Bigger vans

[Camperfamily]

I saw that this morning too.
We’ve done two nights and move on to Grindelwald this afternoon.

@soulstyledevon this was you then? I wondered. Really like your Hymer too!

 

[soulstyledevon]

@soulstyledevon this was you then? I wondered. Really like your Hymer too!

View attachment 126713

Yes.
They let us park there, whilst we visited Wengen.
Nice pic…

 

[larrylamb]

Yes.
They let us park there, whilst we visited Wengen.
Nice pic…

Is the red gas sticker necessary? I'd be whipping that off.

 

[Camperfamily]

Phoenix Motorhome paired with a Marco Polo. The Phoenix is around €500k new based on a quick search.

Motorhomes and Caravans, new and used | Your Motorhome Search

Motorhomes and Caravans, new and used at Der Freistaat Sulzemoos. Germanys biggest show for Motorhomes and Caravans all the year round. More than 1000 vehicles on-site.

www.derfreistaat.de

 

[G-A-R-Y]

Is the red gas sticker necessary? I'd be whipping that off.

It does help/aid the fire brigade if you're involved in a collision. Looks ugly but wise to have.

 

[soulstyledevon]

It looks ok from this angle…
10 days in and the van still looks clean. Great colour for hiding the dirt, because it’s pretty dusty.

 

[Jimmylondon07]

All set to go and pick up my new GC from Breeze tomorrow. A year to the day since I collected my Ocean in fact, how’s that for spooky timing?

Here’s hoping for better luck this time.

 

[Californication69]

It looks ok from this angle…
10 days in and the van still looks clean. Great colour for hiding the dirt, because it’s pretty dusty.

View attachment 127060

I am very much in the camp of “need a colour to hide the dirt” the black Ocean drove me insane.
The Free 600 doesn’t even look too much campervan’ish. Almost vanish’s !
Still enjoying the ride ?

Just wish I could find a dealer who has one, so I can get a test drive so I could try the driving position and seat out.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I am very much in the camp of “need a colour to hide the dirt” the black Ocean drove me insane.
The Free 600 doesn’t even look too much campervan’ish. Almost vanish’s !
Still enjoying the ride ?

Just wish I could find a dealer who has one, so I can get a test drive so I could try the driving position and seat out.

Yep.
Please with how the van drives.
Turning circle is rubbish, but I put that down to the van being FWD Sprinter.
Will probably keep for 3 years and then move onto an AWD version.

 

[Wondering Star]

FWD and RWD both 6m but with difference wheel base length.
RWD has a higher loading height, 50kg less payload but a far smaller turning circle.
A FWD Sprinter has been described as having a turning circle of an oil tanker.

 

[soulstyledevon]

FWD and RWD both 6m but with difference wheel base length.
RWD has a higher loading height, 50kg less payload but a far smaller turning circle.
A FWD Sprinter has been described as having a turning circle of an oil tanker.

Yep, agree with that.
At least it’s decent enough on fuel and has the extra payload.
But the obvious upgrade would be a Grand Canyon S.
The 2025 vans look good. I’ll give it another 2/3 years and see what Hymer do with that.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Yep, agree with that.
At least it’s decent enough on fuel and has the extra payload.
But the obvious upgrade would be a Grand Canyon S.
The 2025 vans look good. I’ll give it another 2/3 years and see what Hymer do with that.

Do you think that the 4wd option is worth the considerable increase in cost and payload for it's functionality on a larger van? I love the look of the Grand Canyon S but it's serious amounts of cash and it's also over 3.5t.

I have my doubts but that said I've not yet used my FWD MAN in the winter so I may well have a very different viewpoint then

 

[Wondering Star]

Yep, agree with that.
At least it’s decent enough on fuel and has the extra payload.
But the obvious upgrade would be a Grand Canyon S.
The 2025 vans look good. I’ll give it another 2/3 years and see what Hymer do with that.

What are you getting MPG, is yours 9 speed auto?

 

[Peter84]

Besides the turning circle, how would you compare driving it compared to the VW T5/T6? Also curious about mpg.

Quite interested in a Sprinter or crafter based camper with a pop-up roof.

 

[wildslammer22]

Do you think that the 4wd option is worth the considerable increase in cost and payload for it's functionality on a larger van? I love the look of the Grand Canyon S but it's serious amounts of cash and it's also over 3.5t.

I have my doubts but that said I've not yet used my FWD MAN in the winter so I may well have a very different viewpoint then

IMO these tricked out AWD Sprinters make a lot more sense in the US (where there is a huge aftermarket in off grid up grades). They have thousands of miles of open dirt track to explore. Here in the UK there is very little off road terrain that is accessible by an almost 3m high van, in fact some of the regular lanes in the SW, Wales etc would be a white knuckle ride in the £120k Hymer! You could actually argue that the AWD and bigger tyres etc can give a false sense of security & tempt some to try things that are beyond the limit of the van or their driving experience as seen recently by that poor couple in Spain who rolled their Hymer ML-T.

It’s a big premium to pay for a bit of extra confidence on wet grass campsite pitches and a small increase in manoeuvrability. The aesthetic is beguiling though!


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[Barry Chuckle]

Besides the turning circle, how would you compare driving it compared to the VW T5/T6? Also curious about mpg.

Quite interested in a Sprinter or crafter based camper with a pop-up roof.

I'm comfortably getting 35mpg on a long journey from my MAN TGE 180 which I'm pleased about. It's done less than 1000 miles so I'm hoping that will increase marginally when the engine is run in. I reckon if I drove it like a nun I could even push that up to near 40 mpg!

 

[Defender90]

I'm comfortably getting 35mpg on a long journey from my MAN TGE 180 which I'm pleased about. It's done less than 1000 miles so I'm hoping that will increase marginally when the engine is run in. I reckon if I drove it like a nun I could even push that up to near 40 mpg!

that's amazing for a big van my swamper cali struggles to get 30mpg

 

[Barry Chuckle]

that's amazing for a big van my swamper cali struggles to get 30mpg

That was on a long run and I don't really go much over 65 due to the wind noise. I've only got standard tyres I wonder if that makes a big difference.

 

[Wondering Star]

I'm averaging around 25/26 mpg fully loaded 3800 kg from a Hymer Sprinter RWD with all terrain tyres.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I'm not sure but from what I read all terrain tyres on bigger alloys will reduce the mpg to low 30's. But still getting above 30 even tootling locally. Not sure if the Crafter/MAN are supposed to be slightly more economical than the Sprinter?

 

[soulstyledevon]

@Barry Chuckle @Wondering Star
33.6mpg yes 9 speed auto.
The adaptive cruise has been exceptional over on the mainland. Especially on the single lane Swiss roads where you can follow a vehicle for miles at a set distance. The van will brake and accelerate when necessary.
It also has the speed monitoring functions which flashes the road speed on the dials. I find this really useful on roads I’m not familiar with.

@Peter84 to answer your question.
I think it drives like a 150 California van. It’s quick enough through the gears. Although, on the motorway the engine keeps pulling. I was at 92mph last week through France and hadn’t realised quite how fast I was going.

It will wheel spin on big gradients, similar to my 204bhp California.
So, yes AWD would be a nice addition, but most people could live without it.
I’ve never been stuck in any of my Calis.

@wildslammer22 the Canyon S is a fair bit more. But it has some really nice extra touches on the camping side, plus the AWD capability.
I will probably consider one in a few years time.
The Canyon S Cross Over is the really big beast. The Canyon S is a great middle ground van.

 

[Jimmylondon07]

All set to go and pick up my new GC from Breeze tomorrow. A year to the day since I collected my Ocean in fact, how’s that for spooky timing?

Here’s hoping for better luck this time.

That Ocean is cursed I swear, got about twenty miles from Breeze and someone went in to the back of us!! Thankfully only superficial damage and Breeze were great about it, but f*ck me…good luck to the next owner is all I can say.

GC safely back home and parked up on the drive. Time for a stiff drink.

 

[wildslammer22]

That Ocean is cursed I swear, got about twenty miles from Breeze and someone went in to the back of us!! Thankfully only superficial damage and Breeze were great about it, but f*ck me…good luck to the next owner is all I can say.

GC safely back home and parked up on the drive. Time for a stiff drink.

View attachment 127138

View attachment 127139



View attachment 127141

A few whisky’s and a set of bronze wheels and that GC will soon be a bit of a looker!


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[Billylou]

Interesting storage options. I like it.

Malibu genius - Malibu Wohnmobile & Vans

THE MOTORHOME VAN:THE NEW MALIBU GENIUS. THINKING BEYOND THE LIMITS OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE. 6,41 mvehicle length From 3.5 tgross vehicle weight 2lengthways single beds with lying length of 2 m 6,41 M COMPACT VEHICLE LENGTH THANKS TO INNOVATIVE REAR EXTENSION WITH UP TO 1,400 L STORAGE-SPACE...

www.malibu-carthago.com

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Interesting storage options. I like it.

Malibu genius - Malibu Wohnmobile & Vans

THE MOTORHOME VAN:THE NEW MALIBU GENIUS. THINKING BEYOND THE LIMITS OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE. 6,41 mvehicle length From 3.5 tgross vehicle weight 2lengthways single beds with lying length of 2 m 6,41 M COMPACT VEHICLE LENGTH THANKS TO INNOVATIVE REAR EXTENSION WITH UP TO 1,400 L STORAGE-SPACE...

www.malibu-carthago.com

Doesn't look quite like anything I've seen before! Ticks a lot of boxes, wonder how much it'll be?