Malibu Van Compact 540 DB high-top campervan

The smallest model in Malibu's Van range could be one of the best

Words and photos: Peter Vaughan

The Malibu Van Compact 540 DB

Often in the world of motorhomes, size and price bear no relation to each other. A premium-spec campervan, like this Malibu, can cost more than a six-berth coachbuilt. But is smaller actually better? Well, it can be, so is the smallest campervan in the whole Malibu range also the best? That’s what we hoped to find out.

We’ve been impressed with Malibu Van models before, of course – most recently with the Diversity 600 DB K in the July 2023 issue. But this Compact 540 DB takes that same fixed transverse rear bed format and squeezes it into well over half-a-metre less bodywork, so is that a compromise too far?

The benefits are obvious. Less length means the baby Malibu is a little lighter and a little less expensive but also, more importantly, more manoeuvrable and easier to park. At just 5.41m long, the medium-wheelbase Fiat Ducato is similar in size to the long versions of smaller panel vans, such as the Ford Transit Custom and Renault Trafic. 

On the road, you won’t notice a difference with the shorter van – not until you take a wrong turn and need to do a three-point turn, or you have to squeeze into a parking space that was probably designed for a Morris Minor. The rest of the time it’s the same recipe: ultra-firm ride for great stability and surefooted handling, sharp steering, and adequate performance from the standard 140bhp diesel motor. 

The same cab, too, with a high seating position and limited adjustment on the steering wheel, but it’s the hard plastics and ageing fascia design that date the Ducato these days.

The options

This one has height adjustment on both cab seats (which are also reupholstered in the same London trim as the living area – one of five standard fabrics, with an additional six extra-cost options to choose from).

That, along with a 90-litre fuel tank, parking sensors, wiring and speakers for the radio, electric/heated mirrors and cab blinds, is all part of the Chassis Package. 

Then there’s the leather steering wheel, which joins the gloss black grille and colour-coded bumpers in the Style Package. These packs, and the Main Cabin Package, are effectively standard spec, at least in the UK, so the on-the-road starting price for this smallest Malibu should be considered to be £71,430.

It doesn’t stop there in the case of our test campervan, supplied by one of the newest additions to Malibu’s dealer network, Choose Leisure, near Canterbury. 

Few will want to forgo the alloy wheels (£790), the Pioneer DAB+ radio with 6.8in display (£580) or the Iron Grey metallic paintwork (£980 – only white is a no-cost option from the five exterior colours offered). The automatic gearbox is the priciest extra, at £3,530.

I was surprised to find that radio/phone switches on the wheel were not included in the £79k total, and nor was a spare wheel. A reversing camera becomes less essential in a smaller campervan that already has parking sensors but there are still more toys to tempt you on the Malibu price list, from automatic air-con to fog/cornering lights.

‘Ours’ seemed sensibly spec’d and looked every inch the premium camper sitting in the winter sunshine.

The spec

While the larger Malibu Vans are available in Charming spec, with either the Coupé cab ( full-height walk-through) or GT Skyview (overcab sunroof), these options are not available on this Compact model.

That’s a pity but you can see the logic of keeping the overcab cupboard for extra storage in the smallest campervan in the range – just don’t forget to duck as you walk into the cab! 

One option that is still available on this model, though, is the Family-for-4 pop-top, which turns the 540 DB into a four-berth. 

All models, in common with most imported campervans, retain the offside sliding door with right-hand drive, but few buyers seem to care. More crucial are the flyscreen and wide electric step fitted here, although this doesn’t auto-retract.

Externally, there are no porthole windows (such a Malibu trademark, but only offered on the 6.36m campervans), and the side windows are framed but not flush. 

There are the usual service points (loo, hook-up, etc), and it’s worth noting that the fresh water tank (80 litres) is inboard for winterisation and the waste tank (92 litres) is underslung but insulated and with an easy-to-use twist handle for emptying.

Malibu makes much of its motorhome-style build in a campervan, including a 20mm RTM hard foam insulation panel in the roof and floor and plush microfibre trim on the walls and ceiling. Polyurethane mats are also used to prevent cold bridges, while furniture construction is both screwed and morticed for superior strength (just like in a Carthago A-class).

Cherry Classic is the standard interior for Compact models; here it’s upgraded to Cherry Style, which has more high-gloss white and less wood. 

The layout

Irrespective of the cabinetry, it’s a classic floorplan. A half-dinette and swivel cab seats up front are followed by a central galley alongside the sliding door, with the washroom opposite and a double bed in the stern. 

As usual, the back doors open to reveal a large under-bed stowage area, but here you’ll spot that the mattress height is lower than the norm (more on which later), reducing the headroom below the bed to 46cm. 

The area is still generous (1.13m by 0.86m) but, for comparison, the Diversity 600’s under-bed locker is 74cm tall. 

It’s still a useful space for all your outdoor gear and there are four lashing points in the floor to secure anything heavy. Then, if you want to get larger items, such as bikes, on board, you can hinge the bed bases to each side and create a full-height garage; even the front panel of the area can be removed for longer items. 

The bedroom area also houses the fresh water tank on the offside and the Truma Combi boiler (upgraded here to the gas/electric 6 E) and gas locker on the nearside. There are none of those awkward-to-get-at cupboards that you often see in this space but the low bed does mean a lower compartment for your gas. That, in turn, reduces your options because 6kg Calor cylinders won’t quite fit. 

You can use Campingaz or refillable Gaslow cylinders in 2.7kg form or Flogas has a 5kg option that might be the best bet. 

If you’re concerned about the reduced LPG capacity, we’d recommend going for a diesel or diesel/electric version of the Combi boiler, both of which are offered as options.

The interior

Slide back the side door and you’re in no doubt that you’re in a Malibu. It has the same expensive look that you find throughout the range, with lots of chrome details and myriad downlights and ambient lighting. 

There’s a large wind-up Heki sunroof over the dinette, a net curtain at the side window and a raised floor with useful storage below. 

The blinds are the pleated type and the table feels sturdy on its wall rail, while a swingout circular extension leaf serves the swivelled driver’s seat. You can even stow away the table in the overcab cupboard, which helps increase the impression of space. 

It’s a typical lounge of this ilk, well executed and only wanting for reading lights in the cab to get full marks. As ever with Malibu, there’s one little detail that we liked: a slide-out shoe rack under the bench seat.

The kitchen

If the dinette is much like you’d find in longer fixed bed campervans, the kitchen has had to be shrunk to fit. It still has all the expected features, though, and makes good use of the space with a folding worktop extension and a split cover for the sink, both of which help with preparation space for the chef.

The flap also has a neat mechanism so only one hand is needed to fold it back down, while a 230V socket is conveniently placed below. 

The fridge is a compressor model with 84-litre capacity. It isn’t at the forward end of the unit, as seems en vogue for exterior access, but adjacent to the bed where the aisle is at its narrowest. 

This could have been an issue (and might be if your partner is in the shower), but has been addressed with an extension of the kitchen floor into the washroom area; step back and access to the fridge is easy.

Cooking is restricted to a two-burner hob but storage in this small kitchen is superb. That’s thanks largely to the three large soft-closing drawers alongside the fridge. 

There’s also a top locker (with a second three-pin socket below) and a spice rack, while a splashguard should stop you getting ragout on your pillows!

The washroom

If there’s one aspect of the 540 DB that feels like it has had to go on a diet to fit in the tighter medium-wheelbase outfit, it’s the washroom, so it’s here that Malibu’s designers have had to be really inventive.

At first, the space looks like a shower compartment only, albeit a good one with frosted doors that give privacy from the living area and a second set of screens that unfold to cover the woodwork. 

With twin drains below and a roof vent above, plus a reasonable amount of space in which to hose yourself down (and no curtain to cling to you), this zone is off to a good start, but where’s the loo?

In other Malibu Vans, the cassette toilet slides away under the rear bed to create more room. Here, such space-creating design is even more vital and the loo glides forward, under the half-dinette. 

Pulled out, I found there was just enough room (standing or sitting), but larger folk would need to assess it for themselves. 

Storage is pretty generous behind the mirrored doors, with an open shelved area (with fiddle rail) for good measure. Alongside, the washbasin hinges out of the wall – neat but the most compromised aspect. It’s rather shallow and, while it’ll suffice for hand washing, there’s no back to it, so you’re wasting water as it pours away.

The bedroom

I’ve saved the 540 DB’s top feature for the end, just as my daughter eats her favourite part of dinner after clearing the veg. The bedroom is best part of this Malibu camper.

To kick off, that low mattress height that I mentioned earlier means that no ladder or step is needed to get into bed; at just 63cm off the floor, it’s like being at home.

Then there’s the fact that the mattress is supported by slats across its full length – and the length is a generous 1.91m as Malibu has made full use of the Fiat’s width. 

The soft, padded walls feel like a premium touch and one that you’ll appreciate all the more because – hallelujah! – you can sit up in bed. That, again, is because of the lower bed height. 

Malibu hasn’t compromised on storage; there are still the usual overhead lockers above the head of the bed and over the rear doors.

However, at the foot of the mattress, Malibu has gone one better with a much deeper set of cupboards that still leaves plenty of room for your feet below. It has even squeezed in a small wardrobe alongside; one that, cleverly, doesn’t have a floor, so longer garments can just jut out below.

Motorhome supplied by Choose Leisure
Tel: 01227 735557
chooseleisure.co.uk

Insurance: £635.79
Tel: 0800 975 1307
shieldtotalinsurance.co.uk
For quote details: motorhome.ma/QuoteInfo

There’s plenty of clever design in this 540 DB model, which has enabled Malibu to fit the typical continental layout into a shorter van. You’ll want to check out the loo for space but the bedroom actually benefits from the design here compared with larger Malibu campervans. With the same quality of finish as its bigger brothers, you could argue that the smallest is also the best.