan!

For those of us who get confused by the myriad options that are often presented by manufacturers, thankfully Malibu has decided to keep everything fairly simple. The Relax has one model, based on the 6.36m-long Fiat Ducato with twin single beds at the back. 

It is, however, available in three equipment lines: Active (£58,150), Ambition (£73,460) and Exclusive (£77,270). The Active has a 140hp engine with a manual gearbox as standard, while the Ambition upgrades to an automatic transmission and the Exclusive has the more powerful 180hp engine, also with automatic gearbox. They each have different levels of spec.

While the Relax comes as a two-berth as standard, a pop-top roof is an optional extra (£4,305) to make it into a four-berth family campervan. The sleeping area up top measures 2.03m by 1.35m according to its maker.

Our test vehicle was an Ambition, the mid-level version, which, even in its standard form, comes in at more than £21,000 above that artificial starting price. So, what do you get for all of that extra money? 

Well, first and foremost, as mentioned previously, it is equipped with an automatic gearbox. In addition, there’s a host of driver assistance features, such as adaptive cruise control, keyless starting, electronic stability control, hill start assistance, cab air-con and more. 

The cab has Fiat’s multimedia system with a 10in screen, including sat-nav and DAB+ radio, and there’s a reversing camera. Both the driver and passenger seats have two armrests and are both height and tilt adjustable.

The Chassis Plus Pack is standard on all models and includes a leather multifunctional steering wheel and gear knob, front fog lights with cornering lights, 16in alloy wheels, colour-matched bumpers, a black skid plate and a chrome surrounds to the dashboard vents.

The Ambition comes in Iron Grey Metallic paintwork with the Malibu logo emblazoned across the grille. Like most European campervans, the sliding side door is on the offside  but that’s not necessarily an issue, as long as you’re careful when exiting and entering the campervan. 

Inside the Malibu Relax

The first thing that strikes you inside is that there’s a really open feel about it and that can largely be put down to the position of the kitchen, which has been placed further rearwards in the vehicle compared with other layouts of this ilk. The unit barely intrudes into the sliding door opening and that means the entrance itself feels huge. 

The passage between the kitchen and the washroom is also a lot more roomy than usual for this layout, mainly down to the use of a sliding door on the washroom entrance. With no tall furniture on the offside and clear views through the campervan, it doesn’t have the claustrophobic feel that some examples of this layout can have. All this combines to make the Relax feel open and bright and the Aurelia interior – pale Modern Walnut furniture and grey surfaces and fabrics – adds to the interior’s light feel. 

The 70cm by 50cm skylight fitted over the lounge brings more daylight into the interior and the flyscreen means you can leave the sliding side door open to let in even more light and fresh air without allowing biting insects on board – handy for summer road trips abroad and to the midge-infested parts of Scotland.

For anyone familiar with the half-dinette layout, the lounge won’t hold any surprises. The dining area is formed by the two front-facing travel seats and the swivel cab seats on either side of a removable dining table. A USB port and an electric socket are conveniently located under the travel seats.

The travel seats, in two-tone grey London 25 fabric with stitched Malibu logo, are perfectly comfortable but, if you like to spend a lot of time inside your campervan and want somewhere that you can put your feet up and unwind of an evening, then this may not be the ideal layout for you. As ever, think about how you expect to use your campervan when you come to choosing a layout – because it’s probably the single most important factor in the decision-making process and you’ll regret it if you make the wrong choice.

Lounge and dining area

This is a set-up that is perfect for a couple and, as this is a two-berth camper, that’s absolutely fine. But the table has a swivel-out extension to make it more comfortable to seat four, should you have gone for that pop-top option, or simply have guests round for dinner. 

If you are likely to be entertaining, you might feel your culinary skills are somewhat constrained, though – the stove has two gas burners, with a glass lid, but there’s no oven or microwave, which isn’t unusual in this style of campervan. 

The kitchen does have a 70-litre Dometic compressor fridge with a good-sized freezer compartment. It’s mounted at the end of the kitchen unit facing the cab and it opens from both sides, making it handy for accessing cold drinks when you’re sitting outside in warm weather. Having the fridge at the end, and not opening into the centre aisle, also makes access easier. 

Just above the fridge are the main light switches, the electric step control and a 230V socket, which is obviously useful; however, its position does beg the question of where you would actually place the appliance you’re plugging in here, as there’s no surface within easy reach unless the hob’s lid is closed. Actually, the kitchen is generally lacking on the worktop front, although there is a two-piece cover for the stainless-steel sink, which provides additional work surface.

Plenty of storage options

What it definitely isn’t lacking is storage. There are three large, soft-close drawers under the sink where you can keep cooking ingredients, pots and pans and other kitchen equipment. The top drawer has a large, integrated wooden cutlery tray which should stop your knives and forks rattling as you drive. Above the kitchen, there are overhead lockers with hidden handles and catches. Further into the campervan there are more drawers, which Malibu describes as extended kitchen storage – they are basically in the bedroom, so you could, of course, use them for anything at all. 

There is more storage in the lounge, with flush overhead lockers running all the way into the cab, and that feeling of space mentioned earlier is enhanced by the lack of a fixed shelf above the cab. However, there’s no overcab sunroof here.

At ground level, there’s a storage area under the floor, and handily there’s no need to move the table to get access into it.

Spacious washroom

Opposite the kitchen is the washroom, which is accessed through a sliding tambour door. Like most campervan loos, there’s not a huge amount of space, but the Relax does a good job of making the most of what room there is. 

The showerhead is on a chrome riser above the swivelling toilet and the shower tray has twin drains for more efficient emptying. In the corner recess is a small washbasin and there’s a mirror, locker and mini shelves for all your essentials. When showering, this area is protected by a shower curtain. There are LED spotlights in the roof, a window fitted with a blind and flyscreen and ventilation from a Mini Heki skylight. 

Fresh water comes from an inboard 100-litre tank while the 92-litre waste tank is insulated and contained in an underslung housing. It can be heated for an extra £905. The grey waste water is emptied using a tap under the campervan, which is fairly easy to access.

Typically for a German campervan, if you want a solar panel that’s something you’ll have to budget extra for. And, if off-grid touring is your thing, you’ll want to upgrade the leisure battery, which is a single 80Ah gel unit. A 150Ah lithium battery is a factory option.

The controls for the electrics and the Combi 6 E heating system are found above the sliding door. According to Malibu there’s a total of 18 spotlights dotted throughout the campervan, as well as ambient LED lighting strips. I confess I didn’t verify this as, frankly, life is too short to count bulbs, but I’m happy to give them the benefit of the doubt… it certainly feels like there’s ample lighting and the combination of task and ambient illumination creates a pleasant mood.

The sleeping area 

At the back, there are twin single beds running lengthways, with a central step leading up into the sleeping area – preferable to the narrow ladder that you get in some campervans. That step also doubles up as another useful storage space. The nearside bed is 1.83m long and 0.76m wide, with the offside single coming in at a more generous 1.92m in length.

This review model came with the World of Sleep Pack, which is an optional bedding and soft furnishing set costing £355. It includes comfy pillows, a soft throw with embroidered logo and a set of fitted sheets for the mattresses in the bedroom. It’s all designed to complement the overall colour scheme, unlike my own garish bedding, as seen in the photographs!

An opening window is located on the driver’s side of the bedroom, with a mesh bug screen and blinds. Although there are also windows on the rear doors and a rooflight, I feel it could really do with a window on the opposite side as well, and that can be ordered as option. 

The Combi boiler, which provides both space and water heating in the Relax, is located under the seats in the lounge and that frees up more under-bed storage. 

There’s a large compartment beneath the nearside bed and the mattress stays up on for easy loading. Under the bed on the driver’s side is a good-sized wardrobe, which can be accessed both from the front and from above. There are three overhead lockers, a small shelf running along both sides of the bedroom and mini corner shelving units, so storage really shouldn’t be an issue. 

Of course, the big appeal of this layout is the storage it gives you when you are on the road. The rear doors provide access to a generous under-bed garage, featuring eyelets for keeping any items stored in the garage lashed down. There’s loads of space for whatever equipment you need on your travels and, because the beds fold up, you can easily fit taller items in. 

Also here is an open-fronted storage cabinet and a locker for two 11kg gas cylinders. 

If you’re as old as me you’ll remember Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s advice to 'Relax: Don’t Do It'. So, should you do it? And, by “it” I mean “buy the Malibu Relax”.  Well, it’s a campervan with premium looks for a less than premium price – it doesn’t skimp on spec and has a modern, open-plan feel. It’s not as cheap as it looks at first glance but it still offers decent value for money.