Driving an A Class for the first time - Tips?

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Tony68000

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North Lincolnshire, UK
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84,074
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Rapido 999M
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Super Newbie
So, looking to get my money's worth from my MHF subscription today, yet another newbie question from me..

Soon collecting my A Class, 7.85m x 2.4m Rapido. Never driven one before. The closest I've come is a 7.5t rental truck that I took through London for an exhibition, my trucker friend took me to an office carpark at the weekend and we practiced parking, reversing, etc. He also taught me about 'markers' to know where the curb is etc.

The A Class is a little different, has a longer 'swing out' bit at the rear and a different driving position. I've seen YouTube videos, mostly about RV's, and they suggest little stickers for the windscreen and mirrors so you know where the edge of the road is, your pivot point, etc.

Any thoughts on all this? What's your top tips for getting started? My first drive will mostly be the A1 back to N. Lincs from Huntington, although happy to take a detour to try some other roads and manoeuvres. Should I add stickers and mark all my key points, or just wing it?

For reversing, I've got a reverse camera, but also invested (£20) in some walkie-talkies - I figure my wife could jump out and direct me using the radio. Either that or I just like gadgets...
 
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Emmit said:
Not wishing to be argumentative in the least but Mrs. Emmit commented on how, in our Burstner Aviano, there wasn't as much space between the two front seats as in our previous Coachbuilt.
As it happened, we were in the company of another Funster who had a Burstner Coachbuilt.
The space between our seats was noticeably less than in their Coachbuilt.

Now, it could be that the difference in 'gap' is because the coachbuilts I have referred to are on the lightweight chassis whereas our A Class is on a Maxi chassis. However, I have seen other A Classes with a wider gap than in ours.
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I was trying not to be argumentative as well and point out that some A class have the chassis extensively modified to take the whole dashboard closer to the front of the van and to place the seats closer to the sides, obviously I have failed.
 
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Tony68000 said:
Can you tell us more?
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Not really. A kit of four sensors for £14.00 on ebay connected to the live 12v feed via a switch in a spare hole on the dash. Took no more than two hours to fit.

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The front of the A class drops down much more vertically so once you have the measure of it relative to the windscreen it's easier. Get your wife to stand against the bumper at the two front corners and the middle so that you can see how close you can go. I have to turn into our drive and avoid a brick pillar. I now have it down to a fine art although my wife sometimes has an intake of breath as I swing round.
 
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Scotch mist said:
My best advice would be , take control of the road , going into tight roads with oncoming traffic I drive in the middle of the road to slow or stop the oncoming traffic as some drivers will see a small gap & go for it possibility causing an accident , make them realise there is a hazard ahead 🥺
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When on narrow B roads always take a little to be able to give a little , if you are already driving on the edge you have nothing to give and this will get you into trouble , don’t be afraid to move slightly over the white lines when on a real narrow road, it makes cars slow down and they will still have enough road space left, and always expect the unexpected so take the speed out of it, if after a blind bend you come across another wide vehicle , you want to be able to come to crawling speed or a stop without engaging panic mode, you need to let go of a car driving attitude and engage HGV driving mode ( not skip driving mode, they are “special” in the wrong sense of the word ) if you want to gain some confidence why not treat yourself to some HGV driving lessons? 2/3 lessons will do you a world of good to gain confidence driving a large vehicle.
 
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ivorantony said:
First thing I would do is measure the exact width/ Height/ Length including mirrors and print them to see through tape and stick them to the front and side windows as a easy way to remember,
Especially on full lock be mindful of the back swing,
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W/H/L essential - print them in both imperial and metric - we also include the tyre pressures. Fix ours to the back of the sun visor. On the other sun visor we have printed out emergency numbers breakdown etc
 
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Mirrors are your very best friend, the length of the motorhome is not an issue as the back follows the front (except if you have a long overhang which also might an issue) the critical points are the width and occasionally the height. Also be mindful of the weight and the emission category.

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Dutch 68 said:
When on narrow B roads always take a little to be able to give a little , if you are already driving on the edge you have nothing to give and this will get you into trouble , don’t be afraid to move slightly over the white lines when on a real narrow road, it makes cars slow down and they will still have enough road space left, and always expect the unexpected so take the speed out of it, if after a blind bend you come across another wide vehicle , you want to be able to come to crawling speed or a stop without engaging panic mode, you need to let go of a car driving attitude and engage HGV driving mode ( not skip driving mode, they are “special” in the wrong sense of the word ) if you want to gain some confidence why not treat yourself to some HGV driving lessons? 2/3 lessons will do you a world of good to gain confidence driving a large vehicle.
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Perfect sense. Thanks.
 
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For me its all about road positioning - if the right hand end of the air vent is in line with the white line I am about 12ins inside the white line and if the little hump on the wiper blade is in line I am bang on the white line. Obviously when its raining I use the vent option!
As for the left hand side (hedges/trees etc) I have Mrs C who lets me know in no uncertain terms if I am too close.

Reversing is fine as we have a camera and sensors - just need to take into accout that the camera points down so there may be tree branches to be wary of.
 
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paddymcc said:
The front of the A class drops down much more vertically so once you have the measure of it relative to the windscreen it's easier. Get your wife to stand against the bumper at the two front corners and the middle so that you can see how close you can go. I have to turn into our drive and avoid a brick pillar. I now have it down to a fine art although my wife sometimes has an intake of breath as I swing round.
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I fitted a camera in the front grill.

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Dutch 68 said:
you need to let go of a car driving attitude and engage HGV driving mode
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Does that mean drive up the arse of the vehicle in front, blast your air horn & flash your lights every time the vehicle in front slows for speed limits, then overtake above the speed limit and try and run the vehicle in front off the road.
Well that was my experience of an HGV driver behind me in the French Pyrenees a couple of weeks ago.
 
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Lenny HB said:
Does that mean drive up the arse of the vehicle in front, blast your air horn & flash your lights every time the vehicle in front slows for speed limits, then overtake above the speed limit and try and run the vehicle in front off the road.
Well that was my experience of an HGV driver behind me in the French Pyrenees a couple of weeks ago.
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You got idiots everywhere, my natural response to tailgaters is to slow right down but very slowly making sure they can’t overtake, then when they can overtake smile and wave 😇♥😆😎
 
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I too have noticed the gap between the seats narrowing or is it my bum widening :oops:
 
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You don’t need to put stickers for marker’s, I use the wiper blades ( when not in use of cause) to line up with kerb and center of road and because they’re straight , no width change after cab this makes them easier.
 
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Mr Colpot said:
For me its all about road positioning - if the right hand end of the air vent is in line with the white line I am about 12ins inside the white line and if the little hump on the wiper blade is in line I am bang on the white line. Obviously when its raining I use the vent option!
As for the left hand side (hedges/trees etc) I have Mrs C who lets me know in no uncertain terms if I am too close.

Reversing is fine as we have a camera and sensors - just need to take into accout that the camera points down so there may be tree branches to be wary of.
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That would make me nervous - I think it’s the same driving a normal car the brain works out the distances soon enough as an intuitive response.
Sorry that sounded a tad rude didn’t mean it to!

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Awareness of all three dimensions is the name of the game. Rear view cameras have their limitations as the very wide angle distorts the view. Hooray for Araldite and touch up paint.

My Compactline, which is a slimline A class anyway has a narrower gap between the seats than my previous slimline coach built that was practically the same width. I do have two big lockers beside me though.
 
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You mentioned filling up with diesel early on in your initial drive. Just watch that swing out when you leave the pumps. Leave a bit more room between you and the pumps and make sure your back end is clear before turning as you leave, and yes, don't feel intimidated by other drivers.
 
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Just had mine a week now and don’t find the overall driving any different, but I do find I have a massive blind spot where the A pilar is, more than in m6 coach built motor, just means I need to check twice when arriving at roundabouts, junctions etc
 
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Mr B said:
A class are wider than you think!!! Especially the mirrors lol
Nice big windscreen to see out of!!
Easy to drive after a few miles..
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just take it easy, and remember no i said no fast and loose. when you are ready let it go ,and here's hoping it will be great. ok.pj. ard-thee-best?
keep on trucking.
 
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ivorantony said:
First thing I would do is measure the exact width/ Height/ Length including mirrors and print them to see through tape and stick them to the front and side windows as a easy way to remember,
Especially on full lock be mindful of the back swing,
Click to expand...
great keep looking .ok pj.
 
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Littlewheels said:
Here is the best tip you will get……… taking into consideration your apprehension and that driving down a dual carriageway is unlikely to cause you any hardship the dilemma will come at low speeds in traffic when you will be under pressure so….. here’s the tip….. be selfish! Yes be selfish, only think of yourself don’t rush a manouver take it slow and steady,controlled.
In pretty short time your confidence will be strong and all will come naturally. Enjoy your experience.
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yes i agree ,be selfish, and take your time. you will win. i said. you will win. best of luck. ok.pj. now is the time
 
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