In an effort to show how nimble the Coronet Prince CP14-1 is on-road, we decided to tackle the tight and twisty race track at Le Mans Go Karts in Dandenong. Anthony Kilner takes up the story.
Alan Brown towed the Coronet Prince up from Bayswater to Dandenong with his Patrol which was a massive amount of overkill as a tow vehicle for this cute little van. We met at Le Mans Go Karts and swapped tow vehicles to the Kia Sorento manual diesel that I had just collected from Dandenong Kia.
This model Sorento is rated to tow 2500kg and with the Prince having a GTM of 1520kgs and a tare of 1240kgs it was a great combination. We had a fun afternoon zooming around the track to really highlight just how easy the Prince was to tow on tight tracks and being a pop-top it’s also low enough to be dragged into underground car parks, with care of course. The Sorento was easy to drive and the Prince sat on the back easily, so towability was pretty much perfect without towing aids.
With the drive program completed it was time to wander inside the Prince and check out what the boys have done for this baby pop-top.
Stepping into the van, the kitchen runs halfway across the front wall to the L-section of the dinette with the rest of the seat running down the passenger wall. The kitchen features a deep sink, Swift three gas and one electric burner stove with grill and a Swift rangehood. There is good cupboard space above and below the benches and considering this van is not huge, only 14-foot 6-inches by 7-foot 9-inches, the available space is well laid out and practical.
One thing I didn’t like was the fact that the door for the slide out pantry, fitted on the left side of the kitchen, hits the outside door and prevents the slide out pantry sliding out properly. This would be annoying on a really bad day when you have cold weather or it’s windy and you can’t get into your pantry properly without opening the outside door.
In the kitchen space near the door and above the sink is an Axis stereo system mounted in the overhead cupboards and on the side wall is a water gauge connected to a 60 litre tank underneath the van.
As mentioned, the kitchen starts near the front door and runs across the front to the L-shaped couch, which is really only going to suit two people, maybe three at a push if they are friendly. There is a great little storage area towards the front wall between the seat and the wall which will hold a fair bit of stuff. At the end of the seating is a corner cupboard to the bedroom and above that in the overhead cupboards is a Sanyo microwave. Opposite the dinette is a Thetford 97 litre, 3-way fridge which is housed in a cupboard that also offers some extra bench space.
At the back of the van a queen size bed fits neatly in the middle of the room with wardrobes either side featuring mirrored doors. The bed is comprised of an inner spring mattress and a lumbar support base which makes it pretty comfortable. Underneath the bed is a Truma cooling system which is an option fitted on this review model.
There are lots of little clever uses of space with cupboards in corners. The wheel arches aren’t too big a problem to get around considering it’s a small van. It has a heavy duty vinyl pop top section, a one piece roof and four vinyl windows around the roof line that open up for plenty of ventilation and light.
Moving to the outside, one thing that I really liked about this van was the fold up A-frame. It makes this van really practical because it can fit into a small space for storage. When you only have just under 16 foot of space to fit the van in, it is really quite nifty from a storage perspective.
Body-wise a Meranti timber frame is aluminium clad with galvanised wheel arches fitted to a Duragal chassis. Other standard features include a full width front boot, tinted Jupiter windows and the usual decals expected from a Coronet. In this review van there was a combo of fluoro and LED lighting, however Coronet is moving to full LED lighting systems in their newer vans.
Mechanically this Prince features 10 inch electric brakes, a seven leaf suspension system and 15 inch alloy wheels shod with Overthon 195R15 C tyres offering a very smart look. On the foldable A-frame there is a tap, 50mm ball and two 4.5 gas bottles. A battery system with a 100amp/hr battery is fitted under the dinette seat.
Coronet offer plenty of options for their vans which can include a hot water system, solar panels and a TV to name a few. Overall this Prince is tidy, neat and it has got everything it needs. The package is a proven one without being overcomplicated. At $35,990 ex Melbourne drive away, no more to pay, this little van is up there, however anyone looking for a neat, nimble, light-weight, little van that is very comfy and can be towed by most vehicles on the road, then consider this Coronet Prince because it has got everything needed for some great touring.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Coronet Caravans
Model: Prince CP14-1
Body Length: 4.45m (14’6”)
Overall Length A-frame Down: 5.75m (18’8”)
Overall Length A-frame Up: 4.75m (15’7”)
Width: 2.44m (8’)
Tare: 1240kg
Price: As shown $35,999.00 drive away ex Melbourne
Thanks To:
Special thanks to Le Mans Go Karts and Laserzone for allowing us to tow the little Coronet Prince around the track for the photo shoot. This fun place offers a couple of tracks for some fun karting plus plenty of facilities that cater for folks just wanting to have fun to full-on groups.
We’d also like to thank the boys from Coronet and Regency Caravans for helping out on the photo shoot and especially Alan for bringing the van up to meet us and having some fun cruising around the track.
Find Out More
Le Mans Go Karts
Address: 11-55 Waterview Close, Dandenong South 3175
Phone: 03 8787 8741
Email: info@lemansgokarts.com.au
Website: www.lemansgokarts.com.au
Regency Caravans
Address: 120 Canterbury Road Bayswater Vic 3153
Phone: 03 9761 5388
Email: keith@regencycaravans.com.au
Website: www.coronetcaravans.com.au