Caravan Review: Coromal Soul Seeker

Coromal Caravans is one of the best-recognised caravan brands in Australia. It has been around for decades. However, the brand has gone through some changes over the years. Previously owned and manufactured by Fleetwood in Western Australia, it was bought by Apollo RV. 

Apollo RV, it’s fair to say, brought the Coromal range kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Composite fibreglass construction, an ‘automative style’ chassis and unique furniture became the order of the day.

However, the range is now built by Majestic Caravans, a well-regarded manufacturer in its own right, while still being owned by Apollo RV. And from what I’ve seen from these Majestic-built Coromals, they are just as good, if not better, than ever before. 

HITCHING UP THE COROMAL SOUL SEEKER

We hitched up one of the latest vans in the Coromal range, this 19ft 6in Coromal Soul Seeker. Coromals no longer feature full sandwich panel construction. Instead, they are built on a standard RHS chassis with a meranti timber frame, composite aluminium cladding and a one-piece composite fibreglass roof. It’s a time-honoured construction method that should last for many years.

Our Coromal Soul Seeker hitched up easily enough and towed perfectly well along the Hume Highway, Vic. It isn’t an offroad caravan and, as such, has a 50mm ball coupling as standard along with tandem-axle leaf-spring suspension.

Underneath, forward of the suspension, you’ll find two 95L water tanks, but a grey water tank isn’t standard equipment. Obviously, the forward positioning of the water tanks will impact the ball weight; however, given the van’s ATM of 3200kg, it’ll require a fairly muscular 4WD to tow when fully loaded. Such a 4WD would likely have a towball maximum of 350kg so I see no issue here.

The van’s Tare weight of 2236kg and unladen ball weight of 127kg seem more than acceptable, too.

You won’t find a reversing camera at the back of the Soul Seeker, but you will find an external shower – a welcome addition – along with a bumper-mounted spare wheel.

On the offside, the van gets a full-length roll-out awning, a couple of speakers, a picnic table and an LED light bar. A 12V point is included, too.

Instead of a front boot, the 19ft 6in Soul Seeker is equipped with a tunnel boot, with a gas bayonet mounted nearby to the chassis rail. This means you could perhaps later add a slide-out barbecue to the tunnel and plug it straight to the gas supply of the van – always a nice touch.

With the Coromal Soul Seeker not intended for hard core offroad use, it isn’t equipped with a stoneguard on the A-frame, where you’ll find a couple of jerry can holders and two 9kg gas cylinders. There’s plenty of room for the brackets/torsion bars of a weight distribution hitch, should you need one.

The 12V system is basic but effective for a van intended for holiday park stays and a night or two of free camping. It is comprised of a single 100Ah deep-cycle battery along with a 170W solar panel mounted to the roof. A BMPRO BatteryPlus battery management system is part of the package as well.

Overall, the quality of the external fit and finish appears perfectly sound. No waves or ripples along the cladding, all J-moulds properly fitted and nothing out of place.

SHINING LIGHT

On the inside is where this van shines. The interiors of Coromal vans are looking particularly good these days. The general fitout and attention to detail in this Soul Seeker is great. While the layout doesn’t break any moulds, it is executed nicely.

A queen-size bed is fitted in the nose of the van, surrounded by overhead lockers and wardrobes with niches. The bedhead is a padded vinyl that includes his and hers reading lights, while a swing-arm is fitted at the foot of the bed, on the offside, for the included flatscreen TV.

There are a number of useful storage options throughout the van. First, there is the usual space underneath the bed as well as under both dinette seats. Sometimes, you’ll find raw ply here; however, the ply for both the bed and seat bases has been edge-banded for a smooth, professional finish. I also liked that drawers had been fitted to the seat bases so that you don’t have to lift the cushions out of the way if you don’t want to.

The kitchen features a reasonable amount of bench space, along with a four-burner cooktop and griller. Instead of an oven, a sizeable drawer has ben fitted. A microwave is fitted into the overhead cabinetry space, while a 175L Thetford fridge-freezer sits between the kitchen and bathroom on the offside.

I thought the bathroom was nicely put together. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of a laundry ‘hamper’ – a cavity in the bench in the offside corner, next to the sink. There’s also a top-loading washing machine, cassette toilet, and a fully-moulded fibreglass shower in the nearside corner. Love the LED strip light under the bathroom’s overhead cabinetry, and I was pleased to note the bathroom comes with a solid sliding door rather than an ‘accordion style’ of door.

All of the other usual features haven’t been overlooked. The  Coromal Soul Seeker comes equipped with a Houghton 2800 reverse-cycle air-conditioner, a combined CD/DVD/stereo system, a couple of skylights/hatches with built-in LED lights, and more.

The interior is, overall, difficult to fault. Adequate storage space, decent appliances, good workmanship… it adds up to an appealing living space.

GORV’S VERDICT

The 19ft 6in Coromal Soul Seeker is built for couples who want to explore Australia at their own pace, staying in holiday parks as well as free-camps here and there. While it’s not built to tackle the worst of Cape York or the Kimberley, it should be a faithful companion on the blacktop.

Further, it will be a good match with a wide range of potential tow vehicles, from the Grand Cherokee to the new MU-X.

It has been quite a journey for the Coromal brand and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

THE SCORE

FIT AND FINISH –

LAYOUT –

INNOVATION –

HITS & MISSES

COMPLETE SPECS