Queen's 1989 song might have been written for motorhomers. “I want it all and I want it now.” Well, good luck with the ‘now’ bit because new vehicle delivery times are the longest this industry has ever known. It seems increasingly true that buyers really do ‘want it all’ –3.5-tonne models that aren't subject to the speed and licence restrictions of heavier ’vans, but with all the spec and comfort of a big motorhome. Oh, and, of course, a garage and sufficient payload to use it…
German premium brand, Frankia, has long excelled in the ‘heavy’ sector, with its rear-wheel drive Mercedes-based Platin being a paragon of fully equipped luxury. But not everyone wants, or is able, to drive an eightmetre, 5.5-tonne vehicle. So, back in 2020, Frankia introduced the Neo, a low-profile vehicle that could be driven on a standard car licence.
This, however, is a marque famed for its A-classes, so it was inevitable that a Neo MI would follow (the I meaning integrated, the German for A-class). Crucially, too, the M means that it's still a Mercedes that underpins the newcomer, albeit here in front-wheel drive form (like almost every other Sprinter-based motorhome), and with a special version of Al-Ko's low-frame chassis.
Going FWD saves weight and this is a more compact, seven-metre motorhome, but building a vehicle that still feels
