An integrated Boltzmann+hydrodynamics transport approach is applied to investigate the dependence of the mean transverse mass on the freeze-out and the equation of state over the energy range from Elab = 2–160 A GeV. This transport approach based on the Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) with an intermediate hydrodynamic stage allows for a systematic comparison without adjusting parameters. We find that the multiplicities of pions and protons are rather insensitive to different freeze-out prescriptions and changes in the equation of state, but the yields are slightly reduced in the hybrid model calculation compared to a pure transport calculation while the (anti)kaon multiplicities are increased. The mean transverse mass excitation functions of all three particle species are found to be sensitive to the different freeze-out treatments as well as to the equation of state. We find that the bag model equation of state with a strong first-order phase transition is in qualitative agreement with the experimentally observed step-like behaviour in the ⟨mT⟩ excitation function. The hybrid model with a hadron gas equation of state leads to an overestimation of ⟨mT⟩, especially at higher energies. However, non-equilibrium effects seem also to be substantial as is suggested by the comparison with standard UrQMD results.