Michael Browning•31 Jan 2017

REVIEW

Coronet FS3 Series II

Coronet’s new 20 footer is top of the pops

With a raised roof length of more than five metres, Coronet’s new FS3 Series II is Australia’s largest pop top caravan. In its latest 2017 iteration with several significant innovations, it’s arguably also one of the best when it comes to spacious bitumen cruising.

None of this should surprise avid Australian caravan industry watchers, as over the past 26 years under the guidance of industry journeyman Andrew Phillips and, more recently, with former CTIA Victoria chief Peter Wright by his side to manage marketing, CoronetRV has become one of Australia’s leading pop top practitioners.

Over the past five years, 75 per cent of Coronet RV production has been pop tops, which goes against the industry statistics as a whole, where they account for around one in four or 25 per cent of combined caravan/pop-top sales.

There are a number of reasons why customers prefer their pop tops, says Peter Wright, with a major one being storage.

Carports and garage heights vary considerably, but most offer 2300mm clearance unless they’re fitted with a roller door, in which case the clearance can be 100-150mm lower.

This means with a ‘clean roof’ travel height of 2270mm the FS3 Series II – like other Coronet pop tops – can be ordered carport friendly, although you’d need a fairly sizeable garage to swallow its full 7950mm travel length.

Coronet offer buyers the option of keeping the overall height of their pop tops low by offering a ‘clean roof’ option, whereby things like the solar panel and TV antenna are removed and replaced with portable units, such as a 120W portable solar kit and an A-frame-mounted Satin TV antenna, which saves around 100mm in overall height based on 15-inch wheels and an overlay axle on regular leaf spring suspension.

And if air conditioning is optioned, it’s then a modular split system unit, with the condenser located under the bed instead of the roof.

BIG TOP TO POP

The other benefit of getting all this gear off the roof of a pop-top is that it makes it lighter and hence easier to erect. And with a big lid like the one on the FS3 we have just reviewed measuring more than five metres in length, that’s a serious consideration.

As it was, the pop-top on the prototype FS3 Series II we sampled needed a sturdy shove to erect, but aware of this, Coronet has since reduced the thickness of its fibreglass construction from 2mm to thinner 1.6mm material, so hopefully this has solved the problem.

Another reason people prefer pop-tops is that they generally offer more headroom for taller users and this was certainly the case with the generous 2050mm internal height of the FS3.

Reduced wind drag is another reason many people also cite for their choice, but in our experience the fuel saving benefits are generally quite small and will be greater for smaller than larger tow vehicles. Let’s just say that the savings are not large enough to make this a prime consideration.

On the debit side of the ledger, pop tops are usually more expensive than caravans, due to the extra strengthening required for the walls and the extra time taken to build them. In Coronet’s case, the equivalent caravan model is up to $2000 cheaper.

NEW INTERNAL FEATURES

In use, pop tops generally take longer to set up than caravans. In most cases you need to unlatch the top from the outside, while also flicking the awning switch to ‘Open’ if you have the popular roll-out type like the large Carefree unit fitted to the FS3.

Coronet are also addressing this by developing new interior latching for the roof, so if it’s pouring down when you stop, you simply need to flip the awning switch and the rest of the set-up can be done inside.

Another area where most pop-tops are inferior to caravans is their inability to offer a true separate bathroom, as the privacy divider is usually a folding piece of vinyl.

Coronet have overcome this in a very elegant way on the FS3 with a new version of its solid privacy door. Once you raise the top, a solid ply panel section with a cut-out for the top of the door rises on a hydraulic strut to form a flush seal with the roof.

The hinged upper door section is then lifted into place and locked in position by a sliding bolt. It’s all very neat and gives the interior of the FS3 a very finished caravan look.

The other major area where the FS3 breaks new ground is with its full thickness lightweight plywood wall construction.

Unlike composite wall panels used by many other caravan builders, the 18mm CNC-cut panels produced in one single piece from AutoCAD drawings by Melbourne specialist Worthington Industries have no inner foam core, but are instead clad with 3mm thick fibreglass on the outside and lined with further ply on the inside to form a 25mm thick wall section.

The advantage to CoronetRV over a foam core panel is that interior furniture and other fixtures can be attached anywhere, whereas with foam composite panels designed attachment areas have to be predetermined before wall construction to insure that timber in included in the panel.

The advantage for the buyer is that any changes can be accommodated much later in the build process, with Coronet saying the panels reduce the build time from bare chassis to delivered caravan to as little as eight to 10 days.

According to Coronet there’s little or no increase in van weight in the process and with the six-metre long FS3 weighing in at a relatively modest 2062kg, that would seem true. While foam core panels might appear to offer more thermal insulation, the zip-open flaps in the pop-top vinyl curtain dispel any trapped hot air quickly once the lid is raised.

The other advantage of these wall panels is that the external finish can be either traditional two-tone (white/silver) Camec SF10 aluminium cladding or Worthington’s one piece flat finish glass fibre sheet.

The review van had the latter, with a black finish on the lower body sides accentuating its length and without the exterior top latches and its clean rear panel achieved by mounting the spare wheel vertically on the A-frame, it looked particularly smart.

SUPER STORAGE

Another unusual and welcome feature of the Series II FS3 is its capacious exterior storage space, with a slim front boot and A-frame stone tray supplemented by a full through-the-body front tunnel boot and a cavernous side locker rear of the tandem wheel set, large enough to stow a generator.

It’s just as well, as the combination of the pop top’s ducted air conditioning and new combined Swift 12-volt water and space heating accounts for about half the useable space under the lift-up queen bed.

To make the space even less useable, the flexible ducting and the heater’s fittings are exposed, so any objects bouncing about in this area could cause some damage. Some re-packaging and partitioning is needed here to maximize this space.

Otherwise the FS3 SII is fairly straightforward in its layout. You enter via the front/centre door with its built in step to find a light filled interior, with its feeling of quality enhanced by gloss flat pack cabinetry.

The step is important here as it forms part of an additional support for the pop top opening, with an additional 5mm steel plate fixed to the chassis behind it, while extra wall buttressing adds further stiffening of the structure.

The bedroom is on your left, flanked by huge windows, bedside and overhead cupboards.

The L-shaped lounge releases more space in the centre of the van, as along with seating for four it provides plenty of space for two people to move around the kitchen opposite. The space saved by this lounge arrangement also allows a large storage cupboard to be located on the ensuite wall.

COOKING COVERED

The kitchen offers excellent bench space to the left of the single bowl stainless steel sink and drainer, with the four-burner Swift cooktop to the right.

Thanks to the lower pop top walls, the NCE microwave is located at a sensible height, next to a twin barn-door cupboard that houses the head unit for the van’s standard Fusion entertainment system and the monitor that displays the FS3’s main power switch.

Also monitored here is the level of its twin 92-litre fresh water and standard 62l grey water tanks, the status of its 105AH AGM battery, the input from its standard 150W roof-mounted solar panel, plus two 12V outlets, main fuse and switches for the hot water system.

The Coast to Coast internal 240V Plug & Play wiring system allows numerous power point locations and thanks to the van’s solid wall construction, it’s easy to locate others to suit personal preference.

PRIVATE SHOWERING

We’ve covered the unique privacy door arrangement to the ensuite and beyond the wall it’s just as inviting, with good room around the Thetford china bowl toilet, central vanity and large fiberglass shower pod to the right.

The other really impressive thing about this van is the long list of standard inclusions. Its combination of fresh and grey water, battery and solar power management makes the van an easy free camper, while its spacious layout and pop-top headroom and ventilation make it suitable for long-term travel in hot areas.

The only real limitation to where you can take it is its tandem leaf spring suspension, relatively small ground clearance and long rear body overhang, but if you think these could be a problem, specify a higher-riding and more rugged Coronet ‘XT’ model in which you can get similar features, but with thicker main chassis and A-frame members and trailing arm independent coil spring suspension.

Now to the bottom line. An FS3 5950 Series II pop top with traditional aluminium two-tone cladding that’s standard on this model will cost you $59,400. However, while official pricing for the smooth fibreglass cladding will not be announced until the upcoming Victorian caravan show, expect to pay around $1200-$1500 more for this more modern and more hail-resistant exterior finish.

This would take the price of the review FS3 to less than $61,000 ex-Melbourne, which is still very keen for what you get in this versatile and attractive touring model.

WE LIKED:

>> Unique construction

>> Novel ensuite privacy door

>> Large kitchen bench space

>> Excellent storage.

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Better shielding of under-bed appliances required

>> Limited ground clearance

VERDICT

With its novel wall construction, new latching system, caravan-like bathroom privacy, loads of storage space, roomy interior and many thoughtful standard features, the Coronet FS3 Series II makes a strong case in favour of large pop top caravans for extended touring.

CORONET FS3 SERIES II 5950 POP TOP

Travel length: 7950mm

External body length: 5950mm

External body width: 2440mm

Travel height: 2360mm (includes folding TV antenna – deduct 90mm for a ‘clean’ roof)

Interior height: 2050mm

Tare weight: 2062kg

ATM: 2612mm

Ball weight: 199kg

Body: Worthington full thickness lightweight plywood walls with fibreglass exterior seamless cladding

Chassis: 100mm x 50mm G&S Duragal

Suspension: Tandem beam axle with leaf springs

Brakes: Al-Ko 10-inch electric

Stability Control: Al-Ko ESC standard

Wheels: 15in alloy

Fresh water: 2 x 92L

Grey water: 62L

Battery: 1 x 105Ah deep cycle

Solar: 150W roof-mounted

Air-conditioner: Finch modular

Hot water: combined Swift air/water heater

Gas: 2 x 9kg

Cooking: Four-burner gas/electric Swift cooktop and grill

Fridge: 184-litre Thetford three-way

Microwave: NCE

Toilet: Thetford China bowl cassette

Shower: Separate fibreglass cubicle

Lighting: LED

Price: $60,600 (approx.) ex-Melbourne

Options fitted: Seamless smooth fibreglass exterior cladding (estimated $1200).

Supplied by: Caravan Country, Bayswater, Vic

More info: Coronet RV

Coronet FS3 Series II

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