Malibu Genius Performance 4x4 high-top campervan

This superb Malibu Genius campervan comes with all-wheel drive and that unique coachbuilt extension, which means buyers get two full-length single beds in the rear above a huge garage.

If seeing the Malibu Genius was love at first sight, prepare to swoon over the Genius Performance 4x4. Here is everything that makes the new Mercedes Malibu Genius Performance campervan so exciting, with the addition of four-wheel drive.

The spec

Basis of this all-new Genius Performance campervan from Malibu, of course, the all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, powered by a 190hp diesel engine with the 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox. 

The Mercedes base vehicle, in additon to the automatic gearbox and high-power engine comes with 

• 16in steel wheels with all-terrain tyres
• Thermotronic automatic air-conditioning
• Distronic adaptive cruise control
• active lane departure warning
• automatic headlights
• electric folding mirrors and 
• tyre pressure monitoring.

Malibu also equips the Genius Performance campervan with 

• an awning
• exterior LED lighting (above the windscreen and over the sliding door) and 
• premium toolkit with folding shovel, hatchet and sabre saw. 

If that’s not enough extreme camping, then opt for the Self-Sufficiency Package, which includes twin lithium-ion batteries (300Ah), an 1,800W inverter and 220W of solar power. 

All-season use is catered for, too, with the Truma Combi D 6 E heater with altitude kit (for your skiing trips).

The length

Maybe you need a recap on the standard Genius and why this unique campervan – a ‘motorhome van’ according to its maker – is so special. 

Well, they say size matters and here it’s all about length. A six-metre ‘L2’ Sprinter (actually 5.93m long) is a bit tight for space, as several converters have found when trying to squeeze in a typical fixed bed layout. 

However, the next size up, the ‘L3’ is 6.97m, is a bit unwieldy for a campervan. Malibu’s answer is an innovative rear extension of GRP sandwich construction. 

It replaces the rear barn doors, extends the ‘L2’ van to 6.41m and continues the lines and shape of the Mercedes so successfully that you’d barely spot the join. 

It’s not strictly a new idea – in Germany, Dehler and Karmann both tried such an extended body on VW T4s in the 1990s, while Auto-Sleepers’ Trophy also used this approach. 

When you see how well it works on the Malibu, though, you wonder why no one has done it since – substantial development cost is surely the answer.

The garage

What no one did three decades ago was give their campervan a garage like this. Behind a top-hinged near-full-width hatch with triple-point locking is a space measuring 1.52m across and 1.05m in height – total capacity is 1,400 litres.

Then, you can tailor that space to your needs, with slide-out bike racks or an organiser system with pull-out storage boxes and a home for Malibu’s outdoor table and chairs set.

The bedroom

The unique Malibu extension allows them to fit a lengthways bedroom within a relatively compact bodyshell. The ‘extra-protect’ insulation in the rear pod and lack of thermal bridges (no draughty rear doors!), make it a more appealing sleeping area than in most campervans. 

There’s a single (aluminium-framed) window over the head of the conjoined single beds, which impress with their 1.96m and 2.03m lengths and width of up to 93cm. 

Better still, there are no overhead lockers to prevent you sitting up. 

Two rooms

The décor and quality are as you’d expect of a Malibu and, likewise, the ‘two rooms concept’ is something we’ve seen before. 

The washroom

The washroom door can be used to completely separate the rear of the genius as a washing/changing/sleeping zone.

And that’s not the end of the cleverness in the washroom, because the loo slides out of the way and the basin folds into the wall, all to maximise room for showering.

The lounge

The lounge is beautifully lit, although a half-dinette (and the option to make a third berth) seems conventional, especially as there’s no overcab sunroof. The kitchen includes lots of drawer-based storage (though no oven option). 

However, if you fall under the spell of this genius, we suspect that nothing else will do…

Where to buy

Malibu Vans (the campervan range) are sold by 15 outlets around the UK, including Highland Campers, Dicksons of Perth and Motorhome Escapes in Scotland and Thompson Leisure in Northern Ireland.

The Malibu Genius is arguably the best campervan of 2025 and now it is available with all-wheel drive and that unique coachbuilt rear extension, which means buyers get two full-length single beds in the rear above a huge garage.