The Hymer B-Class is the full-integrated motorhome line of the German maker: vehicles whose body is built as one unit with the cab, rather than mounted on a separate chassis-cab. The line runs through several generations and is sold today as the B-Klasse CL and B-Klasse SL.
Hymer B-Class at a glance
| Maker | Hymer, Bad Waldsee, Germany |
|---|---|
| Class | full-integrated motorhome |
| Line name | B-Klasse (B-Class) |
| Earlier names in the same class | Mobil, S-Klasse, B-Klasse Classic, Business Line |
| Until 1988 | often Mercedes-Benz or Opel Blitz chassis, pointed grille |
| 1988–1992 | Hymer letters in the grille, brown and beige, Fiat Ducato I |
| 1992–1994 | white indicators, differently mounted mirrors, facelifted Ducato I |
| 1994–1996 | first white B-Class, Ducato II, lighter wood interior |
| 1998–2001 | four round headlights, the best-known generation |
| 2007 onwards | one-piece headlight units, Ducato III or Mercedes Sprinter |
| Chassis | mostly AL-KO on Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, Renault Master or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter |
| Today | B-Klasse CL and B-Klasse SL |
No Wikipedia article covers the B-Class on its own: the generation list comes from the Dutch article on Hymer, and the company history from the English and German articles, which are in effect a single source.
History of the Hymer B-Class
Before 1988: pointed grilles
Until 1988 the B-Class motorhomes were often based on Mercedes-Benz or Opel Blitz chassis and were recognised by a pointed grille. The line was already the integrated member of a range that also included alcove and semi-integrated models.
1988–1996: the Ducato years
From 1988 to 1992 the grille carried the letters Hymer and the vehicles were finished in brown and beige, with the three-stripe logo printed on the sides; the chassis was the first Fiat Ducato. The 1992–1994 model kept the body but gained white indicators and slightly differently mounted mirrors on a facelifted Ducato I. The 1994–1996 generation was the first white B-Class, on the Ducato II; one French model used a Ford Transit chassis, and the interior became more modern, with lighter-coloured wood.
1997–2003: four round headlights
The 1997–1998 model repeated the previous body with more modern decals, and from 1998 to 2003 it was produced as the B-Klasse Classic. The 1998–2001 generation is the best known of the line: the Hymer grille that had been a sticker became a real grille, the front carried four round headlights, and the chassis was the Ducato II with idTD and JTD engines. The 2001–2002 model looked the same but moved to the Ducato III chassis, which showed in oval contour lighting and triangular indicators instead of square ones.
2004 to today: CL and SL
The 2004–2005 models were more modern and more colourful, with very light grey side walls and grille; the B-Klasse Classic of 2004, built for one year only, had its own front with a protruding nose. From 2005 to 2007 buyers could choose white and grey, all dark grey or all dark blue. The 2007 model was completely new: two headlights were replaced by one integrated unit, set high on the CL and at grille height on the SL, the tail lights became three integrated waves, the walls were made thicker and the range grew. It used the Ducato III with new JTD engines and in some cases a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a CDI engine.
Design and features
- Integrated body: the body and the cab form one unit, the defining feature of the class.
- Chassis choice: mostly an AL-KO chassis on a Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, Renault Master or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
- PUAL walls: Hymer’s sandwich construction with an aluminium outer skin and polyurethane foam insulation, used from the 1980 season.
- Two trim levels today: the B-Klasse CL with its headlights high in the front and the B-Klasse SL with them at grille height.
- Long model history: the line spans pointed-grille vehicles of the 1980s and the current CL and SL.
Hymer B-Class versions
- B-Klasse Classic (1998–2003): the 1997 body built on under that name, with a one-year version of its own in 2004.
- B-Klasse CL: current model with the headlight unit placed high.
- B-Klasse SL: current model with the headlights at grille height.
- Business Line: an earlier name used in the same integrated class.
The B-Class sat above the alcove Hymer Camp and the semi-integrated Tramp, and it shared the range with the compact Hymer Exsis-I. The earliest Hymer motorhomes are covered by the Hymermobil article; more models are in the Hymer collection.
Sources
- Hymer, Dutch Wikipedia: B-Class generations, chassis, names of the integrated line
- Erwin Hymer Group, German Wikipedia: company history, PUAL construction
- Hymer, English Wikipedia: company and brands
