Hymer ML-T 570 Xperience

Extra specification, compact size and a rear-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz chassis make this Hymer stand out from the crowd

This special edition Hymer really grabbed our attention when judging the Out & About Live Awards at the NEC last October. It easily secured a Highly Commended in the Fixed Single Bed Motorhome category and came agonisingly close to taking the top spot in its class, so we arranged with Pullingers Leisure Vehicles (a new addition to Hymer’s UK retailer network) to test one.

As with any special edition, the Xperience is all about giving you more value for your money, so there’s plenty of spec added to a layout that’s not new. In fact, the ML-T range has been around for a decade but, while it has evolved, it retains the USP of being based (as standard) on the rear-wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter – every key rival is front-wheel drive.

Meanwhile, Xperience Edition spec is new this season and comes in two flavours, this 570 and a longer 580 model, both with rear single bed/garage layouts.

There’s no obvious visual clue to the ML-T’s rear-wheel drive ladder-frame chassis but there are graphics to tell you that it’s an Xperience Edition, including a go-faster flash up the bonnet! Under there is a 170hp motor, linked to the 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox, while the wheels are 16in black alloys shod with all-season tyres. Front fog/cornering lights are also included in the spec.

Externally, the ML-T has a premium appearance with flush-fitting Polyvision windows and a gentle curve where the roof overlaps the (aluminium) side walls. Construction uses a PUAL sandwich with 34mm-thick walls and roof and a 41mm floor with XPS insulation. The four-metre Thule awning with dimmable LED lighting is standard but the roof rack and (lockable) rear ladder seen here are optional extras, as is the hailproof GRP roof.

The Comfort door (with window, blind and bin) is included but the additional Abus deadlock is an extra and you’ll pay more if you want the entrance (and garage doors) linked to Merc’s central locking. The electric step here has a dashboard switch to retract it remotely.

What look like hatches for external storage on the nearside instead give you access to the habitation electrics, including the 80Ah lithium battery. For maximum off-grid potential, you can specify the Autonomy Package, which adds three more lithium batteries (total 320Ah) and an 1,800W inverter for £5,760, while two 95W solar panels cost £1,500.

The gas compartment holds two 6kg cylinders as well as a useful extension hose for the large-bore grey water outlet. Above the LPG, a shelf caters for a spare toilet cassette – a vital option for those serious about off-grid camping. It shouldn’t be using a lot of gas, though, as the 6kW Truma Combi heating is diesel-powered (a 230V 1.8kW element can be added as an option). Meanwhile, both fresh and waste water tanks – 120 and 100 litres respectively – are heated and insulated and the waste outlet is opened electrically via a switch on the dashboard (no more muddy mitts!).

Even in standard form, the Xperience seems well prepared for all-season touring and the rear-wheel drive will give you significant traction advantages over front-wheel drive rivals, while the Truma system quietly coped admirably with the chilly January weather during the test.

If, however, a winter foray into Scandinavia is on your bucket list then both an Arctic Package (warm water heating, heat exchanger and extra insulation for the cab) and a Winter Package (electric auxiliary heating and heated cab seats) are available.

Of course, a key feature of a layout like the 570’s is the rear garage and here Hymer gives you excellent bike-friendly headroom of 1.28m as well as one 12V and two 230V sockets, lighting at each end and full-sized loading doors (with two locks apiece) on either side. There are useful shelves with fiddle rails for smaller items of kit and adjustable lashing points to secure the heavier stuff. The felt trim on the garage walls of our test motorhome is an optional extra, while a chequerplate floor can also be added. The garage is limited to 350kg but this can be increased to 450kg with an extra-cost chassis frame extension.

To fully take advantage of those allowances, you’ll need to consider upgrading the maximum gross weight to 3,880kg or 4,100kg, especially if you tick a lot of options boxes. However, spec’d with a sensibly modest range of extras, as here, the Xperience is still viable for couples seeking to stay within the 3,500kg limits of a Class B driving licence, thanks to a payload (as tested) of almost 400kg.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

The Sprinter 417 CDI base vehicle produces 170hp, which should be plenty for a 3.5-tonne motorhome but those planning on towing can upgrade to 190hp for £3,550. A reinforced front axle is standard, along with stop/start, an electric parking brake and a whole raft of assistance systems. Forgive the repetition of the word ‘assist’ because the spec includes Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist (not too intrusive!), Attention Assist, Hill Start Assist, Crosswind Assist, Active Distance Assist Distronic+ (adaptive cruise control in Merc-speak) and Traffic Sign Assist. Automatic lights and wipers are standard, while High Beam Assist can be added.

The Xperience also comes with the, by now very familiar, 10.25in MBUX display with sat-nav, reversing camera, voice control and smartphone integration. It’s still one of the best of its type and I like the fact that the Sprinter retains traditional dials for speed and revs.

It also still feels a world away from the Fiat Ducato in terms of build quality and sophistication on the road. The gear changes are imperceptible, the ride is smooth and the driving position is spot on, thanks to tilting and extendable squabs, plenty of seat height adjustment, and reach and rake variation for the leather wheel.

Driving the Hymer is a pleasurable ’xperience, aided by its relatively compact size (6.74m long and, more importantly, only 2.22m wide), as well as an almost complete lack of conversion noise.

One feature that can’t be added to an Xperience is four-wheel drive – for that head to the ML-T CrossOver – but, for many owners, the rear-wheel drive Sprinter will have the traction benefits they need without the cost, weight (circa 150kg) or fuel consumption penalties.

FEATURES FROM THE FLAGSHIP VENTURE S

Hymer threw away the motorhome designer’s rule book and created a one of a kind with its Venture S, which won the 2023 Motorhome of the Year title. In comparison, the Xperience might seem almost boringly conventional but, crucially, this special edition shows how styling cues from the flagship are filtering down to more mainstream models.

The Native Bamboo furniture, the leather tags on the cupboard doors and the tile-effect in the kitchen all give the Xperience a uniquely Hymer look inside that makes some rivals appear rather last decade. The optional Moreno upholstery (the most expensive option here, at £2,650) completes the aesthetics but there are five alternatives, including all-cloth and full leather options.

On that basis, you may well decide that the Xperience is the motorhome for you as soon as you walk in, but the beauty is more than just skin deep. Above the habitation door is Hymer’s touchscreen, which, as well as serving all the usual functions, makes the separate Truma controls redundant and offers a choice of brightness and ‘light temperature’, each variable from zero to 100%.

Lighting throughout is a Hymer strongpoint, including flexible arm reading lights (with USBs) over the cab seats, ambient illumination (a £610 option), and pin lights in the bedroom and washroom for night-time navigation without waking your snoozing partner.

The lounge also benefits from generous daylight via the overcab sunroof and a large wind-up rooflight (which rises horizontally, so can be left open in light drizzle). It’s not a huge relaxing space but it is very comfortable, thanks to the soft backrest along the side wall and those superb captain’s chairs. The table is Teutonically sturdy and not too big, while the standard smart TV is really large, at 32in.

On the tech front, you can also control and monitor many of the ML-T’s functions via the Hymer Connect app, even checking gas levels and receiving notifications of temperature/humidity exceeding pre-set levels, or if a window has been left open.

KITCHEN

The galley might be high on style but here, at last, we find the ML-T’s weakness, its optional oven, mounted above the fridge (1.58m off the floor) and without a grill incorporated.

In other respects, the kitchen rates highly with huge soft-closing drawers, a vast (154-litre) compressor fridge, felt flooring in the top cupboard to reduce rattles and a chopping board cover for the sink with its neat, wall-mounted tap. With the optional Socket Pack there are three 230V power points in the galley, too.

Opposite the kitchen, the washroom’s tambour door stays magnetically shut while driving (keeping niffs inside), while a SOG toilet vent is another option fitted to our test motorhome. The bench cassette loo has loads of leg and shoulder room and all the storage comes with elasticated straps to keep everything in place. Then, when it’s time to shower, a neat swing-wall converts the room into a cubicle with enough space, twin drains, recesses for shampoo, etc, and decent water pressure. There’s a rail in the roof vent above for drying wet gear, too.

BEDROOM

In the bedroom the beds aren’t perhaps as long as you expect in a German motorhome (although each is about 6ft and has an inch or so’s extra wiggle room beyond the mattress measurements, which are as follows –

Nearside 1.82m by 0.78m (5ft 11½in by 2ft 6½in)
Offside 1.86m by 0.78m (6ft 1in by 2ft 6½in)

If you’re not overly tall, a more important aspect will be the luxury of the Hymer Comfort mattresses sitting on Clima Plux springs.

Again, mood lighting adds to the ambience, while the overhead shelving unit on the back wall is less intrusive than cupboards and you can sit up in reasonable comfort if you pack some extra cushions.

Bedroom storage is excellent, with lockers along each side, a broad (58cm), shirt-length wardrobe under the offside bed and a shelved cupboard opposite. Perhaps, the neatest bedroom feature, though, is found when you add the centre infill cushion to make an even bigger bed. Normally, you would then have to resort to using a ladder but here Hymer has added a clever fold-out step that is greatly preferable. With an extra cushion in place, you have the full 1.93m width of the ML-T to sleep in, with the centre part of the bed being 1.49m long. Or you could then use this as a transverse double.

The Xperience also comes with cushions to turn the front lounge into a third berth for a child. The table lowers easily but we couldn’t fathom how the two infills fitted to make a practical bed.

At night, the Xperience comes with concertina blinds for all the windows, including the cab.

Few makers can match Hymer’s experience in building premium, Mercedes-based motorhomes, so this special edition is aptly named. Today, there are even fewer manufacturers using the rear-wheel drive Mercedes chassis, giving the Xperience a real USP. It also has much of the interior wow factor of the award-winning Venture S but at around half the price. If only the oven wasn’t such an afterthought…