Coronet FTR-6600 2022 Review

What's in a caravan name?

Plenty, if you ask Kevin Trotter, who ran Melbourne dealer Caravan Country for close to a decade before taking over the Coronet RV business in 2020.

While the Coronet caravans sold today at Trotter's Melbourne yard are vastly different to the original Bondwood Coronet vans that first hit the roads back in 1959, the name is still held in high esteem by many buyers, partly thanks to the good work of Victorian caravan repairer Andrew Phillips who built Coronet caravans at his Bayswater, Victoria factory for the best part of 30 years.

"Coronet has a name for quality, from the previous owners, but you still get that generation who stayed in a Coronet onsite van in a caravan park as kids and people want to know there's a bit of a history behind a brand, as well know you're not a fly by nighter," Trotter explained after we picked up one of the latest Coronet family vans from the Caravan Country yard for this review.

He said around 20 per cent of buyers of the latest 'Gen 3' vans are existing Coronet owners looking to 'trade up' into one of the new, feature-packed models.

"Repeat business is very big," Trotter said. "I've got some buyers who are on their fourth Coronet in 10 years. They often start off small and go big, and then go back to something smaller like a single axle that only weighs around two tonnes and is easier to tow.

"The foundations are still there with the quality and good service we provide, and I'm trying to continue on (Coronet's reputation) with the latest range..."

Old name, new features

The 2022-model 'Gen 3' Coronet range of full height and pop-top caravans are all built in Australia's caravan manufacturing heartland in Campbellfield, Victoria; available in both on- and off-road configurations and with 30 individual internal layouts.

Moving with the times, the latest Coronet vans are more off-road camping oriented than before, and there are plenty of options for the growing number of family buyers entering the new caravan market.

A prime example is the big 21ft 6in tandem axle review van which is part of Coronet's four model FTR (Family Trek) range, all catering for growing families with spacious four-berth ensuite layouts.

All four FTR floorplans boast a north-south walk-around queen bed up front, central dinette/lounge and kitchen, and twin bunk beds, washing machine and separate shower and toilet at the rear.

The FTR-6600-3-T model we're looking at here locates the kitchen along the onside wall, with a family-friendly L-shape lounge/dinette directly opposite.

The 2022 Coronet caravans come standard with silver ribbed aluminium cladding over an insulated Meranti timber frame, and with a 'semi-off-road' suspension set-up using with torsion bar or leaf springs. Buyers can pay more for more rough-road capable independent trailing arm coil suspension, or opt for the more modern looking, smooth Alibond composite walls fitted to the review van.

Taking it up another notch is an optional off-road pack that includes extra-cost items like a Cruisemaster D0-35 coupling, raised suspension, front toolbox, additional battery and solar panel, and a second 12V internal fan.

Outdoor living

While many buyers will be drawn to the home-away-from-home internal comforts of the 21ft 6in Coronet FTR bunk van, it comes fitted with enough external features as standard to make 'outdoor' camping a great option in fine weather.

These include a full width roll-out awning and twin onside LED lights, two external audio speakers, and a Ranger 'keyless' picnic table and all the required electrical sockets mounted on the onside wall to watch the supplied 24in TV outside.

There's also an external gas bayonet for connecting up a portable BBQ, while a reversing camera and locker for the outside hot/cold shower are mounted on the rear wall, above the three-arm bar supporting a single spare tyre.

The water tank fillers and mains pressure water connection are located along the offside wall, not far from the single chassis-mounted battery box.

The coupling is a standard 50mm ball unit, with enough space on the extended A-frame for two 9kg gas bottles and a firewood rack. There's only one external storage compartment -- an LED-lit tunnel locker -- but it's big enough to swallow plenty of 'outside' gear including a small BBQ or generator.

While its limited ground clearance will restrict how far off the blacktop you can tow it, the Coronet FTR family van can handle a bit of rough and tumble with its sturdy 6inch A-frame and chassis, 15in alloy wheels and all-terrain rubber, and black checker plate protection on all four sides. There's also some galvanised sheet metal protection for the underbody mounted poly water tanks.

The standard 180 litre fresh water and 80 litre grey water capacity, and single 105Ah AGM
battery and 170W glass roof-mounted panel, should be sufficient for some limited time camping away from civilisation, with a number of optional battery/solar upgrades available right up to an Enerdrive 400Ah lithium battery system with 800W rooftop mounted solar panels and inverter that would add around $10,000 to the price.

Room to move

One advantage the Coronet FTR family tourer has over more jacked-up off-road vans is there's no need for a pull-out entry step to get inside. We also liked the operation of the light but sturdy 'crim-safe' Milenco security door fitted to the review van.

While not a 'full off-road' van, Kevin Trotter said the latest Coronet vans boast solidly built furniture designed for rough road travel, including sturdy ball-bearing drawer runners and piano-style cupboard door hinges. Apart from some exposed timber under the bed, it all seemed nicely finished inside, from the Post Form laminated table and benchtops to the neatly stitched leatherette seat upholstery.

Sleeping arrangements are a highlight of this layout, with no need for a pull-out extension on the base for the comfy queen size coil spring mattress, while still providing enough space around the bed to avoid bumping into things at night.

A large roof hatch and screened and tinted windows surround the bed, with a Sirocco fan facing the bed as back-up for those warmer nights when you don't have power to run the roof-mounted air-conditioner.

The 'master' bedroom also comes well equipped with large bedside nooks with 240V/USB sockets, reading lights, half robes, cupboards and a drawer on each side, plus an overhead shelf and more cupboards above.

The lack of a front window also means you rest against the padded bedhead at night and watch the TV mounted on an adjustable arm that faces the bed.

The 'living' space around the kitchen and lounge-dinette is less generous, but the kitchen comes well equipped with a stainless sink and drainer, but not much food prep space unless you drop the hinged lid on the four burner gas/electric cooktop when not in use. A grille and oven provide other cooking and heating options, and there's a rangehood to keep the smells at bay.

There are also a few drawers and cupboards for plates, cutlery, utensils and larger pots and pans, along with a pull-out pantry for condiments.

The microwave is positioned around head-height, with more storage in a small locker above the 184 litre three-way fridge/freezer, that's directly opposite between the dinette and bunk area.

There's enough room on the well-cushioned L-shape leatherette dinette for four people to gather around the adjustable table with its fixed telescopic leg, and a few more storage options above and below the seats.

The kids should be pretty happy at bedtime too, with two good-sized bunks in the offside corner, including a built-in ladder, side supports and large foam mattresses. Each bunk also gets an opening and screened window, twin 240V/USB sockets and a reading light for good measure.

Around half of the wardrobe space along the rear wall is taken up by the 3.3kg top-load washing machine, but there are a couple of shelves above it for storing clothes, towels, bedding, etc.

Busy bathroom

Entry to the ensuite in the rear onside corner is via a solid door, with another solid door to the large fibreglass shower area which gets a 12V fan hatch.

The Coronet's designers have also managed to cram into the ensuite a vanity with ceramic bowl sink and mirror, towel rails, toiler roll holder, a small opening window, 12V roof hatch, and a cassette toilet, while providing just enough standing room outside the shower to towel off. We also counted seven small storage lockers for all your toiletries.

There are no complaints about the number of LED ceiling lights either, and if it all gets too 'hospital bright' or you want to save on battery power it's easy to switch of one or all of them using the wall switches. There's also a more calming blue light 'mood' option for some of the kitchen and ensuite lights.

The Coronet FTR family van misses out on one of the latest all-in-one digital display panels, but most of the electrics including switches, fuses, battery charger and water gauge, are neatly packaged and accessible in a locker above the dinette; not far from the stereo unit with its internal and external speakers.

Negatives?

The review van was also missing a sliding door or even a privacy curtain to block the children's sleeping area from the front living section, so you might need to fashion up something if that's an issue.

We spent a couple of cool Victorian wintry nights sleeping in the Coronet, and it didn't seem to hold in the heat for as long as some full composite vans we've tried, after we turned off the hot air blasting air-conditioner before going to bed. But that's typical of many timber-framed 'vans with their patchy polystyrene wall insulation.

While some might view it as drab, the on-trend 'natural stone' decor in the review van does a great job of hiding the dirt. Also on the plus side is the amount of floorspace and headroom throughout the van.

The Coronet FTR bunk van also offers a decent 600kg payload so there's less chance of over-loading it on big trips. With the water tanks full, the circa-2600kg van towed quite well up to 100km/h behind the latest Isuzu D-MAX dual-cab ute, with the AL-KO ESC fitted as standard providing a safety back-up.

Summing up

After spending some time with one of the latest 'Gen 3' Coronet caravans, it's fair to say the attention to detail and overall quality appears on a par, if not better than many of its Campbellfield-built rivals.

At just over $70K driveaway, it represents a lot of family van for the dollars, although the 'COVID tax' means you might have got some desirable options like coil suspension for a similar price if you'd bought one a year or two ago.

But the upside of fewer bulky off-road features on the Coronet van is that its fully loaded (ATM) weight is kept under three tonnes, making it easier and cheaper to tow behind any 3500kg tow-rated ute or 4WD wagon.

How much is the Coronet FTR-6600 family bunk caravan?

Price: $72,999 (drive-away Victoria)
Travel length: 8300mm
Body length: 6580mm (21ft 6in)
Body width: 2400mm
Travel height: 2900mm
Internal height: 2000mm
Tare: 2296kg
ATM: 2900kg
Ball weight (Tare): 204kg
Body: Meranti timber frame, aluminium composite cladding
Chassis:  150mm extended A-frame and chassis, Supagal steel
Suspension: Tandem leaf spring, beam axle
Brakes: 10in electric drum
Wheels: 15in FTP Chassis alloy with Suretrac Radial 235/75R-15 AT tyres  
ESC: AL-KO                                       
Water: 2 x 90L fresh water tanks, plus 80L grey water tank
Battery: 1 x 105Ah AGM
Solar: Roof-mounted 170W glass panel
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: 27L gas/electric
Cooking: Swift 500 3+1 gas/electric cooktop, grille, oven and rangehood
Fridge/freezer: Thetford 184L three-way
Microwave: Sphere 240V
Toilet: Thetford ceramic cassette
Shower: Full-height one-piece moulded fibreglass
Lighting: LED
Air-conditioner: Houghton Belair 3400 roof-top
Washing machine: Sphere 3.3kg top-load
TV: Myvi 24in LED with built in DVD player
Audio: Myvi CD radio with internal/external speakers
Supplied by: Caravan Country, Bayswater North, Victoria
More info: Coronet RV