Full review

THINK Mercedes-based low-profiles and you’ll probably come up with just one name - Auto-Sleepers.

Even £100k luxury A-class models more usually have Fiat underpinnings, rather than a more expensive Mercedes chassis. But with the Sprinter being the first in its class to boast Euro VI compliance, as well as introducing innovative base vehicle safety and handling features, Hymer has seen the time as right to launch the first new motorhome to be built on the newly revamped chassis.

The resulting ML-T 580 is relatively unsurprising as a continental coachbuilt motorhome offering the currently popular twin single-bed layout as the main reason to buy. At just under seven metres long, it’s much like the competition (though it’s narrower than many) – its size allowing a compact Euro lounge up front, centre kitchen and bathroom, and lengthways singles in the rear above a large external locker.

Styling, again, is non-radical, although Hymer’s approach to coachbuilt design has produced a good-looking low-profile that exudes class and quality. There’s a sibling in the brand new two-model ML-T range too; the 560 version is pretty much identical aside from the bed, which replaces the singles with a transverse double (and extra wardrobe and storage space).

Of course, the combination of Mercedes’ three-pointed star and the famous Hymer name (with such iconic status that even non-motorhomers recognise its vehicles) is not new. Interestingly though, this is the first time since most people can remember that Hymer has produced anything other than A-class motorhomes on the Sprinter base. Mercedes fans and Fiat haters can, therefore, rejoice as now there’s an all-German Hymer low-profile – one that’s not built on the omnipresent Ducato.

TOW-TAL TRACTION

Aside from brand loyalty – there are many rabid Mercedes fans out there – rear-wheel drive is just one good reason to opt for the Sprinter chassis on your motorhome. It’s perfect for towing as you get better traction than front-wheel drive when trailer weight is applied to the rear. And rear-wheel drive chassis tend to do better when the time comes to exit that muddy pitch – another Sprinter advantage. But there’s more, as a torque converter-based traditional automatic gearbox is an option – one that none of the other base vehicle manufacturers offer. Rivals come in the form of auto-changing manuals, often termed ‘robotised’ gearboxes, such as Fiat’s Comfort-Matic and Renault’s Quickshift 6.
Finally, it’s overall perceived quality that attracts Mercedes’ customers.

GOING  BLUE

Mated to that automatic ’box, the new Sprinter engines all meet the very latest emissions standards – currently Euro VI – while other chassis (even the latest Fiat Ducato, facelifted Renault Master and all-new Transit) still stick with Euro V standards. To do this, it uses an additive called Diesel Exhaust Fluid, often sold as the brand AdBlue. When the engine is running, the fluid is injected into the exhaust and has the effect of reducing still further, emissions of harmful gases.
Here, AdBlue is filled into an under-bonnet reservoir similar in looks to a windscreen washer fluid container. It’s said that consumption of AdBlue is around five per cent of overall diesel usage. A quick trawl of the internet brought up prices of around £2 per litre, based on an 18-litre purchase, so this must be factored in when calculating fuel cost/economy figures. But an extra 2p per mile isn’t likely to break the bank and you’ll be able to take pride in driving the ‘cleanest’ motorhome around.

ON THE ROAD

One word sums up the ML-T’s on-road performance – superb. The V6 motor is one of the very best turbo-diesels around, while the new 7G gearbox is super-smooth, and not just because it is a traditional automatic. Seven gears provide closer ratio changes, allowing very slick progress in all road situations.
An optional handling kit is fitted to the rear axle, and in the absence of any hard information, it appeared to be an added or uprated anti-roll bar and dampers, conveniently painted yellow so you can tell they’re there. Do they affect handling?
Well, it’s worth saying that Sprinters are normally noted for having rather soft suspension that – with a relatively bulky motorhome body fitted – induces quite a bit of bodyroll and bouncing.
Likers equate it to a ‘magic carpet’ ride, the naysayers hate the crockery-threatening swaying when crossing rough ground and the lack of taut handing when pushing on. The ML-T, however, behaved very well both on and off road.

TOP TABLE

On site, the cab seats swivel easily to face a table that’s big enough for four to eat at. Unusually, the table is a free-stander (a modification for the UK market, so it can be removed for a more spacious feel), although it also attaches to a rail mounted on the adjacent wall.
There’s plenty of light in here, thanks to the big Hymer-branded rooflight and the optional overcab sunroof. Rear-facing speakers and a neat, drop-down TV bracket help provide for entertainment systems, but no sets were fitted to the test ’van, Travelworld preferring to let customers choose from the huge range of gear on offer in the market.
This is a standard ‘Euro lounge’ – swivelling cab seats and a half-dinette – and as such it’s a good one, with areasonable feeling of space. Comfort levels are good too as the captain’s seats work well as armchairs, while the forward-facing rear travel seat (belts for two) is a very well executed example – comfortable and supportive.

NOTHING HALF-BAKED

Bijou best describes the kitchen and here Hymer has parted with tradition by offering a full-sized British-style cooker as a £650 option – again, as a sop to UK tastes as the maker (like Pilote who first took such steps) wants a bigger slice of our market. The standard set-up is the usual three-burner hob, but lovers of baking and roasting should welcome the big stove, which is very much a rarity in a motorhome with this layout. The downside is loss of storage space as big full-width drawers are in place if the full cooker option is rejected.

IN THE BATHROOM

Every aspect of the bathroom is well designed and thoughtfully equipped. The separate shower is adequately-sized and equipped with rigid screens and two drains. Duckboards are fitted when the shower isn’t being used, bringing the tray up to floor level, increasing its usable area.
The toilet is the superior bench-type model that fits its space perfectly and the washbasin offers a good size and enough countertop.

SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE

The bedroom follows the bathroom’s success, providing two decent-length beds that are very comfortable. There’s plenty of headroom to get sat up in bed, too, in this low bed version (a high bed model with full-sized garage below is also offered). Shelves and a flat area (with removable mattress section) between the beds offer somewhere for night-time kit and/or more shoulder room with the mattress section in place.

Clothing storage is provided in five overhead lockers and two wardrobes – one, a very slim affair, sits aft of the fridge, the other is beneath the foot of the offside bed. Hymer has rather optimistically called this a wardrobe (it’s a casualty of the lowered beds) as there is not enough drop to hang shirts and jackets.

It’s the big under-bed locker that will take the majority of your camping kit and it’s a good ’un with loads of room, got at through big external doors on both sides. Headroom is a tad less than a metre, so this space isn’t quite a full garage, but the no-cost high bed option will accept the likes of full-sized bikes. Payload is reasonable too, a testament to Hymer’s drive to provide good carrying capacity on 3,500kg maximum weight chassis (especially laudable on this heavier Merc base).

Two hatches in the nearside flanks give two spaces – one housing the power supply unit and fuses, the other the leisure battery. The battery locker is impressive as it’s heated and has room for as many as three batteries – great, if you plan long-term, off-grid camping.

Inside, there’s an excellent range of LED lighting, including ambient, reading and downlighters. Most areas are illuminated both nicely and adequately, although a couple of reading lights to serve the swivelled cab seats wouldn’t go amiss.

Heating is by Truma and ML-T has the more potent 6kW version with mains electric option and the latest, easy-to-use LCD control panel. Water tanks are housed beneath the floor at the rear, but enclosed in their own pod and with through-the-floor access to large lids that allow easy cleaning. Unusually, the waste water drain valve is electrically-operated from a control located in the rear locker.

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