Full review

This new Adria can sleep up to seven and has an equal number of seatbelts, as Adria wants a slice of the reemerging large family market. Few overcabs pull off the trick of looking anything but lumpen with a big bulge on Fiat’s latest, prettiest Ducato. But there’s plenty of shape to this luton and it merges well with the rest of what is an attractive body with Styrofoam insulation, no less.

We wondered if the ubiquitous Ducato, in its commonest 130 Multijet form, would be enough for a motorhome over 3m high, but even loaded up for a week’s family holiday it coped admirably, although as it sits on the standard-height Fiat chassis you’ll be more susceptible to weather conditions. You won’t necessarily use a lot more fuel, though – we were pretty pleased with our 24mpg.

Whatever the chassis spec, the captain’s seats in the cab are trimmed to a high standard, and the overcab bed tips up on gas struts to create an easy walk-through. The standard-height chassis means a step-free floor from the cab right through to the bunks in the stern.

As you first step into the living area there’s more than 7ft 6in of headroom and even further aft there’s sufficient height for the tallest of folk. There’s loads of light, too, from the overcab sunroof, wind-up Remis rooflight over the lounge and generous side windows. When the sun goes down you’re not pitched into gloom, either. Ambient strips run above the high-level cupboards, downlighters are everywhere and there’s a swish illuminated galley splashback.

With duo-tone dark wood and cream furniture, net curtains and pleated blinds, the premium feel goes beyond the lighting. The Coral XL comes only in mid-range Plus spec which comes with other niceties, such as central locking and Combi 6 gas and mains heating, with vents even in the rear garage and the luton.

Immediately behind the cab you get two pullman dinettes, each with its own wall-mounted table. The main dinette can comfortably seat four adults. The forward-facing seat comes with three-point belts while those facing back get lap belts, and all four seats have car-like head restraints. The seventh seatbelt is another lap strap on the rear-facing single seat of the kids’ dinette. The main dinette has the prime seats to watch a TV fitted to the bracket which lowers neatly from the base of the offside high-level cupboard.

There’s not a huge amount of storage under all these dinette seats, but the hatch in the entranceway is perfect for shoes and boots.

An overcab lives or dies on the suitability and comfort of the luton for sleeping in. Fortunately, ‘upstairs’ here is not in question. The bed’s dimensions are suited to larger adults, while ventilation is far in excess of what you’ll ever need in Great Britain. Those good looks on the outside are paid for by reduced headroom, but neither of us suffered any claustrophobia.

Each one of the transverse rear bunks gets an opening window and a light while the upper resident also gets storage pockets and a roof vent. Even adults could be accommodated back here.

The main dinette will convert into a bed just over a metre wide or 1.33m wide with side extensions. The seatbelt anchorages don’t intrude, but the extended width does render the overcab’s ladder out of action. The offside single bed is not as short as you might expect, because the forward-facing backrest folds down across the door (still leaving room to pass).

The Coral’s separate shower is the bathroom’s star feature. With good space, twin drainholes, bifold doors and plenty of water pressure, it made campsite facilities seem like second best. And it’s backed up by a 140-litre fresh water tank. The rest of the washroom is a bit tight on drying room, but storage, mirrors, hooks and opening window all impress, and headroom remains comfortably the right side of 6ft. There is, however, an Adria anomaly we’ve come across before: a vent in the worktop drips water in the cupboard below.

Cooking facilities include a tall and slim fridge/freezer with generous 142-litre capacity and a bottle drawer at the bottom (but no automatic energy selection). You get four large drawers capable of taking all your utensils, pans and crockery. The hob is of the burners-in-line style, which allows for extra worktop space, and there’s a combined oven/grill as standard. There’s only one mains socket for the cook, though, and it’s high up.

With the bottom bunk in position there’s still a full-width locker underneath with access on either side and the interior. Fold the lower bed away and headroom in the garage more than doubles to 1.55m! With lighting, heating, drainholes, and tie-down hooks, this a great space to fill with exciting gear.

This is an abridged version of the full review availabe in the July 2016 issue of What Motorhome. Buy it now..