Hymer Exis t-414

Price from: £50,290 Berths: 3 (2 as standard) Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Al-Ko Length: 5.95m (19ft 6in) Gross weight: 3,500kg

Hymer now offers a range that extends from HymerCar elevating roof and high-top campers right up to the tag-axle B-Class and 5.3-tonne Mercedes Starline models at over £100k.

Part of this line-up is the Exsis-t range of low-profiles, with three different layouts – including the Fixed Single Bed Motorhome of the Year 2014, the Exsis-t 588 (see Which Motorhome, March 2014, for a full road test).

All Exsis-t models have narrow bodies of just 2.22 metres wide, but the newest addition to the line-up, the Exsis-t 414, also comes in at under six metres long. So the 414 is an interesting proposition for anyone who is downsizing, or perhaps trading up from a smaller van conversion.

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Apart from its compact dimensions, one of the main selling points of the Exsis-t 414 is its payload. In standard form, it’s based on the 3,500kg Fiat Ducato with rear chassis by Al-Ko, but it has a mass in running order of just 2,660kg. So there’s a massive 840kg payload to play with – and the large rear garage has a 250kg allowance (many rivals are limited to just 150kg), giving scope for you to carry a motorcycle.

Pulling the vehicle along is Fiat’s trusty 2.3-litre turbo-diesel, offering 130bhp in standard form, though there’s scope to upgrade, with the 148bhp version available, as well as the storming 177bhp 3-litre. A semi-automatic gearbox is also available for an extra £1,725.

LIGHT ON ITS FEET
The 130bhp Fiat engine (there’s scope to upgrade, with the 148bhp version available, as well as the storming 177bhp 3-litre. A semi-automatic gearbox is also available for an extra £1,725), offers good performance in this relatively light motorhome and the only downside is the lack of any through-the-vehicle vision, due to the lack of a rear window.

However, the door mirrors are the extra-wide-type fitted to most coachbuilts, so with the narrower-than-usual rear bodywork, they offer a good view of what’s going on behind. You can also opt for a rear-view camera, as fitted to our test vehicle, to make reversing a doddle.

Although the extra-wide door mirrors are useful in providing good rear vision, they have also become the bane of my life when testing motorhomes, since they add a lot of extra width to the vehicle. On country lanes I’ve often had to pull in the passenger mirror to avoid expensive contact with the scenery.

On a safety note, the Exsis-t comes with ESP, ASR, Traction Plus and Hill Holder all as standard – many rivals don’t even list these as options!

DINING IN COMFORT
The compact dimensions also make it very easy to pitch-up the 414 in the evening and, once hooked-up, there’s little else to do. Just swivel the cab seats to face the rear and you’ve got a comfortable five-person dinette, with a tabletop that is fully adjustable to find the best position for all. Or, as a new option for the UK, you can order a removable, free-standing table.

The 414 follows the usual German procedure of offering a low base price with many add-ons, which any new Mercedes or BMW buyer will be used to. However, the ‘UK Line’ specification does bring a lot more standard equipment than Hymer customers would have seen a few years ago, so the company is to be congratulated for this move.

COMPACT KITCHEN
On the offside, opposite the dinette and next to the entrance door, the kitchen is probably the area that suffers the most in the compromise needed to squeeze so much into such a small vehicle. However, it’s still a good looking kitchen with some great design touches. For instance, the fold-up work surface by the door gives some useful extra space. There is also a good number of three-pin mains sockets, one on the front of the kitchen unit, one on the wall to one side of this unit (ideal for an electric kettle or toaster), then another at low level by the entrance door, suitable for the TV’s power cable.

The kitchen also boasts a three-way Dometic fridge with freezer compartment, a three-burner gas hob with electronic ignition, plus a fair-sized stainless-steel sink with domestic-style mixer tap. There’s no oven/grill here but a new option, especially for our market, is a full slot-in, domestic-style cooker complete with mains hotplate, grill and oven.

CLEVER WASHROOM
In the centre of the vehicle, the washroom is a masterpiece of compact design. It has enough space for showering, with the slightly domed rooflight creating an extra few inches of useful extra headroom for me, at 6ft 2in tall. The showerhead pulls out from a socket on the wall and can be fixed at a usefully high level.

Normally, I don’t like fold-down basins, but when the design is executed as well as this, I can’t complain. We also hear that this new washroom will be incorporated into other Hymer models next year.

AND SO TO BED
When it’s time to put your head down, the 414 benefits from a huge fixed double bed, above the rear garage. As such, it’s quite high off the floor, and you do need to use the ladder to access it, so it might not be ideal for those with limited mobility. Also, due to its transverse design, anyone sleeping along the back wall will need to clamber over their partner, then down the ladder, to get out to use the toilet in the night.

Once in bed, the multi-zone cold foam mattress is comfortable and, although it’s not on a slatted base, Hymer provides a layer of air-gap matting under the mattress to help air flow and increase comfort. There’s even a special headboard that can be set up at the wider, head end of the bed, by the opening window, where it stops you from squashing the concertina window blinds.

MORE TO LIKE
I enjoyed my time with the Exsis-t 414. It’s a really well designed motorhome that makes the best of all the available space in a sub-six-metre bodyshell (that features a GRP floor and superior Styrofoam insulation).

There are some really practical touches, such as easy access to the fresh and waste water tanks, reached by lifting small access hatches in the floor. For the waste tank (which is heated and insulated), the hatch also reveals the lever to allow drain-down and there’s a flexible pipe in the rear garage that can be used to link the tank to the drain you are using.

If you like the look of this high-quality, compact coachbuilt, plan carefully which extras you want before placing your order.

This is an edited extract from the July 2014 issue of MMM magazine. To read the review in full, order your digital copy HERE.

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Short, slim and with a really generous payload, the latest Hymer low-profile is a high-quality package oozing appeal