Not sure what year you are considering, but according to my 2005 Hymer catalogue, the S740 was only built on a 616 chassis. The only S-class shown on a 416 is the S650.

The MIRO given for the S740 is 4,550 kg which would give you very little payload as the MAM of a 416 chassis is 4,600 kg I think. The 616 has a MAM of 5,990 kg.

Regarding economy, they both use the same engine. The X16 part refers to 160 bhp (or more accurately 156 bhp but rounded up). It is a 2.7 litre 5-cylinder common rail turbo diesel. Used in 316 / 416 / 616.

Hope this helps.

Philip

 

Before making any decision I would get a weigbridge ticket showing the various axle weights when loaded with however many people you intend taking and a full tank of fuel.

You may well be surprised at how little payload you have available. 8O 8O

I have (til its traded in against an Autotrail Dakota next week) a '97 Hymer B544. The previous owners added an awning, a towbar and some chequer plate to the roof. That left me with sod all (and I mean SOD all) avaialble payload left. :? :?

I went on a weighbridge loaded for holiday with me and the missus, full tank of fuel, no water, a bit of food and the privacy room I was 200Kg over on rear axle (thats 4cwt in old weights)

I have not weighed it since emptying everything out but the pile I have in my garage does not weigh 200Kg Thats why its going to be traded in next week!!

Be VERY sure of the available payload you will have. Dont take anyones word for it, (least of all a dealer unless he has a weight ticket to back it up)

The ONLY safe option is to check it for yourself. Most weigh bridges charge under a tenner, getting caught by the "Nice??" men from VOSA being over weight will cost you hundreds.

I am not trying to frighten anyone but it is very easy to be overweight without realising it, especially on older vehicles.

 

Thanks JeanLuc and MrPlod. Looking at mobile.de the s740 is out there on both the 416 and 616 (about 50/50) on the 11 that were on it last time I looked. Possibly the option was dropped for 2005 onwards JeanLuc as the younger ones all seemed to be the 616.

As regards payload, I am looking at the s740 as it supposedly has a 1400kg payload (in the 616 edition). I wanted a big payload as we will be touring 6mths at a time through all climates and will need to be prepared for many eventualities.

Can anyone help? obviously the payload is less on the 416 (but might be suffient) what other considerations need I be aware of.

Again thanks in advance Dick

 

Without the exact tech specs, it is hard to work out the potential payload on a 416 chassis. However, I think an S740 on that chassis is likely to have pretty minimal payload. See my comments above re the MIRO of the S740 on a 616 chassis. Allowing for the fact that the 416 base is lighter than the 616, you will get more than 50 kg (otherwise no passengers!). But the S-class are pretty heavy beasts. Comparing Starlines with S-Class of similar length, the MIRO can be around a tonne more for the S-Class.
One other thought. The 616 chassis is equipped with an air-powered hand-brake. Sprinter manual hand-brakes are notorious for not applying a great deal of braking effect, yet the MOT requires that they can apply a certain stopping power for use in emergencies. The required effort is proportional to the MAM, so a heavier vehicle has to be able to apply more stopping power. My 316-based Starline (3.8 tonne MAM) just squeezed through its last MOT with an advisory to this effect (I'll have to get it adjusted before the next test). The tester said that in his view, anything over 3.5 tonnes really ought to be fitted with an air-brake. This might influence your decision.

Philip

 

You will get higher rated tyres, chassis and axles on the 616 but a lower final drive gear ratio. Our tardis is on the 616 and is more than capable of exceeding the speed limit by a good margin. Those who pass us (doing 90 KPH) with similar sized vehicles are in most cases having their fuel paid for by someone else!

Most people underestimate the weight of their accumulated clutter so the beast you are looking at on the 416 will have very limited payload.


C.

 

Brakes

You will get higher rated tyres, chassis and axles on the 616 but a lower final drive gear ratio. Our tardis is on the 616 and is more than capable of exceeding the speed limit by a good margin. Those who pass us (doing 90 KPH) with similar sized vehicles are in most cases having their fuel paid for by someone else!

Most people underestimate the weight of their accumulated clutter so the beast you are looking at on the 416 will have very limited payload.

C.

The 616 also tended not to suffer from poor braking unlike the 416.