Key Features
| Model Year | 2013 |
| Class | High top |
| Base Vehicle | Fiat Ducato |
| Price From (£) | 44,595 |
| Length (m) | 5.41 |
| Berths | 4 |
| Belted Seats | 4 |
| Main Layout | Bunk Beds |
At a glance
Full review
Anyone who has ever struggled to create a bed in a van conversion from 17 seat cushions, or slept in a draughty canvas-clad lift-up roof, will probably have looked longingly at fixed bed motorhomes.Fixed beds for four used to mean a coachbuilt was on the cards, but for the thoroughly van converted, there’s now the Globecar Vario 545.
LAYOUT
Bbased on a medium-wheelbase Fiat Ducato panel van, it has bunk beds across the back and a large double in the roof.
To work out how you fit this amount of fixed sleeping inside a Ducato van measuring just 5.41m long, you only need to look at the outside.
The extra-high roof (that adds half a roof again to the height of a standard Ducato) is the Vario’s secret weapon in the space stakes.
STORAGE
With the lower bunk in situ there’s a space below that stretches the tape measure to 1.38m wide by 0.67m deep by 0.78m high – plenty enough for bags and all the big camping stuff that has to go somewhere, but rarely finds a proper home in traditional van conversions.
If you make do with just the upper bunk on a trip, the lower bed lifts out quickly and easily to expand storage height to 1.50m. That’s enough for a pair of full-size bikes and all the regular gear as well.
The finish in this storage space is very good with tough wood veneer and an excellent, easy-clean floor surface that extends throughout the vehicle.
ON THE ROAD
The Vario 545 can be had with the full range of Fiat’s Euro V engines. The one on test here is the popular 2.3-litre 148bhp unit. For £1,500 more you can opt for the 3-litre 177bhp power house. Or if you want to go for the ubiquitous 130bhp engine you will save a grand on the asking price of the ‘150 Multijet’.
Fiat’s Euro V engines are smooth, quiet and very torquey and the 150 engine driving through the six-speed manual gearbox works well with the Vario.
First, second and third gears are low and close enough in ratio for getting the 545 quickly up to speed, and once the engine’s abundant torque takes over, there’s rarely a need to revisit the lower gears in most situations.
It may be packing the equipment of a coachbuilt, but the Vario remains as narrow as its Ducato base at just 2.05m wide.
This means it can be threaded down tight country lanes without too much stress – although you do risk collecting low-hanging branches.
Driven sensibly, the 545 returns an average of 22mpg on a long, mixed route including minor and major roads.
Read the full length review in the February 2013 issue of Which Motorhome
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