Globecar Globestar 600L

Berths: 2 (optional 3 or 4) Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato LWB Gross weight: 3,300kg Payload: 380kg

The Globestar 600L is new to the D-Line range this season and offers a twin rear bed layout, allied to a sub-6m body length. This is a layout normally reserved for the 6.36m-long Ducatos. So will the 36cm shorter van’s layout still work?

Our test vehicle had been treated to the optional 148bhp Euro V+ engine. With a wider spread of torque, it is more relaxing and well worth the £975 upgrade cost. The cab refinements offer all you’re likely to need, including electric windows and mirrors, cab air-con and cruise control.

As there’s a difference in height between the cab and the main body of the vehicle, Globecar has added a curved section of floor by the entrance to keep the dining and lounge area on one level. Needless to say, I fell up and down this. But the cab seats offer plenty of headroom and will probably be your preferred dining perch, while the front-facing travel seats are a little upright.

Our test vehicle had the £905 Elegance pack, which replaces the stock beech-coloured cabinets with walnut furniture and cream-coloured door fronts, together with cream and grey striped seating.

While £905 seems a lot, it’s definitely the best-looking option. Some German ’vans tend to go far too modern with their choices and can look rather stark. Globecar has got this one spot on.

The dining table features an additional leaf that pivots around the leg by releasing just one catch. The diner in the driver’s seat will have a bit of a stretch.

You may feel slightly restricted with the kitchen, as the only cooking kit is a twin-burner hob. As the kitchen pod has three narrow drawers beneath it and the fridge, there’s no room to add a warming oven or microwave beneath.

But with a flip-up extra worktop section on a clever push catch, there’s ample worktop space. The large sink makes pot washing easy. And the drawers, cupboard and overhead locker give plenty of room for your pots and pans.

The Waeco compressor fridge isn’t the largest at 65 litres, but it’s still better than some campervans.

The entrance door isn’t too obstructed by cabinets and the lounge has a more airy feel when the door is open. (There’s a full flyscreen here, which is a great feature.)

In the past, some models from Globecar have had slightly flimsy trim, but the company has upped its game and all the doors featured band-edging and close precisely with positive-locking catches.

Kitchen facilities have been minimised to get the fixed beds in place, but Globecar has the balance exactly right.

The toilet cubicle is accessed via a sliding tambour door. You do have to sit with your legs in the shower tray, but there’s ample room. The washbasin is a flip-up type, but it’s a solid resin version that looks similar to upmarket black granite.

The tap doubles as the shower head, with the tambour door encircling the tray of the shower cubicle. Two drainholes mean water won’t pool. Overall, it’s a great use of the limited available space.

The star feature of the 600L is in the rear, with steps leading up to a twin rear bed layout with a central area that allows you to sleep transversely if you prefer. The relatively low bed height makes it easy to access the washroom at night – slide the tambour door across and it’s like having an en suite. The mattress is comfortably supported by slats. The passenger side bed is longer than the driver’s side.

The bedroom also has windows to the sides and rear with thoughtful fabric extensions to avoid you damaging the blinds while you’re asleep.

The Dometic sliding rail lighting system allows you to position reading lights exactly where you want them. You can also add extra lights in seconds.

Five overhead lockers encircle the roof space, and a couple of lockers – ideal for shoes and boots – are built into the steps up to the bed.

The test vehicle had a third adult-sized bed that was easily made up by lowering the dining table and adding an extra fold-out extension across the doorway. For the extra £295 it’s well worth having as it gives you more options for taking grandkids away - there are two rear travel seats with three-point seatbelts.

One item that has been deleted in the 600L a wardrobe, but I wouldn’t miss it. Larger items can be stored beneath the rear bed, which can also be propped vertically if you need floor-to-ceiling storage. Garden chairs, barbecues, bikes and any bulky items for hobbies would be very easy to load here and there is ample 380kg of payload.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the July 2016 issue of MMM. Buy it now.

As long as you can put up with the compromise on space in the kitchen and washroom - inevitable when you try to get two single beds into a sub-6m van conversion - there’s a lot to like about the 600L.