Verdict
With its functional, considered layout and good standard specification this is a great family ‘van, at the right price.
Pros
A relaxing lounge area and spacious, well laid out kitchen
Cons
Exterior looks too sharp and angular
Living
The Coral has a slightly wacky layout but after a few minutes of exploring, we reckoned it works pretty well. Our first thought was that the half-dinette at the front of the ’van was pathetically limited for a ‘van harbouring pretensions of sleeping six at night time. Although it seats five, this arrangement is more common in two-berth, low-profile, ’vans. It was only when we looked at the back that we saw a second dinette that converts into a third single bed. It’s a genuinely novel layout that makes good use of the available space.
So, the novel layout of the Adria works, but take some time on the forecourt to fully explore how it all fits together. The half-dinette works far more successfully as a lounge than a dining area, due in part to the excellent cab seats that form the leading half of the lounge and are the best place from which to watch the telly. The rear mini-dinette is probably a little too compact for adults, but as a dedicated space for kids it’s excellent and can be turned into a small sofa with minimal effort. For genuine lounging, as opposed to just relaxing around the dining table, it does a great job.
Kitchen
The kitchen is one that many studio flats would be proud of. The L-shaped configuration gives a good amount of worktop, with a corner area between the sink and the hob being to prepare meals. There is a recessed waste bin underneath a flush-fitting cover in that corner, too, which is handy for dumping your food preparation rubbish while you work. It can be emptied through an exterior locker door.
Elsewhere, there’s a massive cutlery drawer and thanks to the vertical storage cupboard under the sink, you’re never short of storage space. There is also an extractor fan, which is mounted underneath three roof lockers and two underslung aircraft-style storage lockers.
Across the aisle, a whopping 150-litre fridge/freezer provides plenty of storage for your family’s groceries, while the large Smev oven and grill above it means that this ’van could cope with a Sunday roast. Although the oven is pretty high up, we reckon most people would manage to cope with popping food stuffs in and out.
Washroom
The layout works well, due mainly to its wide shower access and spacious cubicle. However, there is no lighting around the shower area and no toilet roll storage. The lack of a rooflight limits daylight to that which manages to sneak in through the roof porthole and the opaque window.
Beds
In motorhomes without a fixed bed at floor level, the overcab can generally be considered the master bed. The Coral has slats underneath its overcab mattress. The dinette bed is around 1.8m long, by the time you take the intrusion of the chunky seat belt buckles into account.
The rear bunks have a single mattress which, with no bumps, is going to provide a good night’s sleep. The little occasional bed is tiny: it’s just 1.7m long and is a mere 60cm at its narrowest point. As an occasional bed, though, it’s a handy to have.
Storage
There’s plenty of good storage space, thanks to the provision of varied storage space when compared with rivals. Having the small lockers underneath the overhead lockers is preferable to the endless lipped shelves and overhead lockers that many competitors have. Outside, the small locker is great for keeping cleaning products and dirty gear that you don’t necessarily want to keep inside. Although the wardrobe is enormous, the bottom is of no use for storage if you plan on using the mini-dinette bed.
All the other ‘vans do well with their seat.
Technical Specifications
Payload | 355 kg |
MTPLM | 3500 kg |
Shipping Length | 6.90 m |
Width | 2.21 m |