Pathfinder - can it handle the Alps?

From year to year, we find more and more models in the range of motorhomes of the Polish brand Globe-Traveler . Currently, six series of tourist vehicles are leaving the plant in Karczew near Warsaw, including the extremely interesting Pathfinder , combining the features of the top Voyager and the compromise Explorer.

The current offer of Globe-Traveler opens with the Active series. Above we find the Challenge and Explorer series. Pathfinder is the penultimate proposition, based on Explorer, but with two elements from the highest positioned Voyager . The latter comes with a raised roof and a folding bed at the front , which is a unique Globe-Traveler patent.

The only such bed

Well, the bed located above the heads of the driver and passenger is not permanently placed there, but folds out from the side wall. Entering the motorhome, we see a set of wall furniture. It turns out, however, that although they look like ordinary ceiling cabinets, they are actually… a bed.

By pulling the handles, we unfold half of the frame with one movement , and the second part of the frame can be pulled out from inside the first part. The advantage of this solution over beds adjacent to the ceiling (used by most manufacturers) results from the saving of space overhead. During the day, the ceiling is not lowered where there is a double sleeping place at night.

In addition to the front bed, the Pathfinder also has a fixed double bed or two single beds in the back, and one (optional) that can be created from the transformation of the sofa and table.

XS - short but practical

Pathfinder comes in three variants. The XS model is 599 cm long , 206 cm wide and 295 cm high. In this vehicle you will find a double bed at the rear measuring 189 × 130 cm and a bed above the cab, which measures 187 × 134 cm. It is also possible to order an additional sleeping place, but it is worth noting that a maximum of four people can be in the car while driving.

A lockable toilet with shower is located next to the rear bed.

The standard equipment of the XS includes, among others Dometic cassette toilet, 110-liter CoolMatic refrigerator (including a 10-liter freezer), Truma Combi 4 Gas heating (optional Truma Combi 6 Diesel). Large tanks for water and sewage - 100 and 130 liters respectively - draw attention. There are two 230V and one 12V sockets on board.

The mass of the vehicle in running order is 3,070 kg .

X and Z - more space

How is the X variant different from the XS? First of all, the length, which is 636 cm , and thus a higher weight, which is 3120 kg . The length translates into greater interior space, which can be seen mainly in the middle of the cabin. Open space gives you more freedom of movement. The dimensions of the rear bed are also different - 192 × 123 cm .

The Pathfinder Z is the same length as the Z, but with a slightly different interior layout. Here, at the back, we find two single beds (195 × 75 cm, 183 × 75 cm), which can be optionally combined into one bed across the entire width of the motorhome. The consequence of such an arrangement is the necessity to locate the toilet part not in the rear but in the middle part of the vehicle. However, it turned out to her advantage, because only here the bathroom also has a washbasin . The worktop is smaller, and the refrigerator has 80 liters of capacity (including a 7-liter freezer).

Ready even for a trip to the Alps

Regardless of which version we choose, it is worth mentioning the 20-millimeter thick insulation of the roof and walls , which, together with the standard heating, makes the Pathfinder an interesting proposition also for winter journeys. In addition, the motorhome can be equipped with, among others with additional electric heaters and blower heating with a boiler .

Soon we will conduct a test , during which we will check how this motorhome - in the XS version - will work during a trip to the Alps!

Finally, let's add that although the Pathfinder is standard on the Fiat chassis, with engines with a capacity of 2.3 liters and 130, 150 or 180 HP (price from 280 thousand PLN), you can also order a Peugeot -based vehicle (with 2.0 liter engines with 130 and 160 HP). The superstructure can also be made on a chassis provided by the customer .