Mega Mobil Lounge 640 campervan

From Slovenia, this top-quality campervan brand makes its UK debut with an unusual combination of a rear lounge and an electric drop-down bed

Mega Mobil made its UK debut at last October’s NEC show with a range of Peugeot Boxer and MAN TGE-based campervans. This Slovenian company is already well established on the Continent, with around 40 dealers in 14 countries. Its family-owned parent company, Mega Tekstil, has been in the fabric business since 1967, so it should know a thing or two about upholstery. 

Max McMurdo recently reviewed this campervan, complete with road test, delving into everything you need to know about if you are interested in buying. 

Predictably, much of the Mega Mobil range focuses on popular rear fixed bed layouts, but its Lounge models are the ones that stand out, with the Lounge 640 tested here being the star of the show. 

Here is a campervan with the UK favourite of a rear U-shaped lounge but not quite like anything from a British manufacturer. 

For a start, you don’t turn those seats into a bed; rather you press a button and watch your mattress glide down from above. More on that later.

The test ’van was one of those from the NEC stand, built before Mega Mobil had geared up for right-hand drive production. 

Based on a Peugeot Boxer

After a highly successful NEC debut, production vehicles from Mega Mobil will feature a higher spec than this left-hand drive demo, which has some odd omissions – no radio, no reversing camera or parking sensors and, strangest of all, no offside window in the rear lounge. 

Those details (and more) are being addressed with right-hand drive (note, though, that the sliding door will stay on the continental side).

You might also have spotted the unfamiliar insignia on the grille – Opel’s lightning flash hasn’t been seen here in decades (remember the Manta sports coupé?), but nor will we be getting our Mega Mobils on its sister brand, Vauxhall. Both are, of course, part of Stellantis, as is Peugeot which will supply Boxer vans for the UK-bound conversions.

No longer does that mean an absence of an automatic option, with the new eight-speed transmission (the same as in a Fiat Ducato) being mated to the 180hp engine (a four-grand upgrade) for most UK-bound vehicles.

The models coming here are also likely to receive the Autonomous Driving Package (£2,295), which doesn’t mean the ’van will drive itself but it does add all the latest assistance tech (lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, etc) plus an electric parking brake and leather steering wheel. 

We’ll also be getting the City Package (£4,999) which brings into play a digital interior rear view ‘mirror’ with 8.9in display, a 360-degree parking system, automatic climate control, digital instrument cluster, cornering lights and a 10in touchscreen with DAB radio and sat-nav. So, the Mega Mobils coming here will not be short of specification, but that will push the price up from the £84,995 of this demo vehicle closer to £100k.

This, then, is a premium campervan and it lived up to that on first acquaintance. Heading to our campsite on the edge of Dartmoor, this might be yet another Fiat/Peugeot/Citroën clone with its firm ride and surefooted feel but the most memorable thing was how quiet it was, with not a clatter or rattle to be heard (and no Greatest Hits Radio to drown them out!).

Exterior features

Grille badge aside, the Lounge 640s coming here will look much like this one, being based on the longest, tallest (L4 H3) version of the Stellantis panel van. It’s not the prettiest thing, with its high-top rising steeply above the windscreen, but Mega Mobil’s graphics are neat and automotive in style, while the black 16in Borbet alloy wheels (£986) add a touch of class. 

White is the standard colour but there are seven other paint options available at extra cost.

At the rear offside corner three matching flaps (for water filling, external TV/power point and gas barbecue) reveal the presence of the Connection Pack (£599), which also includes the external shower point on the nearside. The 80-litre fresh water tank is inboard, while the similar-size waste tank has a large bore outlet and an electrically operated dump valve. 

The Winter Pack (£1,907) adds insulation for the grey water tank as well as upgrading the heating to a diesel/230V Truma Combi unit with the latest touchscreen controls. There’s underfloor heating, too, while (as standard) the Lounge 640 has 25mm Armaflex closed cell insulation in the walls and doors, 19mm in the ceiling and a 35mm XPS floor.

Also present on the test vehicle was the Escape Pack (£2,495), which includes the Thule roll-out awning, LED rain gutter light over the sliding door, a 180W solar panel and a second 80Ah AGM leisure battery. Lithium batteries are also available.

Rear garage

Perhaps the most important feature around the outside, though, concerns those tall rear doors, which give access to a large boot for your hiking shoes and a whole lot more. This illuminated space measures 1.27m wide, 82cm deep and 40cm high and there’s a further cupboard above, but I couldn’t help thinking this should just be one big open space. The gas locker is alongside, in the offside corner, or a fitted gas tank is optional.

Also fitted in the boot area are 12V and 230V sockets – few campervans I’ve tested have more power points (including USBs) – and up above is another large cupboard, albeit one that you have to stand on the back bumper and reach up to access. You can get to this space from inside the camper but only with the bed lowered.

Time then to head inside, via the sliding door (with auto-retracting step and flyscreen).

Rear lounge and a huge choice of decor

The rear lounge is sure to be a big hit with UK customers and here you can see Mega Mobil’s history in upholstery.

As well as the attention to detail, with diamond quilting and excluding draughts from the join between the barn doors, there’s vast choice. With 31 fabrics, eight furniture colours, five worktops, four shades of cupboard doors, four floors and even a choice of ceiling trim, we reckon there are over 70,000 combinations of interior décor!

What doesn’t change is the layout, which isn’t your standard rear lounge. Across the rear (over the garage) is a wide cushion that could even act as a day bed. Forward of that is the U-shaped seating but inset, with an upholstered shelf behind each sofa. As a result, the seat squabs are a little shallow (38cm) but, the more I used the Lounge 640, the less this seemed to matter. The settees work best when relaxing, feet up, facing the interior of the campervan.

There’s a huge array of lighting – not just here but throughout the Mega Mobil – and you can switch on as much or as little of it as is appropriate to your mood. However, two issues mar the Lounge’s lounge just a tad. First, the location of the optional 22in TV, which is at ceiling height – very high in an extra-high panel van! Second, the permanent table is just too big. It slides and twists but a removable, free-standing table would be so much better here.

Electric drop-down bed

It would be far more difficult to improve the bed, which is the Lounge 640’s USP and the aspect that trounces other rear lounge campervans. 

The transformation is simple and effortless. First, lower the table, removing only the side settee squab cushions, then turn a key and press a button and just watch as your mattress glides down from above. 

Now you see the point of those upholstered side shelves; the main bed fills the area between them. Finally, you simply tuck the seatbelt-style straps on which the bed rises and lowers out of the way and pull out the step that makes access easy.

The Mega Mobil’s bed is, well, mega. At 2.01m by 1.84m, it’s huge as well as completely flat (the joins aren’t noticeable in the night) and the main part of the bed is on sprung slats. Better still, you can leave your duvet on the bed when you stow it for the day, while pillows can be slipped into one of the cubbyholes behind the settee backrests.

If your partner is so taken with the bed that they want to stay there all morning, the cab can come into play as a secondary dinette. Both cab seats swivel and there’s a very clever slide-out table that’s perfect for breakfast for one. 

If two of you sit up front, however, the table stops the left-hand seat’s occupant from leaving. “Pass me another beer, dear!”

Kitchen with plentiful storage

The main galley area is adjacent to the sliding door and features a typical Dometic hob/sink combo. What’s unusual here is the amount of storage, most of it in drawers for easier access.

There are even deeper slide-out units (one held my coffee machine) and a cupboard that can also be reached from outside. Not only is the amount of storage space impressive but the solidity of the cabinetwork, too – it feels built to last a lifetime. Worktop is enhanced by a panel that slides out at the end of the unit.

And the cook’s quarters aren’t just on the offside, there’s more opposite. Here, in a full floor-to-ceiling unit, you’ll find the 84-litre Dometic compressor fridge, lots more cupboard space and an oven. The latter doesn’t include a grill but it’s a first for a Mega Mobil, added just for us Brits.

There’s more storage in a huge cupboard above the cab but you’ll search in vain for a wardrobe. Well, I searched until I discovered the shortest of hanging rails squeezed in between the washroom and the cab. This is an open space, so garments just hang down behind the driver’s seat (left-hand drive) and even the longest dresses could be accommodated – just one or two, though!

You’ll find more power points and all the habitation controls up above the fridge. The main control panel is a marine unit from Simarine and its touchscreen gives you a wealth of detail on levels, temperatures, power consumption and even whether the ’van is level. 

Well-designed washroom

Forward of the fridge and oven, the ablutions are described as an ‘extra-large, patented comfort bathroom’. The clever bit here is the clear acrylic screen that faces you as you slide back the washroom’s tambour door – this simply hinges through 90 degrees to create the shower cubicle, which needs no nasty clingy curtain. A second drain outlet in the tray would be nice but showering in this ’van is no hardship at all.

There’s plenty of space (and huge 2.09m headroom) to use the other facilities – the corner basin and swivel cassette toilet – although the latter is raised on a plinth, making it a little awkward for those with less-than-lanky legs. Storage is good and a Clesana chemical-free toilet is another factory option.

There’s little doubt that the Lounge 640 is the star of a campervan range that’s entirely new to the UK. Its rear U-shaped seating is only part of the appeal, though, with the clever – and enormous! – drop-down bed being the real USP. With a great washroom, superb build quality, real winterisation and lots of storage, Mega Mobil looks to be onto a winner.