Coromal Excel 546

To the FORE

Brisbane-based City Caravan Centre's Mark Glencross is a keen golfer. How do I know this? Well, in the first instance when we lifted the tailgate of Mark's LandCruiser tow vehicle, there was a bag of golf clubs, and secondly, when considering a photo location, Mark immediately suggested his local golf club.

What does that have to do with the subject of this article, a Coromal Excel 546 pop-top? Not much, except that if you are keen golfer, then the Excel can certainly be used for touring golf courses!

With an ATM of 1790kg and a towing height of just over 2m, the Excel pop-top is eminently suitable for towing by a wide range of vehicles, including Falcon and Commodore sedans. Indeed, the LandCruiser was overkill as the Excel doesn't require a large club to get a good drive length.

A LITTLE MORE
An interesting feature of the Excel is that although it is clearly pitched at the budget section of the market, it does come standard with a Knee leaf spring-based independent suspension system for the tandem axles. So even when getting off the smooth of the green, the Excel still has a stable ride.

Above the suspension, the chassis is box section SupaGal steel and the body frame is extruded aluminium that has the quite characteristic Coromal-style aluminium cladding riveted and glued to it. Above the body, the pop-roof is full length, which gives the impression that the style of the van is short, but full height. All the windows are tinted glass hoppers, except for the one at the rear nearside, which is a slider. The door is the somewhat familiar Camec triple locker.

Up front, the boot has a moulded lid and has been designed to hold the 9kg gas cylinder. There's still space for other items like the power lead, hoses and any awning fittings but maybe not the golf bag.

Part of the boot space is also taken by the vented battery box, which holds the 110Ah deep-cycle battery. With the gas cylinder in the boot, that leaves the drawbar looking quite empty except for the normal features like the ball coupling, jockey wheel, handbrake and mains pressure tap.

LIVING
Raising the roof is a matter of unclipping the corners and stepping into the clubhouse to elevate the roof. Once inside, a layout is revealed that's certainly good for a family but equally can be used comfortably by a couple who take the grandchildren away occasionally. At the rear, there is an island double bed. In front of that, the kitchen bench sits mostly along the nearside, with a small cabinet on the offside. Taking up the front is a multi-functional lounge and dining area.

In terms of ventilation, there are large screened windows on each wall of the gusset, in addition to the opening windows in the main body. All the latter have full curtains and nets. Given that there are no bulky full height cabinets for the bathroom or wardrobe, the Excel has quite an open feel about it.

Starting at the forward end, there's a lounge that goes across the front of the van, down the side and in to the middle again - much like an elongated U shape around the table. So there is seating for four or five people, or two in comfort. Fitting in between the end of the front lounge and the entry door is a small cupboard that has a slide-out pantry in the lower half.

In addition to that, above the front lounge seat, which can be used as a bed, there is a second bunk bed that folds out from above. It's quite a neat little piece of design, and the table can still be used without too much trouble. Lighting in this area consists of a ceiling-mounted light and one reading light fitted to the rear end of the lounge.

SPLIT KITCHEN
For those who are keen on on-course catering, the galley offers a Smev four-burner cooktop/grill next to a stainless steel sink/drainer with a Dometic 90L fridge underneath. The sink has 12V pumped water and a hand pump.

The galley doesn't have great deal of benchtop area and the storage consists only of two cupboards (one with an inbuilt drawer) and a small overhead locker. However, opposite, and fitting between the lounge and bedroom areas, is a cabinet that offers more cupboard space, benchtop area and a microwave. On the model I reviewed, the optional split system Heron air-conditioner fitted above the latter.

At the rear of the Excel, the double bed has windows on either side and is surrounded by a bedhead of side wardrobes and floor lockers. Additional bedroom area storage is provided by the under-bed area and the foot-of-bed cupboards. There are powerpoints on both sides at the foot of the bed, along with an offside TV antenna connection and 12V sockets. Illumination is supplied by a ceiling fitting and two halogen reading lights.

Looking at the scorecard on the Excel 546, it's one without too many handicaps and designed to give a good run down the fairways.

I WOULD HAVE LIKED

City Caravan Centre,
4006 Pacific Highway, Loganholme, Qld 4129
(07) 3801 1477
www.citycaravancentre.com.au

For more information, including your nearest dealer, contact:
Coromal Caravans,
(08) 9352 0900,
www.coromal.com.au