Which base vehicle?

"I think if you buy a MH based on the base vehicle alone you are limiting yourself severely as to choice, best to get the layout and features you want/need then if you have a choice of base vehicle choose from there."

You're absolutely right there, MT, but the thread is about our perceptions of the best base vehicle which is why the discussion has centred around that aspect. As I said earlier, it is the whole package that makes us buy or not.👍🏻

I questioned the choice of base vehicle a looong time ago. I know I'd prefer a Merc based vehicle than a French or Italian based. 

"Knaus are building on MAN base vehicles for some of the range next year. "

Michael, thanks for that, I inadvertantly wrote Iveco for this piece of news earlier....yes, a departure for the mainstream at this price piont.

i also mentioned the Crafter, which is being used by a few PVC converters.....with it being (as near as dammit) the same size as the Merc (although now no collaboration) I wondered if we will see these filter in to small/mid sized Coachbuilts....

but, as you say, one could choose a MH by base vehicle but this might add constraints....

for instance, if MAN got your juices flowing, it would be a Knaus or nothing in the mid range with MAN being used much further up the price range by other converters...

of course, if the Ducato is still seen as a darn good MH base (which it is by very many, customers and converters) the choice is as wide as it could be...

i haven't reallly thought much about any new revelations in the base unit market as we are very happy with the our conversion and the base.

OH and I would agree on that one TW, ours has been great. We occasionally used Sprinters during our working life, they were very reliable and good workhorses. We are pleased to be using one as a base vehicle at the moment. If we ever change we will certainly miss it, others just don't come up to the same standard. However other base vehicles do the job so to me if you like the habitation design and the engine is in good shape it doesn't really matter. 

We miss the Sprinter, Brue, but the Peugeot does the job in a less refined way. At the end of the day, we can only buy what’s available. 🙂

We were looking at the smaller Hymers as a possible replacement for our caravan. I rather liked the idea of the Mercedes sprinter base. However, the roughly similar Fiat model has 140 kg more payload. As we are wanting to keep below 3.5 and not upgrade ( which is possible ) this is an important factor in our decision.

Generally you choose a van because you like the lay out and the base is secondary unless there have been issues with other users. Our earlier Peugeot had problems and we were glad to part company with it although we liked the interior design of the living area. Peugeot have fixed these problems now. So the age of any type of van might be an important factor, considering whether the engine workings have been improved etc. One thing I forgot to mention about Mercedes is the cab insulation, it is very good.

The MAN TGE beng used by some converters is actually a VW Crafter. I wasn't aware also that the older Crafters were pretty much the same as a Sprinter. VW and MAN have now broken away from Daimler and the new TGEs and Crafters are all VW designed and built.

The chassis is also important so it seems. We were looking at an Autotrail Imala today which I understand is built on the standard Fiat chassis and was surprised how high it was to climb into compared to our Bailey on the Al-Ko chassis. One advantage is that once in the motorhome  the floor is level throughout  even into the cab area.

David

David, yes certainly an advantage, but the extra height of the chassis (not the vehicle) might make you feel the van swayed a little more than on your current al-ko.

some vans use a low chassis but then build a second raised floor to give a full flat living area..it's this feature, and the depth of the floor that allows some vans to site a full sized bike garage beneath a rear island bed (and these days even below a rear lounge) yet maintain a normal overall height...mainly seen on continental vans.....I know this is hard to grasp when looking at the very low height storage provided in most UK vans.

it's all in the chassis configuration.

Then you get the advantages of low chassis handling, the fully flat floor, internal double floor service storage for water tanks, heating and plumbing pipework and extra across the van storage for longer items.....and of course, better insulation. 

i believe the rear wheel drive Merc doesn't allow the same floor depth as the front drive Sevel units, even when from the same converter..

so, as you say, the type of chassis bolted to the rear of a cab (and the Sevel comes with a variety of types) can make a difference to how the van rides, the overall height, the usability inside and the extra storage it can (or cannot) provide....

good luck with your search.....is it single beds, you're after?

I guess it's not a garage version.....though, with just two easy wide steps up, they are simplicity itself to access, and give so much more storage for bikes etc.....

so, could they be at the rear (made from a rear lounge?) or the front (with rear washroom?)....