Hymer Motorhome Buying Guide

Hymer is a name synonymous with motorhomes. Ask non-motorhomers to name a manufacturer and it is most likely the word ‘Hymer’ will be the first thing they say. And, this German marque is famous among those in the know for manufacturing top-quality and very, very desirable motorhomes. Better still, it has just launched the latest version of its iconic B-Class, which is actually an A-class!

The Hymer brand is on the march in the UK, with Managing Director, Bernhard Kibler, looking to increase last year’s sales of 480 vehicles to around 600 for the 2017 season.

The current dealer network is not expected to expand, though.

Bernhard sees the UK market as similar to the German one in that a 3,500kg gross weight is becoming more of an issue and that UK buyers want premium luxury cars and brands. He expects the sales of panel vans to increase and, with buyers looking for the Mercedes logo, the Grand Canyon S is expected to do well. The only potential cloud on the horizon is Brexit and the effect that this may have on the exchange rate. The UK is too important for Hymer to abandon, so Bernhard is looking for solutions that work with the current dealer network. The good news is that if you order a new Hymer in November then you’ll get it delivered in late spring as Hymer has a flexible production process. Don’t worry about the price increasing if the value of the pound drops, either, as Hymer guarantees the price at the time of the sale, not delivery.

New Hymer Motorhomes for 2017

Hymer is a name synonymous with motorhomes. Ask non-motorhomers to name a manufacturer and it is most likely the word ‘Hymer’ will be the first thing they say. And, this German marque is famous among those in the know for manufacturing top-quality and very, very desirable motorhomes. Better still, it has just launched the latest version of its iconic B-Class, which is actually an A-class!

The Hymer brand is on the march in the UK, with Managing Director, Bernhard Kibler, looking to increase last year’s sales of 480 vehicles to around 600 for the 2017 season. The current dealer network is not expected to expand, though.

Bernhard sees the UK market as similar to the German one in that a 3,500kg gross weight is becoming more of an issue and that UK buyers want premium luxury cars and brands. He expects the sales of panel vans to increase and, with buyers looking for the Mercedes logo, the Grand Canyon S is expected to do well. The only potential cloud on the horizon is Brexit and the effect that this may have on the exchange rate. The UK is too important for Hymer to abandon, so Bernhard is looking for solutions that work with the current dealer network. The good news is that if you order a new Hymer in November then you’ll get it delivered in late spring as Hymer has a flexible production process. Don’t worry about the price increasing if the value of the pound drops, either, as Hymer guarantees the price at the time of the sale, not delivery.

HymerCar Grand Canyon S

With the popularity of van conversions being used as a second car, the HymerCar brand is also expecting to reap the rewards of the booming market, targeting an increase in sales from 439 HymerCars last year to 838 for 2016-17. It’s in this market that there’s the first launch for 2017: the HymerCar Grand Canyon S, which is 5.93m long and the first HymerCar model on a Mercedes Sprinter base. This has comprehensive safety features such as Brake Assist, Collision Prevention Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Blind Spot Assist. It has electric closing doors, aluminium-framed windows, dimmable LED touch-control lighting and a new furniture finish in the form of Chiavenna Walnut. There are four travel seats, a central washroom, a kitchen with a 90-litre compressor fridge and a transverse rear double bed. This is, in fact, the first Merc-based layout of this kind to make it to the UK.

Because, normally, the Sprinter van isn’t wide enough for a transverse bed, the Grand Canyon S has additional panels on the side to help accommodate it. The 100-litre fresh water tank is inside, while the 85-litre waste tank is underslung. 

B-Class

Travelling for two just got a whole lot more comfortable, thanks to the launch of the new B-Class DynamicLine (B-DL for short) 534, a sub-7m A-class with a spacious U-shaped lounge. Available on a Fiat Ducato 3,500kg chassis, with upgrades to 4,500kg if needed, the latest addition to the new B-DL range features a pull-down bed over the cab that contains extensions to make it into two single beds. If you need to sleep more people, an additional couple can be hosted in the rear lounge, which converts into a large double.

The front of the 534 can be ordered with completely LED headlights as an optional extra. It also has a double floor and generous 150-litre fresh water and 130-litre waste water tanks. These are insulated and heated for all-year use. There’s a GRP lightweight floor, GRP roof and a loading capacity in the garage for 350kg of kit.

Also new for 2017 will be the Hymer B-DL 584, marking the return of another famous number from Hymer’s past. It is also under 7m in length and on a 3,500kg Al-Ko chassis.

The star feature of the 584’s layout (as in earlier 584s) is the lounge, which has a side settee on one side and a third captain’s chair on the other. The dining table fits around this travel seat. The washroom is at the rear and, again, the A-class cab bed can be converted into twin singles. This bed has a cup-spring frame and a multi-zone cold foam mattress.

Standard gear includes driver and passenger airbags, ESP including Traction+, electric mirrors, LED running lights and twin garage doors. There is a choice of two standard furniture finishes – either Palatino Apple or Trentino Pear Wood. The overhead lockers get a soft-close mechanism and the waste water emptying valve is electrically operated, with a switch on the dashboard. 

StarLine & PremiumLine

Other models in the Hymer portfolio have been revamped. These include the Merc-based StarLine 680 and 690, as well as the PremiumLine 778 and 798. The StarLine models have larger overhead lockers in the kitchen and drawers that have been upgraded with a mirror-finish. The layouts come with either single beds or an island bed. Cruise control, driver and passenger airbags, adaptive ESP and a garage loading capacity of up to 450kg come as standard. You can also order a 3-litre engine and/or seven-speed automatic gearbox.

For the 5-tonne Fiat Al-Ko tag-axle B-PL 778 and 798 models there’s a new washroom featuring a free-standing basin, separate toilet and shower rooms and a large wardrobe. The luxury corner kitchen comes with a jumbo fridge and facing larder unit. There are two single beds in the 778, measuring 2.10m long and 2.09m respectively.

Both these tag-axle models have large 150-litre fresh and 130-litre waste water tanks and an electrically operated waste water drainage system. 

Used Hymer Top Tips

Hymer B-Class 544

FROM £10,000    

BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato chassis-cowl

ENGINES 2.5-litre 102bhp and 2.8-litre 127bhp; 2.3-litre 130bhp and 150bhp, 3-litre 177bhp

LENGTH 5.64m, 6.07m, 6.55m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg

PRICE WHEN NEW £40,451 (1998), £64,890 (2013)

Few motorhomes, if any, can match the pedigree of a Hymer B-Class. But there’s one model in particular that struck our hearts here in the UK – the B544. Not only is this a seriously well-built motorhome, it also has the kind of layout that held particular appeal for our home audience – the huge majority of whom motorhome as couples.

A comfortable double bed pulled down into place from the overcab area. The huge lounge (firstly with pullman dinette and side settee, later with L-shaped and straight settees) – extending right into the cab – is large enough to host a party. 

1986 saw the first B544, on a Fiat Ducato chassis-cowl and, by the mid-2000s, it was consistently topping the Hymer UK sales charts. 2011 heralded a new shape, with a particularly upright front end that proved controversial – although it’s fair to say we’ve grown to accept it. Aerodynamics had gone out the window, in favour of optimising interior space and the ergonomics of that cab bed.

Equipment levels were never that high, but it was the sheer quality that people appreciated, especially Hymer’s unique PUAL bodywork construction. Nevertheless, added equipment is something that Hymer has sought to address over recent years – offering an ever-increasing (and sometimes bewildering) lists of optional extras.

Now with a UK network of nine dealers, the Hymer story rumbles on in the UK, as indeed does the B544 – now in more upmarket PremiumLine format. Models from the 1990s offer great value today, while those around 2007-8 hit a low spot in normally unimpeachable Hymer quality. Newer models have grown, in length as well as spec, while early versions were sub-6m.

Hymer Exsis

FROM £22,500    

BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato

ENGINES 2.3-litre 110bhp, 2.8-litre 127bhp

LENGTH 5.45m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg

PRICE WHEN NEW £38,430 (2005)

Meet a true original. It was in 2003 that Hymer unveiled the original Exsis to us before any other magazine in the world – and What Motorhome magazine called it the most exciting motorhome ever! It had the narrowest of coachbuilt bodies, at 2.06m, based on a platform-cab Ducato and it looked like no other, especially in optional metallic silver, blue or red. Partly that’s because Hymer created a sort of baby A-class but retained the original Fiat cab doors.

Aft of the cab, the innovation abounded. There was an A-class-style roof bed running lengthways, while at floor level there were two short settees (although a later option was a forward-facing travel seat for two in the Exsis SK). There was certainly no shortage of clever ideas. Downward-opening overhead lockers contributed to far more storage options than you’d expect in such a small vehicle. Needless to say, all fixtures and fittings were well up to Hymer’s usual high standards. Then the rear panel also sported a hatch for the boot area. If the aim was to produce a cross between a high-top van conversion and an A-class, it’s fair to say Hymer achieved it. The original Exsis was an incredible motorhome that packed so much into just 5.45m long. As a used buy today it looks as tempting as ever. 

Search a wide range of new and used Hymer motorhomes for sale at Travelworld Motorhomes