Dethleffs Globetrotter XXL A 9000-2 EB overcab motorhome

At nearly three and a half metres tall and with a gross weight of 7.2 tonnes, this Dethleffs lives up to its XXL name tag…

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Words and photos: Peter Vaughan

The Dethleffs Globetrotter XXL A 9000-2 EB

The XXL suffix here is entirely appropriate. This Dethleffs is almost 9m long, nearly three and a half metres high and it has a maximum gross weight of 7.2 tonnes. 

With a towing limit of 3,500kg (braked) and a gross train weight of 10.2 tonnes, this is a truly extra-extra-large motorhome.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it comes with an XXL cost, too. The list price starts at £225,300, onto which there are over £30k-worth of factory-fitted optional extras here, with Travelworld (the supplying dealer) taking the total to £261,640 with even more extras, including an alarm, on-board WiFi, a tracker, Gaslow refillable cylinders and a five-year warranty.

So, while this supersized motorhome becomes the most expensive MMM test vehicle ever, you’re certainly not lacking on the spec. 

You really could imagine full-timing aboard this giant overcab coachbuilt – especially as, with the sliding door to the cab closed and locked, all feelings of being in a motor vehicle are expunged.

The exterior

Let’s start on the outside, though, where the overriding impression is of this motorhome’s height – the side windows are over 2m off the ground, so no one will be peering in! 

Even with the Titanium Silver bodywork (£2,350), it could never be described as a looker, but the colour, matching cab and flush-fitting, framed windows give off the right vibes. 

Then there’s the 6m-long electric roll-out awning (£2,710) and the satellite dish (£3,350) that you can just see poking out above the luton.

The most impressive aspect, though, is the huge garage. You’ll struggle to find a mainstream model with a bigger space than this – it measures 1.33m high and 1.32m wide and it’s here that you’ll find the twin 150Ah leisure batteries, which are part of the £5,160 Electric Package 2 that also includes a 3kW Victron inverter. 

Equally enormous are the garage doors, which are linked to the cab’s remote central locking (along with the habitation door).

For even more storage, there’s also a heated double floor, which, under the front lounge, incorporates full-width storage that’s 35cm tall. 

On the nearside, there’s also access to the large bore water drain valves (in a fully winterised location), while capacities for the H20 are in line with the XXL remit – 230 litres fresh and 222 litres waste, both inboard in the double floor.

The gas locker is on the same side and has a slide-out tray for easier changing of cylinders. So, the Globetrotter, in many ways, makes a great first impression – it’s just a pity about the exposed screwheads on the Dethleffs-branded strip on the overcab.

The base vehicle

Emphasising the Dethleffs’ loftiness is the entrance, which comes with a double external step (not automatically retracting) and two further steps inside. 

On our blustery February road test, you could also feel the motorhome gently rock at times – rear steadies are standard or Travelworld can fit an E&P hydraulic levelling system at extra cost.

But before we assess the inside, let’s talk base vehicles because it’s not often that an Iveco Daily comes our way and this is a step up from the more usual Fiat Ducatos and Mercedes Sprinters that top out at 5,500kg maximum weight. 

This Daily comes with a 6,700kg chassis as standard and here is uprated to 7,200kg (cost £320). It’s a measure of the beast that, even with over 300kg of options fitted, there’s around 1.7 tonnes left to play with!

That carrying capacity needs to be matched to under-bonnet spec and, again, the Iveco is the Top Trumps victor with a three-litre 207hp motor – power going to those twin rear wheels for excellent traction, of course. Even more potent is the 470Nm maximum torque figure (the ultimate Sprinter offers 440Nm).

Very lightly laden for our drive, it was hardly surprising that the Globetrotter seemed to have performance in reserve but what I really liked was the Hi-Matic eight-speed torque converter transmission. 

This is the best automatic available in any large motorhome, not only slurring smoothly through its ratios but changing down as you slow, so that it’s never caught out in the wrong gear.

It’s a shame then that the Daily’s cab seems so utilitarian. A sea of black plastic isn’t even interrupted by carpet or anything more sophisticated than black cloth on the seats (despite the £4,260-worth of real hide in the lounge). 

There is leather for the steering wheel, however, and despite having just one armrest apiece, the chairs are more sophisticated than they look, featuring heating and suspension (adjusted according to your weight).

The Iveco chassis also comes with height-adjustable air suspension on the rear axle, ESP, Hill Holder, digital air-conditioning, Active Lane Keeping Assist, adaptive cruise control and full LED headlights with High Beam Assist. 

Then there’s the 9in Zenec touchscreen, which, as well as all the usual functions, includes a Top View 360-degree camera system (£2,000 extra) – so the cab is a lot better appointed than it at first appears. And some may prefer this to an A-class because it feels more familiar and has a door on either side.

On the road, the twin rear wheels give a real feeling of stability and, while that huge rear overhang needs to be considered, it doesn’t have the QE2 turning circle of some tag-axle motorhomes. 

I couldn’t help feeling that the standard Crosswind Assist might be very necessary in some conditions, though.

The lounge

Not only can the cab be completely closed off on site (great in winter), but extra seat cushions slot in to join the offside settee to the rear-facing bench opposite. Now you have a C-shaped lounge (seats facing in all four directions – a £1,050 option) around a large (but not too huge) fixed, central table. 

The seats are quite firm and the upholstery option here is called Colin (those zany Germans), but the key thing is that the sofas are shaped for comfort.

It’s not a panoramic seating area (as in, say, a Carthago Liner-for-two), because you look out through side windows only (and these have Roman blinds), but it’s an inviting area in which to relax or dine – as long as you’re not envisaging using all six berths, in which case it might get cosy.

There are reading lights, mood lights and downlights (under the top lockers and around the wind-up Heki sunroof) and the optional (£1,920) 32in Caratec TV sits above the offside window, dropping to a much more comfortable viewing height (68cm above the sofa) when required – in its upper position, it is ideally placed for the occupants of the overcab bed.

Heating is by Alde with radiators throughout (even in the garage and double floor) and using gas and/or 230V power. 

There’s a heat exchanger as standard, too, to use engine heat as you drive. This motorhome genuinely seems geared towards all-year use.

A mountain of extra cushions is provided to turn the lounge into an extra bed, but, even though the XXL has a sextet of seatbelts and Isofix (£320 option) on the forward-facing bench, it’s more realistic to think of it as a super-luxury four-berth.

The beds

In that case, the overcab is accessed by a ladder with unusually broad treads. The thick mattress (a generous 2.10m long) sits on sprung staves and there’s electric heating (£730 extra), as well as a window at either end and a roof vent above. 

You can sleep either way around as the reading lights can be repositioned on their rails, while excellent headroom of 72cm is yet another indication of how tall this Dethleffs is.

You’ll also note the continuous floor level from lounge to bedroom (the cab is much lower) and the 2.10m headroom (slightly less under the Truma Aventa roof air-conditioning unit, which is standard) for tall owners of this tall motorhome.

Whilst the luton looks unusually appealing, though, the master bedroom is at the rear. Here, there’s no discrimination between the twin beds – each is 1.96m long. 

Again, Roman blinds and mood lighting strike an upmarket note and the all-round overhead cupboards are attractive in gloss white and silver. They don’t even stop you sitting up in bed as the beds have rising head sections for chaise longue-style reclining. 

That’s even better news as, at the foot of the offside bed, there’s a second TV (a 22in Teleco fitted as a £730 add-on). Both televisions come with additional Jehnert speakers as part of the £2,540 Sound Package Plus.

While each of the rear beds is 81cm wide, you actually enjoy the full width of the motorhome (2.10m) along the first 1.31m of the bed and the central mattress can be extended to 1.57m with an infill cushion. It’s a great big place to sleep, whether together or apart.

The washroom

Lofty headroom continues in the ablutions zone, which, as you’d expect in a motorhome of this ilk, is split – shower on the nearside, toilet on the offside, each zone with its own Alde radiator. In typical style, the toilet door closes off the front of the vehicle while a sliding door separates the washroom from the bedroom.

The loo compartment has an opening window with mirrored cabinets above and there’s a decent amount of marble-effect worktop adjacent to the inset white plastic basin. 

A high-quality metal tap is fitted and there’s a 230V socket but it’s only when you open out the loo room to become a full-width washroom that you appreciate the space here. 

Twin plastic doors close off a good-size shower cubicle with wooden duckboard and a large central drain. 

There’s a small shelf for shampoo attached to the shower’s riser bar and the ablutions zone’s third roof vent is here, but would you expect a rain shower when spending £260k?

The kitchen

The same marble-style worktop as in the toilet is used in the kitchen where you might have hoped for Corian. 

The curved counter looks attractive, though, and there’s plenty of room for the chef to prepare dinner. The Thetford three-burner hob has one extra-large ring and there’s an extractor hood built-in above. 

More impressive, though, is the plethora of slide-out storage below. As well as an XXL cutlery and utensil drawer (above two other giant drawers), there’s a pull-out rack for packets and tins and another slide-out unit with two bins and space for taller items, such as breakfast cereals. All five drawer sections are locked for travel at the flick of a switch.

Opposite, the fridge has a separate freezer above and total capacity of 177 litres. Naturally, automatic energy selection and doors that open from either side are featured, too. 

The disappointment is the oven (not including a grill) that’s mounted above. Not only is it rather small but it’s 1.72m off the floor, which could easily result in burnt or dropped dinners.

Alongside the fridge is the largest of the wardrobes (the other two are beneath the single beds) and the two shelves at the base of this one can be removed if you want to carry a ballgown or two!

Motorhome supplied by Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld
01785 508788
motorhomes.co.uk

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

It’s the 7,200kg chassis and its resultant payload, double floor, water capacities and garage size (as well as a generous towing capacity) that justify the cost of this one-of-a-kind motorhome that seems destined to appeal most to full-timers. 

We loved the wraparound lounge as much as we were disappointed by the height of the oven, but the top-notch build quality shines throughout this Dethleffs.