Rick Huckstepp•21 Jul 2016

REVIEW

Adria Coral

New Euro-built motorhome blends clean lines with a versatile layout

So, you want to travel the highways without any discomfort, put your feet up when you finish another day at the wheel instead of messing around setting up and would rather not tow something behind you…

Sounds like you might be a contender for a Coral A 660 DU, the first Australian-delivered motorhome model from Adria, which builds RVs in the small European nation of Slovenia, some of which are distributed in Australia by Apollo Campers.

Built on a Fiat Ducato cab chassis (more on the machinery later), the shell of the home is clean cut both in lines and finish.

Side walls and roof are constructed from structural sandwich panel with hail resistant FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic) exterior and breathable, kiln-dried plywood interior. Insulation is a combination of XPS styrofoam and EPS styropor (expandable polystyrene), adhered to the floor, walls and roof.

Flooring is structural sandwich panel with breathable, kiln-dried plywood lower and upper layers and an insulated core.

The nose cone is impact resistant ABS which should be handy when getting under low foliage, and the general finish is polyester sealed FRP.

Inside, the living area can sleep up to six people and importantly, can be set up to suit personal tastes and ease of transition, day to night and back again.

The dining suite collapses into a double bed while the rear double bed rebuilds into a club lounge. This dining suite/double bed layout would be a likely option if visitors preferred not to sleep in the bunk above the cabin.

However, setting up in bed mode will severely restrict access to the refrigerator which is located forward of the entrance door on the near side. With the bed changed to a dining suite, access is much better with easy passage in and out of the driving cab, between the comfortable seats with fold-away armrests.

While this type of armrest is rarely seen on cars and passenger vehicles, they’re quite common in flat bed heavy trucks used for long hauling around the country and provide excellent back support.

The 12V system is secured below the most forward dining seat and consists of Waeco’s Perfect Charge system wired to a 100Ah deep cycle battery. The water pump and associated plumbing is located under the opposite seat.

Two 4.5kg gas bottles are simultaneously connected in a nearside external compartment and can be shut down there but gas line isolation valves are also located in a lower hatch in the kitchen cabinet module -- handy for fast shutdown if there’s a gas leak or fire!

Thetford’s Duplex oven and grill combination is recessed into the front of the kitchen module under the single bowl sink. The sink and the gas cooker range in the benchtop have the same stainless steel base which is handy if anything boils over as it can be flushed straight to waste easily.

We also liked the way the gas burners were set back against the wall leaving bench space in front for food preparation; not a lot of space but well-designed all the same.

Drawer space is abundant under the bench and a pair of large cupboards is situated overhead with another pair located over the dining suite.

A short wardrobe located next to the kitchen will also double as bench space during a big cook-up and above this the wall mounted TV swings in an arc for viewing from multiple angles.

The bathroom and shower are separated but within the one module, divided by an opaque shower cubicle door. A big opening window with privacy blinds will ventilate the bathroom and a round vanity basin sits over a roll blind shutter that opens sideways to reveal a large storage area within.

The Thetford, electric flush toilet has a swivel bowl and the shower cubicle while not overly big, offers sufficient elbow room thanks to a plumbing module that tucks tight into one corner.

With the rear lounge in ‘bed’ mode the mattress sits hard up against the rear and side walls, which have three large windows fitted with privacy blinds, insect screens and fabric curtains.

There are also three large cupboards that run along the top of the rear wall and a ventilation hatch with screens is situated above the bed.

In ‘entertainment’ mode, once the bedding is removed the centre pops up on a spring-loaded steel trestle, with the bed cushions used for back rests.

The 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the Fiat Ducato base vehicle offers maximum torque of 400Nm and up to 130kW power, coupled to a six speed Comfort-Matic automatic gearbox.

As we’ve noted previously, it’s not the smoothest transmission on the market. As it runs up through the six gears there’s an abnormally long pause or lag as the box transitions to the next gear. The same again when kicking down under acceleration. The transition is smooth enough but it’s something you need to adjust to.

Power-wise the motor home performed well and you won’t have any problem overtaking slow coaches on the open road. Cornering was stable too, with minimal body roll.

Looking underneath you might wonder how a vehicle with a tare of 3500kg can handle well on a pair of leaf springs with just two leaves in each set; obviously the Al-Ko air bag system (with gauges located at the base of the passenger seat) is working a treat!

Being built in Europe, where the emphasis is on reducing weight wherever possible, it’s no surprise the Adria Coral is around 400kg lighter than similar-sized motorhomes built in Australia, allowing for around 300kg more payload by comparison.

The Coral has an optional towbar capacity of 2000kg whereas similar Australian motorhomes can offer up to 3000kg. However, in all likelihood most small four-cylinder vehicles likely to be ‘A-framed’ behind this type of Motorhome will weigh under two tonnes.

VERDICT

You could do a lot worse than climb into a Coral for your regular getaways. It’s sharply priced and appears to be built well on the proven and popular Fiat cab chassis with airbag suspension promising a forgiving ride.

Once you get your head around the pregnant pause between gear changes, the machinations of this motorhome and the comforts in the back should serve you well.

ADRIA CORAL A 660 DU

Overall length: 3.379m (24’6”)

External body width: 2.37m (7’10”)

Travel height: 3.13m (10’3”)

Internal height: 2.09m (6’10”)

Tare: 3500kg

GVM: 4400kg

Body/frame: FRP sandwich panel with insulation

Chassis: Steel

Wheels: 16in

Brakes: ABS (anti-lock brakes), EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)

Stability control: ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Program)

Sleeping positions: 6

Seat belted positions: 6

Cooking: Three-burner cook top with separate oven and grill

Microwave: 25-litre (900W)

Fridge/freezer: 190-litre three-way

Toilet: Thetford cassette swivel bowl

Shower: Yes

Air-con: 2.4kW reverse cycle ceiling mounted

Central heating: No

Gas: 2 x 4.5kg

Lighting: LED

Batteries: 1 x 100Ah with 25A charger

Solar: No

Price as reviewed: $129,990

Supplied by: Adria Australia, Brisbane, Queensland

Adria Coral

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