Eber123
Top Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
Hello,
I thought that there should be a finale (last) update of the camper vehicle change. Maybe it is from interest for some people who are in the same process of changing the camper.
After about 3x weeks, a few nights and 2,000 km I feel there are so much pros and cons and differences between the vehicles that it is difficult to report all of them or the review them in a structured way. So let me start with the positive side of the Hymer B-MC T 680:
Driving
Yes, the Hymer is bigger and heavier but the driving experience with the Sprinter is very good. Is it much better than the Crafter? - no, but it is very smooth and relaxing. Happy with that.
Storage
Here the Hymer shines. In the GC 600 I struggled to find space for the most important things, but in the Hymer there is certainly more than enough of it.
The Garage is brilliant. At the moment I get the 2x folding e-bikes in it. In the New Year I will see that I can add a shelf for 3x or 4x Euro boxes, space for the spare tire and all the other necessary equipment. The good thing is that in the garage everything is locked away and alarmed.
Hymer build
In my opinion the workmanship is good. Everything is working as it should be.
Sleeping
We always slept well in the GC 600, but the length wise beds are better - no doubt about that.
Weight
With the GC 600 we always struggled with the weight. On longer tours we were always heavier than the 3.5t.
Now we have a Total Mass of 4.5t, which is more than enough. Even when I fill up the freshwater tank (180l) and put everything in (for instance the e-bikes) we still won't reach the 4.5t.
Now let's talk about the things that maybe aren't that good:
Weight
Even though this is an advantage, it is also a disadvantage. Obviously it has impact in where we can go (for instance roads not allowed over 3.5t), Maut, speed etc. Well, there is no such thing as a free meal, I guess.
Mercedes
As to be expected there are a few niggles.
Coming back to the Hymer
We are happy with the layout and design of the Hymer inside, with one exception and that is the toilette.
My wife and I were enchanted by the thought of the separated toilette and shower and the possibility to setup a combined "bathroom". The shower is ok (actually the shower won't stop after 30x as in the GC 600), but the toilette is to small. For an elderly, every so slightly overweight male (
) it is to small. Full stop. Ok, it is possible to setup the little bathroom which gives more room, but I think it is not practical all the time.
So if you plan to change to a different camper .. check out the toilette and / or bathroom.
Overall the change was a huge journey for us, with a positive outcome. If somebody plans something similar and has questions that they believe I can answer please don't hesitate to contact me.
Hazel (Hymer)
Eberhard
I thought that there should be a finale (last) update of the camper vehicle change. Maybe it is from interest for some people who are in the same process of changing the camper.
After about 3x weeks, a few nights and 2,000 km I feel there are so much pros and cons and differences between the vehicles that it is difficult to report all of them or the review them in a structured way. So let me start with the positive side of the Hymer B-MC T 680:
Driving
Yes, the Hymer is bigger and heavier but the driving experience with the Sprinter is very good. Is it much better than the Crafter? - no, but it is very smooth and relaxing. Happy with that.
Storage
Here the Hymer shines. In the GC 600 I struggled to find space for the most important things, but in the Hymer there is certainly more than enough of it.
The Garage is brilliant. At the moment I get the 2x folding e-bikes in it. In the New Year I will see that I can add a shelf for 3x or 4x Euro boxes, space for the spare tire and all the other necessary equipment. The good thing is that in the garage everything is locked away and alarmed.
Hymer build
In my opinion the workmanship is good. Everything is working as it should be.
Sleeping
We always slept well in the GC 600, but the length wise beds are better - no doubt about that.
Weight
With the GC 600 we always struggled with the weight. On longer tours we were always heavier than the 3.5t.
Now we have a Total Mass of 4.5t, which is more than enough. Even when I fill up the freshwater tank (180l) and put everything in (for instance the e-bikes) we still won't reach the 4.5t.
Now let's talk about the things that maybe aren't that good:
Weight
Even though this is an advantage, it is also a disadvantage. Obviously it has impact in where we can go (for instance roads not allowed over 3.5t), Maut, speed etc. Well, there is no such thing as a free meal, I guess.
Mercedes
As to be expected there are a few niggles.
- The passenger side seat heating didn't work. That was fixed by Mercedes
- The Mercedes key is most of the time not recognised , not fixed by Mercedes
- And here is the most annoying, but not important thing, the Traffic Sign Assist won't work in ROI.
It works in Northern Ireland, but not at home. The dealer updated the MBUX software, did some checks, but they don't know why it won't work.
Mercedes Ireland said the reason why it won't work is because the MB Sprinter came from the UK and because of this the Traffic Sign Assist does not work in Ireland. That might be, but I struggle to believe that. From where does the MB Sprinter knows that her home is now in Ireland? Does that mean that all the MB Sprinters that travel from London to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Paris etc won't have a working Traffic Sign Assist in those countries? My wifes VW T-Roc's Travel Sign Assist work in ROI (well, of course because we bought it here), but it also works in Northern Ireland.
Coming back to the Hymer
We are happy with the layout and design of the Hymer inside, with one exception and that is the toilette.
My wife and I were enchanted by the thought of the separated toilette and shower and the possibility to setup a combined "bathroom". The shower is ok (actually the shower won't stop after 30x as in the GC 600), but the toilette is to small. For an elderly, every so slightly overweight male (
) it is to small. Full stop. Ok, it is possible to setup the little bathroom which gives more room, but I think it is not practical all the time.So if you plan to change to a different camper .. check out the toilette and / or bathroom.
Overall the change was a huge journey for us, with a positive outcome. If somebody plans something similar and has questions that they believe I can answer please don't hesitate to contact me.
Hazel (Hymer)
Eberhard
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