Рет қаралды 39,723
The Hymer MLT comes in four versions, MLT 560, 570, 580 and 620. One has a widthwise double bed and three have the German layout. The numbers have nothing to do with their sizes, the sizes in fact are 674cm for the 560 and 570, the 580 is 698cm and the 620 is 764cm. There is very little difference in the price, the price for the 560 starts at around EUR70k and the 620 is around EUR74k but as always remember that the base price often has nothing to do with what the vehicle is going to end up costing - which could be a lot more because of the options.
This vehicle has been produced since 2014 so it may be possible to find one on the used market. The used model may cost more than the base price of a new one and once more that is because of the options. And remember that as always I urge anyone not to buy new but to buy used.
One feature of this van is that it can be on a 4x4 basis. Obviously that is going to add a stack to the price but might come in handy should you want to drive down a road like the one my navigation sent me down yesterday! In March 2021, Hymer introduced a MLT570 Crossover which you can see in this video. It is on a 4x4 basis and costs EUR125k, however I would have thought getting a non cross over version and taking the off road option would make more sense. At the time of doing this video, the cross over only appears in the 570 - that is to say with the German layout at the back.
As far as I am concerned, I would want the MLT560, the one with the widthwise bed and for the rest of this video I shall be talking about this motorhome, no doubt in the future I shall talk about the others.
Even in a ready to go state, there is over 600kg of payload and the vehicle can be put on a 4,100kg basis if necessary which would give 1.2 tonnes.
What I like about the van is that it has very good insulation, it is of a size which is easy to handle being only 222cm wide and it has a very nice wetroom.
What I would want more of is more storage - for example in the bedroom there are storage lockers only on the rear wall. Although there are two wardrobes - one under the bed, both are small. I would like more wardrobe space but if something is made bigger then something else has to be made smaller and that is part of the compromise of a motorhome. The garage at the back though, is very large, it has a 121cm door at both sides and can take up to 450kg which is very impressive in this class.
I would also want a bigger table although the table in this vehicle is quite typical for its size. I like to have plenty of room to spread my things about on either whilst working at my computer or whilst eating, if there are two of us in the van. The table does move around and there is seating against the wall too so you have a place to put your legs whilst you have your feet up under the table.
The insulation is really good, something I found out by sleeping in a van in very cold temperatures. The van has a double floor in which the tanks are located and this can be heated which will stop them freezing. There is not a huge amount of storage in the double floor but one good aspect of it is that it means the floor inside the van is flat and not cold in winter.
The fresh water tank is 120 litres and waste water 100 litres. You can dump the waste water electronically.
The standard battery is 95A which is not much use if you are going to be spending time off the grid. You can get a 270A lithium battery as an option which is more like it - then get the appropriate solar panels to go with it.
The motorhome comes with four USB sockets, 2 12V sockets and four 230v main plugs. You can have more, although rather than take it as an option, they are not difficult to install and that might work out cheaper.
One of the features of the motorhome is that it was one of the first RVs to be equipped with cross wind assist. Strong crosswinds can make driving dangerous. Crosswind Assist detects when a crosswind has affected your driving line, and corrects the course of your vehicle1, reducing the chance of you moving into another lane or off the road. This video from Mercedes shows the Hymer MLT being tested with this feature before it was introduced onto the market. I also note the rather nice Westfalia campervan conversion which I think comes from the 1980s. I think that this is something we have all experienced, in my opinion, it is particularly noticeable in Italy where one can be in a tunnel then come out onto a bridge where the wind may be strong. However I have also noticed it in places on a motorway where the acoustic barriers end and suddenly a gale comes in.
There is also lane keeping assist which is an acoustic warning when you stray from your lane.
Collission assist is available which initiates braking when one is too close to other vehicles. On the latest models it works at speeds of as little as 7kmph.
Please consider supporting me on Patreon : / alanheath