Ninian Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi, Anyone who has one of these on "A" class van any info regarding power, milage fuel consumption acceleration etc much appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian0354 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Ninian - 2013-12-07 6:54 PM Hi, Anyone who has one of these on "A" class van any info regarding power, milage fuel consumption acceleration etc much appreciated. Thanks. Hi Ninian, What year and engine type chassis are you asking about? There have been autos on the old "Bremen Transporters" and three series of the Sprinter each with different engines and all available at some time with A class camper bodies. If you could give better info you stand an increased chance of getting replies that give the details you ask for. For our current Hymer, B550 Starline, 2.7 engine with 156BHP and the Sprintshift gearbox gives up to 28MPG on a longish run whereas our previous Hymer, which was a B640 Starline built on the first series Sprinter with the 2.9 5 cylinder engine which had a 4 speed auto along with 129 BHP gave a best of around 24MPG. Both these Hymers were 3500kg GVW. We have never found power or performance wanting in any of our travels which include many miles driving in mountains of the Pyrenees and German/Austrian alps. Like all Motorhomes MPG figures will vary with driving style and speed, we don't rush anywhere and generally cruise at about 55MPH. Our first A class was a Hymer 655 built on the old Bremen 4600kg chassis with the 2.9, non turbo, engine but that one was fitted with a manual gearbox and the least said about performance the better! However she always got you there. In summing up, we have always been very happy with the Mercedes chassis and would highly recommend the autos and although some people find the Mercedes ride a bit soft and roily most A class built on Mercedes have beefed-up and stiffened suspension. We would advise a good test drive to make sure it suits your needs. HTH, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninian Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi, Thanks for your reply, I think its the 2.2 150 BHP engine, Rapido 891M 2013 model. The dealer has changed his site and the details were not available. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian0354 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Hi, I'm afraid I have no knowledge of that engine/gearbox but hopefully other forum members will be along soon and able to advise you more. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 We had an A class Rapido 987M with cruise control and a sprintshift box, never a problem. We did what we did for 6 years and enjoyed it. What was the cost, not a clue, the aim was to enjoy its use. I never consider mpg or acceleration or indeed any other travelling costs, it all depends on how its used and whether you have a tail wind and how much weight you carry. If you have heavy feet, race through the gears and 'drive' right up to a corner before braking hard you will use more fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Ninian - 2013-12-07 9:37 PM Hi, Thanks for your reply, I think its the 2.2 150 BHP engine, Rapido 891M 2013 model. The dealer has changed his site and the details were not available. Thanks. It's possible to download Rapido's technical brochures going right back to Year 2000, but not English-language ones. This is the 2013 French-language listing http://www.rapido-camping-car.fr/pdf/fr/Rapido-GT-2013.pdf and Page 11 indicates that the standard motor for a 891M model was the Euro 5 bi-turbo 4-cylinder 2143cc powerplant. Output was 163bhp at 3800rpm, with 360Nm/265 lb ft of torque from 1400rpm-2400rpm. The 891M was offered with a 3500kg or 3880kg overall weight. 'Empty Weight' was quoted as 3130kg (+/- 5%), so payload would not be generous with the 3500kg chassis. The weight penalty for the automatic transmission option was 40kg. The automatic transmission used for a 2013 891M would be the 'traditional' type, with torque converter, and (I believe) 5 forward ratios. On-line comments suggest that drivers might not always be happy with the gear-change points when in fully-automatic mode (more ratios needed?), but manually selecting gears is possible. Realistically, given the size/weight of an 891M, you should expect to average mid-20s mpg. Acceleration should be adequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxsdad Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Bought our 891M new in March 13 it is the 3ltr 190BHP engine with seven speed auto gearbox and 3880kg chassis factory upgrade. Drives like a dream and getting even better the more we use it, done about 3k miles at the moment and getting around 22 mpg mainly on local country roads with some dual carriageway, only thing that worries me slightly is the engine excess which is very restricted. Off to Spain in February which should give it a good try out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 We bought a Rapido 900M in November its a 2.2 Manual box, now its loaded with all our stuff it feels like it has all the power it needs . I too asked about power and consumption before I bought it , just to have some kind of idea of running costs compared with what we had, as some said if your concerned about running costs its best left in the drive. have a look on this site it will give you all the other relevant information, you don't say what make or Model of Motorhome you are considering, which may get you a more direct reply, If I was going for an Auto box I would consider the 3 litre Engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 One thing to note is that the Mercedes auto is a 'true' auto in that it uses a torque converter to transfer the power. Many other makes use a manual gearbox with a computerised clutch to make the changes. These are popular but as can be discovered from another thread, may have slow up changes and even slower downchanges when you are driving. The torque converter is slightly less efficient on fuel but as some have mentioned, in the greater scheme of things a mpg here or there is not so important. The latest Mercedes auto is connected to a 7 speed box so I guess that finding the correct ratio will be very unlikely. If I was buying a new motorhome and could afford the premium then the Mercedes would be my choice every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Dave, if you have 7 gears instead of 5, is it not more likely that you will find the correct ratio? Up changes should be really smooth as long as the box can keep up :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninian Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Hi, The van I looked at was an 891m Rapido 2.2 150BHP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Sorry failed to leave web site link , which is here. if you click on the year your interested in on the left hand side it should bring up the brochure for that year good luck,http://www.rapido-motorhome.caravan-motorhome-help.co.uk/RAPIDO_Brochures_/RapidoTechData_2009_pdf__Bro/rapidotechdata_2009_pdf__bro.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 bolero boy - 2013-12-20 3:41 PM Dave, if you have 7 gears instead of 5, is it not more likely that you will find the correct ratio? Up changes should be really smooth as long as the box can keep up :-) Ooops, typo error. I mean to say 7 gears should make finding the right ratio very easy, o something along those lines. Back to the whisky. My current auto car has 6 gears and I can only tell when it has changed by looking at the rev counter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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