Adria Coral S 670 SU (2012)

Adria Coral S 670 SU 2012

Adria launched their Coral SLL rear lounge model specially for the UK last year. It was good, but the new SU is better, picking up on criticisms of its forebear...

Having spent a day in the famous Louvre gallery in Paris not a fortnight before this test, it was with a very artistic eye that I headed to Constable country in Suffolk. For this is where Adria’s UK importers are located, and I was to try the latest Coral S 670 SU under the area’s famous big skies.

This rear lounge layout motorhome is a vast improvement on its predecessor, the 670 SLL, which we tested last November, but I’m not sure the Coral’s appearance will be the inspiration for budding artists – although that’s not to say it’s unattractive.

The subtle graphics blend into the low profile shape pleasantly, and the interestingly shaped window in the habitation door (one of the features of the SE Lux Pack) adds some aesthetic interest. More practically, there’s a useful hatch leading to the rear under-settee locker on the offside. And there are twin doors – one on each side – leading to the generous external storage.

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Yes, there’s a big externally accessed locker, although without a fixed bed on board you wouldn’t expect it to be large enough to get bicycles inside. But this full-’van-width storage area, which runs beneath the rear sofa, is plenty roomy enough for bulky outdoor gear. Your only constraint is the aperture of the locker doors, which measure just 59cm x 60cm apiece. There are securing points across the main breadth, and the offside underseat locker also runs into this area at a 90-degree angle (there’s also an extra locker door leading to this area).

And inside the Coral there’s no shortage of storage space either – although you won’t find any lockers within the low-profile luton other than two tiny side cupboards. There is a rail for lightweight maps and guidebooks above the cab though, and there are three high-level lockers around the dinette, just behind the cab.

Back to my tour, and this was my first drive in Fiat’s new 2.3-litre 130bhp Euro V engine. I’d sampled the 3-litre 180bhp unit the week before and had revelled in its effortlessness with commendable refinement. This 130bhp version, although obviously less nippy, was just as impressive in its own way.

Put your foot down and the Adria has as much oomph as you could possibly need for general touring, and the six-speed gearbox is extremely smooth. But once again it was the church mouse nature of the engine note that stood out most, as well as its fuel efficiency. On test the Coral managed over 27mpg (although the dashboard computer was exaggeratingly claiming 28.6mpg) – a remarkable achievement considering my fabled heavy right foot – I was lucky to get 23mpg out of the previous generation. Think of that as a saving of about £200 a year for the average owner.

Test-wise, my choice of site meant it was up to the Adria to prove itself in self-sufficiency, as well as comfort and practicalities – and it was certainly up to the job. I had no leisure battery problems during my four-day trip and it was delightful not to be able to turn the television on!

The cab seats, which are trimmed to match the ’van’s living quarters, each have a pair of armrests and are height-adjustable. Swivel these, and you’ll be facing a halfdinette and adjacent table, as well as a single inward facing seat on the offside. Adria offer, as a no cost option, an L-shaped settee instead of the half-dinette (together with a centrally-positioned table) for a more sociable seating area.

Either way, you have five travel seats, the fifth (with a lap belt) formed by reconfiguring the inward-facing single seat to face rearwards. This is a bit fiddly to do though, and with just three berths on board I can’t see this being used very often. Although many European motorhomes just offer the half-dinette in which to relax, this 670 SU also has a sumptuous rear U-shaped lounge. This was a feature in the previous generation 670 SLL but here it came under criticism for being too stark in atmosphere, and British customers desired something a bit more comfortable and homely.

Adria have certainly taken all this to heart when creating the 2012 model as the 670 SU is anything but sparse and uncomfortable. In fact, it could be a homegrown ’van, with its luxurious appearance. The warm-coloured woodwork is further softened with cream and chrome panels, whilst brown-toned upholstery adorns the soft furnishings that offer comfortable upright cushions and knee-rolled squabs.

There’s a total of six eye-level lockers back here, with corner shelving units separating each row. There’s also another lower-level shelf that proved especially useful for night-time drinks and books. Four swivel spotlights are scattered around, and a large Heki rooflight is above, along with some ceiling lights (there’s another Heki above the front dinette). Ambient lighting is present too, with some gentle illumination running around the top of the cupboards – a real luxury touch.

Also important in any rear lounge is the size of the rear windows – especially as I needed a good view for watching the fishermen. I’m not into fishing, but it was fun to watch the owner of the adjacent Hymer A-class sprint for his rod every time his line-alarm went off. He caught some real whoppers – and regularly too. I would imagine that this would be a great place to learn to fish as you won’t be sitting emptynetted for long, and you won’t be catching an old boot or a shopping trolley either.

For night-time there’s a full-height privacy curtain just forward of the rear bed. It’s the rear lounge that makes up the primary sleeping quarters, using pull-out slats that extract from the rear bench base. The cushions are a very tight fit, and because of those comfortable knee-rolls you’ll have to turn the squab cushions around. The result, however, is a massive bed that could easily sleep two adults, as well an extra child if need be. Or you can use the long settees as instant singles – they’re plenty long enough, at 6ft 6in. The front dinette also turns into a single bed, using the inward-facing seat.

Just forward of the lounge is a full-height wardrobe on the nearside and the washroom on the offside. The latter was put to the test after a canine disaster involving Daisy Dog slipping her lead and ploughing through lots of thick, smelly mud after an encounter with a swan on the estuary near Manningtree. Having covered the cream carpet with blankets, I took her by the scruff of the neck and bundled her into the washroom.

There was plenty of room for both Daisy and me to shower, and plenty of water too (just wish I’d turned the boiler on that morning). The shower’s wheelarch intrusion creates a footrest, and the height-adjustable showerhead can be hand-held if required. The swivel cassette toilet acted as a seat while I gradually removed the foul substances from Daisy’s fur, and the full-height mirror on the washroom door showed me that I too was covered in mud.

The washroom’s main storage space is behind a silver-coloured roller-shutter door beneath the oval, grey plastic washbasin. The centre one of the three mirrors above also hides more shelved storage. A rooflight is above the shower, and although there’s no separate shower cubicle there’s a plastic swivelling door that protects the toilet area from sprayed water.

I’ve no complaints regarding the kitchen either. On the offside, the 150-litre Dometic fridge/freezer dwarfed my weekly shop, and I even made some ice cubes for my evening tipple. Meanwhile, on the nearside, the Thetford Triplex cooker unit, with its combined grill and oven, cooked anything my stomach desired, and the three-burner hob had plenty of space around the burners for my wok. The stove also features an extractor fan with extra built-in lighting, and behind is an opening window.

Three drawers sit below the lidded sink – two shallow and one deep. This sink is recessed a fair way back from the countertop’s lip so you have to bend slightly when washing-up, and there’s no draining board. A small bin is recessed into the counter, and there’s a spice rack above.

Also, up high, beside the eye-level locker, is a smart round-fronted Perspex cocktail cabinet with a mirrored back and rack for six glasses. Although there’s a free-standing table for the rear lounge (housed in the wardrobe), when dining you’ll probably call the family to the front dinette. The edge of this wallmounted table extends so that five people can comfortably eat together here. You may not drag them away from the front lounge afterwards, though, as all the TV sockets are next to the shelf above the fridge.

My brief from the Editor asked me to consider whether the Coral was going to put the wind up Adria’s UK competitors, who have always excelled with this layout. And it certainly will. The Coral feels like a proper home-from-home with all the space and creature comforts you expect of a British motorhome, but with top-class European build-quality, winterisation (including onboard fresh water) and excellent external storage, plus modern styling. The Coral is good value too, starting from just over £50,000 – this 670 SU is going to be a hit.

Award winning Adria Motorhomes for sale at Lowdhams, UK Adria dealer.



To read the full motorhome review in PDF format exactly as it appeared in the December 2011 issue of Which Motorhome, click here.If you don't already have Adode Acrobat to be able to open a PDF, download it for free

Good value and excellent quality fixed rear bed layout that offers excellent storage.