Full review

Two iconic brands meet here to create a motorhome that’s as German as can be and an alternative proposition to anything based on Fiat’s ever-present Ducato.

Where the Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, Renault Master et al haul their charge along by the front tyres, the Mercedes Sprinter pushes, bringing improved traction and better talents for towing.

And if you want a ‘proper’ automatic gearbox, the Sprinter really is smooth; those seven gears make ratios closer, so changes are near imperceptible.

The big V6 is one lovely engine, and with plenty of grunt (440Nm of torque – or 10% more than a 3-litre Fiat). You might grunt, too, when you discover that it will extract more than nine grand from your piggy bank (and rob you of nearly 100kg of payload).

A-class ’vans are sometimes noted for their ability to rattle, but this one disproved that theory, something that’s a testament to Hymer’s build quality, but also to the Sprinter’s softly sprung suspension.? That did of course mean that the ML-I rolled like an old seadog after the pubs have shut when crossing uneven ground. You pay for that comfy ride on the road.

As you might expect at this price point, the interior is top-notch, although one or two poor fittings were discovered. These are tiny things, but the price of this motorhome is not.

So to the bedroom: both beds are over six feet long, so fine for all but the very tallest of couples. They’re comfy, too. You’ll not find the usual sprung wood slats – there’s honeycomb-style underlay that’s designed to provide ventilation, stress relief and comfort, and cut under-mattress condensation.

The overhead lockers, however, are low enough to prevent sitting up in bed, and to prevent propping yourself up, even a little. I bashed my head on them more than once. Hymer has gone to great lengths to provide good storage in the bedroom with excellent shelves and lockers at the side and in the centre. Why they’re fitted at the bed heads of the beds is a mystery.

Beneath the bedroom lives a large wardrobe, a decent cupboard and a really good garage. Two external doors, 1.20m high, lead to a large space, while a loading weight of 350kg should allow you to carry scooters and more.

Except that, with all the options fitted to our test ’van, overall payload shrinks to just 213kg. If your licence allows, it’s possible to increase that to more sensible levels, with a 3,880kg or 4,200kg chassis. The former is simply a paper exercise with no physical changes to the vehicle.

Stick a big UK-style cooker in a small kitchen (here it’s one of Thetford’s finest with three burners, electric hotplate, separate oven and grill) and it looms large. But this galley does almost get away with it, with a good-sized upper locker, three drawers and a cupboard above the fridge. Work surface does suffer, though, and the sink is too small to take even a camping-sized washing-up bowl, with no hint of a drainer. At the forward end of the kitchen a little fold-up flap provides what proved to be an essential surface.

Washroom space has been used very effectively, with Thetford’s evergreen bench-type cassette toilet, a good-sized separate shower, basin with plenty of counter and large storage cupboards. Light comes in through a roof vent that also lets out steam and there’s a mirror big enough to check yourself head-to-toe. Nice touches include an in-cupboard toilet roll holder that dispenses through a slot in its door, three robe/towel hooks and a second vent above the shower.

The seating area is quite compact up front – something that’s not a surprise, given this motorhome’s size.?The L-shaped lounge is cosy – big enough for five to sit, while eating will be best with four.

The fifth berth is found here as the table lowers to help provide a short single that uses the cab passenger seat’s squab for your feet.

The A-class double bed in the cab descends easily, and is deep and comfortable, here with the traditional wooden support slats and a sturdy wooden access ladder. But, more than any other feature, it pays for this Hymer’s slim width with its length at just six feet long.

The all-LED lighting proved to be very good, with plenty of spots and ambient illumination. There’s also room for more than two leisure batteries in a heated locker that’s easy to get at from outside.

There’s no full double floor here, but the tanks are enclosed in heated pods, so all-year camping is no problem. And I was particularly enamoured with the cab blinds – fabric pleated items that attach by magnets when closed. They proved effective and a pleasure to use.

There was less pleasure to be found with the heating system, however, as it is supplied here with Truma’s gas-only Combi. Six kilowatts of heat are on offer, but that proved of little use when the gas ran out at around 4am. The gas/electric version is on the options list, as is Alde’s superb wet radiator heating system. Finally, the waste water dump valve is electrically operated - just the sort of touch that emphasises this Hymer’s superior approach.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the August 2015 issue of Which Motorhome.