A Class Motorhome

For my thruppence worth we hated our 21 plate Pilote A class , the only benefit compared to a coachbuilt was a wider cab
Big Downside for me was No exit door next to the driving position .
Visibility was poor in certain situations or difficult road junctions
And the over cab bed meant you had to duck every time you got into the drivers seat .
I must banged my head as many times , just couldn’t get used to it .
We have now ordered a new coachbuilt
 
Neil S said:
For my thruppence worth we hated our 21 plate Pilote A class , the only benefit compared to a coachbuilt was a wider cab
Big Downside for me was No exit door next to the driving position .
Visibility was poor in certain situations or difficult road junctions
And the over cab bed meant you had to duck every time you got into the drivers seat .
I must banged my head as many times , just couldn’t get used to it .
We have now ordered a new coachbuilt
Click to expand...
We’re the totally opposite, mines LHD so I have a door, I’m only a shorta##e, so I don’t bang my head, but agree on visibility with the coach mirrors, especially on the continent!! We love our A Class, I’d be reluctant to go coachbuilt again👍
 
eddievanbitz said:
Oh and a windscreen will cost thousands and may take months to get hold of, along with mirrors and light units

But, in balance you loose a cab door
Click to expand...
Windscreen on insurance(y) and the only one I had for a fairly rare A class was from stock in the UK, light units are very often standard Hella units, and yes you loose a cab door(y)
 
Neil S said:
For my thruppence worth we hated our 21 plate Pilote A class , the only benefit compared to a coachbuilt was a wider cab
Big Downside for me was No exit door next to the driving position .
Visibility was poor in certain situations or difficult road junctions
And the over cab bed meant you had to duck every time you got into the drivers seat .
I must banged my head as many times , just couldn’t get used to it .
We have now ordered a new coachbuilt
Click to expand...
This is where we will all differ

Our Autotrail C class had a very cramped and low, imo, cab and i’d bang my head more or less everytime I sat in the drivers seat from inside the hab area. 3 years owning it you’d have thought i’d learnt lol.

Our C class had no overcab bed either whereas this A class has a motorised bed which I can very nearly stand under and at 6ft talk is fine for me

This cab is very light and airy, and compared to the C class bordering on spacious, it’s chalk and cheese for me, losing the drivers door tbh is no problem, infact probably a bonus as the gas locker sits where the door should be so space saving in other areas.

Horses for courses but the first few months of ownership and it’s the A class winning the races atm, that could all change, who knows as never say never but for now it’s just bloody great 😉

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eddievanbitz said:
Only disadvantage is in a crash your more likely to die in a non crash tested fibreglass box with no reinforcement or crumple zones

On the positive, the cab seats turn right round 👍🏻
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Did you mean it's a positive so it's easier to get your remains out after the crash given the beginning of the reply!!!!
 
Unfortunately a Frenchman died in his motorhome, I can't believe they cut the side out of it. 🙄
We have had c class a class and two panelvan conversions and the panel van are probably safer. 🤔🙂 Bob.

Screenshot_20220505-151916_Chrome.jpg

 
Just been to our first music festival of the year (five to go🤪)in our first ever Van a Burstner A class And we loved it ! Having always been in tents the joy of just turning a key and driving away without having to pack a tent etc 😄😄😄bliss.
what we noticed was we were the only A class there and the majority of the other vans were putting up awnings,pop up roofs etc,it then rained all day Sunday (at a music festival in UK who’d of thunk it🤪)we had no worries about drying stuff and with just a bit of slipping on wet grass as we set off for home we both agreed it had been the best experience for comfort we had had at a festival.
 
The Wino said:
Did you mean it's a positive so it's easier to get your remains out after the crash given the beginning of the reply!!!!
Click to expand...
OK I currently have an A Class camper. Our new one is on a 4 x 4 MAN Chassis and is a profile conversion.

I am looking forward to the sort of things that I now am used to in my cars, silly things like lights that turn round corners when steering, heated steering wheel, automatic rain sensing wipers, lane assist, automatic anti-collision breaking system, Zennon Headlights lots of "stuff"

The list price of my current van is circa £160K about twice that of the van we have ordered, so one reasonably assume that the current one is twice the van the new one will be, but it isn't. It is an amazing van, and I am just about to go to Spain for Six weeks and to be honest, sat on a beachfront pitch, jacks down, both slidesouts, out, automatic self supporting awning covering the slide out drinks cooler I have no doubt that some will look at us and wonder why? Lyn and I now use our ebikes all the time, we now are looking for little CL's and Pub stops that allows us to cycle some amazing trails, and a big A Class camper isn't the best thing for an enquiring and adventurous trip into the B roads.

So many people get pissy when I explain that the motorhome industry is a cottage industry. There are no main stream motorhome manufacturers in Europe, except the VW Grand California, the rest are converters. There are small converters like Wissel (best conversions I've ever seen BTW) and there are big converters such as Hymer who are owned by the Thor group the Worlds largest motorhome Company, and everything in between, buying vehicles designed fundamentally for the delivery market (the biggest market) Ford, Fiat, Mercedes and the various derivatives

If we build the bit on the back we call it a C Class and if we cut the crumple zones off as well (Wings, Bonnet and Scuttle) we call it an A Class. When you think that Ford and make a Transit and with engineering tolerances the 1st off from the production line is identical to the 1000th off the productions line in every aspect and in our industry we can't get any two the same, irrespective of whether it is built by "Ike and Tyke" "Uup Norf" or "Adolf & Yohan" in Germany or Bill and Ted in the States!

The space in an A class is great, I shall miss it, I have as I posted earlier have worked out I have ordered seven of my fifteen motorhomes as A Class, if the lay out is right, its suits, not just to say to some one "I have an A Class!!

And finally, yes, I would far rather have a crash in my new camper, with its front and side airbags, door impact bars, and automatic braking, crash testing and crumple zones that I would in any A class that I have ever seen, and I have seen more than most!
 
Last edited:
eddievanbitz said:
OK I currently have an A Class camper. Our new one is on a 4 x 4 MAN Chassis and is a profile conversion.

I am looking forward to the sort of things that I now am used to in my cars, silly things like lights that turn round corners when steering, heated steering wheel, automatic rain sensing wipers, lane assist, automatic anti-collision breaking system, Zennon Headlights lots of "stuff"

The list price of my current van is circa £160K about twice that of the van we have ordered, so one reasonably assume that the current one is twice the van the new one will be, but it isn't. It is an amazing van, and I am just about to go to Spain for Six weeks and to be honest, sat on a beachfront pitch, jacks down, both slidesouts, out, automatic self supporting awning covering the slide out drinks cooler I have no doubt that some will look at us and wonder why? Lyn and I now use our ebikes all the time, we now are looking for little CL's and Pub stops that allows us to cycle some amazing trails, and a big A Class camper isn't the best thing for an enquiring and adventurous trip into the B roads.

So many people get pissy when I explain that the motorhome industry is a cottage industry. There are no main stream motorhome manufacturers in Europe, except the VW Grand California, the rest are converters. There are small converters like Wissel (best conversions I've ever seen BTW) and there are big converters such as Hymer who are owned by the Thor group the Worlds largest motorhome Company, and everything in between, buying vehicles designed fundamentally for the delivery market (the biggest market) Ford, Fiat, Mercedes and the various derivatives

If we build the bit on the back we call it a C Class and if we cut the crumple zones off as well (Wings, Bonnet and Scuttle) we call it an A Class. When you think that Ford and make a Transit and with engineering tolerances the 1st off from the production line is identical to the 1000th off the productions line in every aspect and in our industry we can't get any two the same, irrespective of whether it is built by "Ike and Tyke" "Uup Norf" or "Adolf & Yohan" in Germany or Bill and Ted in the States!

The space in an A class is great, I shall miss it, I have as I posted earlier have worked out I have ordered seven of my fifteen motorhomes as A Class, if the lay out is right, its suits, not just to say to some one "I have an A Class!!

And finally, yes, I would far rather have a crash in my new camper, with its front and side airbags, door impact bars, and automatic braking, crash testing and crumple zones that I would in any A class that I have ever seen, and I have seen more than most!
Click to expand...
Totally agree and I wasn't getting at your post it just struck me the way it read was a bit like when we were out sailing last weekend and there was a discussion on clipping on when it's choppy one view was if it drags you under it just makes it easier to retrieve the body!
Ours is a coachbuilt c class probably safer than an a class but you have to wonder where all the tat behind us will end up if we crash.

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The Wino said:
Totally agree and I wasn't getting at your post it just struck me the way it read was a bit like when we were out sailing last weekend and there was a discussion on clipping on when it's choppy one view was if it drags you under it just makes it easier to retrieve the body!
Ours is a coachbuilt c class probably safer than an a class but you have to wonder where all the tat behind us will end up if we crash.
Click to expand...
I was sailing last weekend in the Solent and didn't lol
 
For those in the front two seats, I suspect that the majority of the crash protection comes from the van derived chassis floor and the engine crumple zones, which are the same no matter which vehicle you get. Side impact might be marginally worse in an a-class, but most of the force will still go through the floor if you're being t-boned by something low like a car. Your biggest asset in most crashes is a motorhome weighs lots more than most other vehicles, so you won't lose as much inertia. Just try not to hit a concrete pillar! I bet a significant danger is probably furniture and accoutrements that come flying into the cab from the back in a bad crash.

If you are travelling in the back though... don't expect a 5 star NCAP experience...
 
Guigsy said:
For those in the front two seats, I suspect that the majority of the crash protection comes from the van derived chassis floor and the engine crumple zones, which are the same no matter which vehicle you get. Side impact might be marginally worse in an a-class, but most of the force will still go through the floor if you're being t-boned by something low like a car. Your biggest asset in most crashes is a motorhome weighs lots more than most other vehicles, so you won't lose as much inertia. Just try not to hit a concrete pillar! I bet a significant danger is probably furniture and accoutrements that come flying into the cab from the back in a bad crash.

If you are travelling in the back though... don't expect a 5 star NCAP experience...
Click to expand...
Surprising then that the industry is running scared of crash testing then isn't it ;)

A friend of mine that is in the business had two 40Kg Staff's asleep in the read bed when he clipped a milk lorry on the Totnes Road, the last thing he remembered before he died was watching them projected out through the windscreen, followed by pretty much everything else in the back of the van, then sadly the homemade (converters) wing mirror went through his head

The next thing he remembers is hearing the Ambulance drivers say, don't worry about him, he's obviously dead, the women is moving!!

It took him a few minutes to be able to make a noise as the wing mirror had gone in one side of his head and out the bottom of the other side "clamping his mouth shut"

It seems he "didn't die after all!

His telling of a tale that is now an anecdote but scary for all concerned at the time

John went on to order a "better" A Class as a replacement, again, his words not mine!
 
Bloody hell,, ,

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eddievanbitz said:
OK I currently have an A Class camper. Our new one is on a 4 x 4 MAN Chassis and is a profile conversion.

I am looking forward to the sort of things that I now am used to in my cars, silly things like lights that turn round corners when steering, heated steering wheel, automatic rain sensing wipers, lane assist, automatic anti-collision breaking system, Zennon Headlights lots of "stuff"

The list price of my current van is circa £160K about twice that of the van we have ordered, so one reasonably assume that the current one is twice the van the new one will be, but it isn't. It is an amazing van, and I am just about to go to Spain for Six weeks and to be honest, sat on a beachfront pitch, jacks down, both slidesouts, out, automatic self supporting awning covering the slide out drinks cooler I have no doubt that some will look at us and wonder why? Lyn and I now use our ebikes all the time, we now are looking for little CL's and Pub stops that allows us to cycle some amazing trails, and a big A Class camper isn't the best thing for an enquiring and adventurous trip into the B roads.

So many people get pissy when I explain that the motorhome industry is a cottage industry. There are no main stream motorhome manufacturers in Europe, except the VW Grand California, the rest are converters. There are small converters like Wissel (best conversions I've ever seen BTW) and there are big converters such as Hymer who are owned by the Thor group the Worlds largest motorhome Company, and everything in between, buying vehicles designed fundamentally for the delivery market (the biggest market) Ford, Fiat, Mercedes and the various derivatives

If we build the bit on the back we call it a C Class and if we cut the crumple zones off as well (Wings, Bonnet and Scuttle) we call it an A Class. When you think that Ford and make a Transit and with engineering tolerances the 1st off from the production line is identical to the 1000th off the productions line in every aspect and in our industry we can't get any two the same, irrespective of whether it is built by "Ike and Tyke" "Uup Norf" or "Adolf & Yohan" in Germany or Bill and Ted in the States!

The space in an A class is great, I shall miss it, I have as I posted earlier have worked out I have ordered seven of my fifteen motorhomes as A Class, if the lay out is right, its suits, not just to say to some one "I have an A Class!!

And finally, yes, I would far rather have a crash in my new camper, with its front and side airbags, door impact bars, and automatic braking, crash testing and crumple zones that I would in any A class that I have ever seen, and I have seen more than most!
Click to expand...
eddievanbitz

Unless I've missed it stop drip feeding and spill the beans. What are you getting?
 
I would sooner trust our 2005 A class in a crash as opposed to most of those paper/cardboard/ply rear coachbuilt thingies in a million years.
 
Al n Val said:
Recently changed our Autotrail Comanche to a Rapido I1090 Distinction

Totally different drive, more room, quieter, better build quality, better everything tbh

What type of help are you asking for ?
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As well as A Class there's also a big brand difference there.

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If you compare like with like (there are manufacturerrs who provide vehicles that are identical except one is A Class and the other is coachbuilt) then the differences are not many.

A Class:
  • Costs more
  • Looks better
  • Has wider cab
  • Front seats turn further round
  • No side pillars between cab and hab
  • Probably better visibilty
  • Plenty of room to reach handbrake in RHD versions
 
The Wino said:
Totally agree and I wasn't getting at your post it just struck me the way it read was a bit like when we were out sailing last weekend and there was a discussion on clipping on when it's choppy one view was if it drags you under it just makes it easier to retrieve the body!
Ours is a coachbuilt c class probably safer than an a class but you have to wonder where all the tat behind us will end up if we crash.
Click to expand...

Off Topic, but I have to jump in there; I sailed single-handed and when I needed a harness and clipped on it was with a shortened loop in the harness line. Single crew is no use in the water.

I had 'Jack stays' running the length of the deck - first modification, together with heavy 'D' rings at each hatch to clip on before emerging.
 
eddievanbitz said:
Surprising then that the industry is running scared of crash testing then isn't it ;)

A friend of mine that is in the business had two 40Kg Staff's asleep in the read bed when he clipped a milk lorry on the Totnes Road, the last thing he remembered before he died was watching them projected out through the windscreen, followed by pretty much everything else in the back of the van, then sadly the homemade (converters) wing mirror went through his head

The next thing he remembers is hearing the Ambulance drivers say, don't worry about him, he's obviously dead, the women is moving!!

It took him a few minutes to be able to make a noise as the wing mirror had gone in one side of his head and out the bottom of the other side "clamping his mouth shut"

It seems he "didn't die after all!

His telling of a tale that is now an anecdote but scary for all concerned at the time

John went on to order a "better" A Class as a replacement, again, his words not mine!
Click to expand...

Eddie

That story confused me a bit.

The thread is about 'A' Class but the wing mirror was from a 'homemade (converters).

Also you referred to crash testing. AFAIK no crash testing includes 40 kg dummies in the rear bed. Their body weight alone could have dislodged the furniture. Did those persons survive, uninjured?

John went on to order a "better" A Class, but the subject vehicle was not an 'A' Class.

Was the whole story a wind-up? Not like you.

I just need to get the story straightened out, please.

Geoff
 
eddievanbitz said:
Oh and a windscreen will cost thousands and may take months to get hold of, along with mirrors and light units

But, in balance you loose a cab door
Click to expand...
Windscreen cracked on mine and was sourced and replaced within 3 weeks.

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Al n Val said:
What was the claim for, just a windscreen? and yes I know an A class screen can’t be fixed by the roadside, I did take this into consideration before purchasing and as there are 1000’s of A class motorhomes driving the world over, didn’t let it put me off
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Given that screens are laminated they rarely need to be replaced at the time the damage is done.
 
nicholsong said:
Eddie

That story confused me a bit.

The thread is about 'A' Class but the wing mirror was from a 'homemade (converters).

Also you referred to crash testing. AFAIK no crash testing includes 40 kg dummies in the rear bed. Their body weight alone could have dislodged the furniture. Did those persons survive, uninjured?

John went on to order a "better" A Class, but the subject vehicle was not an 'A' Class.

Was the whole story a wind-up? Not like you.

I just need to get the story straightened out, please.

Geoff
Click to expand...
Staffs I think he meant Stafford dogs...?

Also why was it a pvc converter mirror surely it was the standard van mirror???

Poor guy never the less!
 
Folkranger said:
As well as A Class there's also a big brand difference there.
Click to expand...
I know that but the OP mentioned he has an Autotrail which we had, and asked for help regarding an A class which we have now, so I thought to help him as he asked for in a way I thought was appropriate
 

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