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quoteCan a motorhome live up to its name? There’s certainly more than a touch of innovation to the Genius from Malibu, part of the prestigious Carthago group.
It’s based on Mercedes’ Sprinter van, to which Malibu adds a rear pod – it means no doors at the back although it does create a large boot area for storage, including space to accommodate bikes, accessed via a full-width hatch.
At the same time, it brings the campervan’s overall length up to 6.41m from the Sprinter van’s original 5.93m. The pod itself is all-GRP and fully insulated, on a chassis extension from Al-Ko.
In this video we take a walkthrough the 2025 Malibu Genius 641 LE campervan:
Don’t be fooled by that sub-£90,000 starting price, though. As is the way with premium imports like this, there’s an extensive list of optional extras to negotiate as you come up with the campervan of your own dreams.
Indeed, you can easily leap the £120,000 hurdle – with all the engine and transmission, paintwork, handling and other equipment upgrades available for the base vehicle as well as the conversion. As ever, start with the various Packs (see opposite) is our advice.
The Malibu Genius 641 LE campervan floorplan actually holds few surprises.
With its main entrance sliding door on the UK offside, you’ll soon recognise the front lounge formula, side kitchen, washroom diagonally opposite and a rear end taken up by permanent single beds – dimensions are 2.03m x 0.93m and 1.96m x 0.85m – than can also be made into a double (the infill is an optional extra).
It’s a particularly clever washroom, though. A proven arrangement that’s already featured on other Malibu models, it starts with a swivel-bowl toilet that slides out only when you need it, plus a small fold-down tray for handwashing.
Space for showering really is optimised here, with multi-folding acrylic panels giving full protection from any stray water.
Plus, you can open the door and fold-out a solid panel to give privacy from the washroom/bedroom area to the rest of the living quarters.
Washroom storage includes three lockers, although space is compromised by the curved upper sides of the Sprinter base vehicle.
Arguably, the main compromise on the Malibu Genius 641 LE campervan is the kitchen, where your cooking is restricted to two gas rings, albeit with a practical internal window to protect from breezes when the sliding door is open.
The hob is supplemented by a Thetford compressor fridge offering 78 litres of chiller capacity and a six-litres freezer. Malibu has been pretty smart with storage and worktop space, though, including two loose covers for the sink, the larger of which is also a chopping board, plus a small flip-up worktop extension.
There are also three large drawers, a shelved double-doored locker over the fridge and a single overhead locker.
An oven and/or grill don’t even make it to the options list (you might want to consider a microwave, oven, fryer or other cooking alternatives (add link to cooking accessories article) for yourselves.
Truma’s Combi 4 (again, upgrades are available) provides the heating and hot water, with a good spread of outlets for the former, while the Malibu Genius 641 LE also benefits from better insulation than more typical Sprinter van conversions.
There are also plenty of ventilation opportunities – with the flush-fitting side windows all openable, plus a Midi Heki over the lounge.
Build quality throughout this campervan really is exceptional. It just leaves you to decide how much you want to spend on the options!
To find out more about insuring a Malibu Genius 641 LE or your current campervan, visit our campervan insurance discounts page.
Verdict: Top-class van conversion that literally adds a bit extra
Plus: Superb build quality, lots of clever details
Minus: Pricy, limited kitchen
In-a-nutshell: Genius by name… and nature
Alternatives: Hymer Grand Canyon S Experience
Malibu Genius 641 LE factfile
| Model | Malibu Genius 641 LE |
| Base vehicle | Mercedes Sprinter 315 CDI, 2.0-litre, 148bhp, Euro 6 |
| Dimensions | 6.41m L x 2.02m W x 2.69m H |
| Berths | Two |
| Travel seats | Four |
| Maximum weight | 3,500kg (upgradable to 4,100kg) |
| Payload | From 554kg |
| MPG estimate | 28-32 |
| RRP | From £85,270 on the road |
| Safety & security | MBUX infotainment system with satellite navigation and reversing camera, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Intelligent Speed Assist, Reversing Camera, Crosswind Assist |
| Key options | Chassis (£9,990), Chassis Plus Mercedes Pack (£6,420), Style Pack (£870) Driver’s Assistance Pack (£1,220), Main Cabin Pack (£2,010), Socket Package (£430), Upgrade to 4,100kg chassis (1,485), full towbar (£1,185 + £195), fog lights with cornering facility (£355), LED headlights (£2,240), heated cab seats (£695), black metallic paint (£2,625), 3.25m awning (£1,170), LED exterior strip light (£265), Truma Combi 6E upgrade (£785), 24in flatscreen TV with holder (£1,285), 93-litre fuel tank (£405), electric sliding door (£430), rear side window to bed (£390), slide-out rails (£345), bedding set (£360) |
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