Coronet Prince 2006 Review

By Greg Williams

A foldaway double bed, three bunk beds, separate shower and toilet, large lounge, four-burner stove with a huge oven and full-size fridge: it doesn’t sound like a 21-footer, does it?

This van belongs to Andrew Phillips, co-owner of Regency Caravans in Bayswater, Melbourne, and it’s pretty obvious that it was designed by someone who knows what he wants in a van.

Andrew has been in the caravan business for 27 years. He sold his firm ADP Caravan Services just over a year ago and joined Ken Clarke in Regency Caravans. He says the experience he gained from nearly three decades of repairing caravans has given him a good insight into caravan design – including what can go wrong and how to avoid it.

This particular model is his family caravan but it’s up for sale so he can have another one built. If it was real estate, it would be sold as a ‘builder’s own’ house.

“I specify to the factory what I want,” he says. “Mine’s the only one in that colour and that shape.”

So why does he prefer custom-designed and built vans? He says his experience has given him a good insight. “You know if a corner needs strengthening,” he says, or where something is likely to break. “It’s good to know, that’s why I do this – I know what the customer wants.”

Andrew, who has revived the Coronet brand, took a twin-axle Coronet Prince and customised it for his family’s needs. Firstly, he moved the door from the rear to the front, and with it the kitchen.

In kitchen you begin to notice the difference – it isn’t bigger than usual for a van this size, but through clever use of space he has fitted all the comforts of home. The first thing that hits you is the 280L Kelvinator fridge: it’s the kind that wouldn’t look small in your house.

Next to the fridge on the offside is the four-burner stove with oven underneath, and to the left of that, surrounded by a decent amount of bench space, is the large, deep sink. A Sanyo microwave oven sits above the fridge. “Why do you need such a large fridge?” I ask. “It’s a family van,” Andrew replies. It would be just the thing for Christmas at the beach.

The downside is that the van only has a single 100 amp hour battery and no inverter, but the fridge keeps its cool very well and what is frozen will stay frozen when you plug it into mains power at the end of the day. It wouldn’t take much to add an extra battery or two, a few solar panels and an inverter. Lighting is 12V and there are plenty of 240V powerpoints.

The other interesting thing about this caravan is the double bed. When travelling and when not in use, it folds up against the wall; when it’s down, it covers most of the lounge. Getting it down is really easy – just remove the cushions from the seats, turn a single catch on the wall and lower the bed, which has an innerspring mattress.

Andrew says it’s so easy to set up or fold away that his children, aged 9, 11 and 13, get into arguments over whose turn it is.

When the 6ft 2in x 4ft 6in (1.87m x 1.36m) in bed comes down it reveals another window, but this area isn’t starved of natural light without it. The children’s sleeping quarters are at the rear in the form of a triple-bunk. Andrew says he isn’t selling because the kids have outgrown the bunks. He says the beds are the same length as the double bed – 6ft 2in. They just don’t look it. Each bunk also has its own window and halogen light.

The toilet sits right behind the offside wheels, and the wheel arch does get in the way a bit, but having a separate toilet in a family caravan more than makes up for it.

A wash basin sits between the toilet and shower, and because this area doesn’t get much natural light – there is a mirrored dressing table with drawers and lockers where the rear window would normally go, plus a skylight.

The caravan has an AM/FM/CD player stereo and there is space for a TV.

Plenty of thought has gone into the interior and the special needs of a family. For a start the drawers, cupboards and lockers are solid with push-button catches. The walls are insulated and have a polyester surface, which means any mud, dirt or cooking stains will just wipe off, as will Blu-Tak stains if the children want to really make themselves at home and put up their posters.

The 21ft 6in (6.55m) Coronet Prince sits on a Supagal chassis with load-sharing suspension and 10in electric brakes. The wheels are 14in heavy duty Sunraysia rims with a Ford pattern, and they sit under neat looking spats.

On the nearside are a 12V exterior light and a Bargman handle light, a Dometic rollout awning above that and a Dometic air-conditioner sits on the roof.

Two 9kg gas bottles are at the front and there’s an extended padded pebble guard. At the back are a full bumper bar, a spare wheel with cover and  huge LED tail-lights.

The Coronet Prince has a Camec triple lock security door and the windows, on powder-coated frames, easily wind out. The Prince has two 60L water tanks.

Overall it’s an impressive caravan for $48,990, with very clever use of interior space.

So why is he selling? Are the children outgrowing the van? Not really, says Andrew. “I like big vans. Before I had this one I had a 28-footer. I’m going back to a 28-footer to give us more room. I don’t mind towing a big van.”

For more information on this particular van and the Coronet range, contact Regency Caravans, 120 Canterbury Road, Bayswater, (03) 9761 5388.