2009 Coastal motorhome

• Space is plentiful in the new Coastal motorhome, enhanced by the harmonising colours of the interior.
• The bathroom is both functional and comfortable.
• The kitchen is easy to work in and has dedicated spaces for most things.
• Electronics on the Coastal include a Setec 35 power supply, rear vision system, plus tank and battery monitor.
• Although a wide motorhome, the Coastal is flexible and comfortable to drive.

The Coastal motorhome is spacious, with a gap over a metre wide between the settees. The space between the kitchen bench and fridge cabinet opposite is 1.2 metres. In the bedroom, Mike and Gayle Farrell, owners of Coastal Motorhomes and Caravans Ltd, have included a dramatic décor with a black, silk-finish bed cover and contrasting red and cream cushions. I thought the cut-off corner of the mattress would make the bed (1400mm x 2000mm) smaller. It didn’t; in fact it made it easier to get off and on. Storage space beneath the bed can be accessed through a locker door in the bed base by lifting the mattress, which is supported by gas struts, or via an outside hatch. There are book rack/shelves on each side of the bed and above the bed are storage lockers. The Coastal bathroom is compact and functional, with separate shower cubicle, sliding shower screen, hand basin, mirror, opening window, ceiling hatch, storage cupboards and shelves. The toilet is the new Thetford C250 model. On the wall opposite the vanity are two 12-volt heated towel rails. The kitchen in the Coastal motorhome works well. The bench-top area has two hinged glass-tops covering the sink and the hob. There was plenty of space. The sink drain tray is recessed into the bench top. With an opening window, a ceiling hatch and a range hood take care of steam and cooking odours. A dedicated cutlery drawer, slots for cups and glasses, and the crockery rack built into a drawer below the bench take care of breakable items. Pots and pans are in the drawer below that and opposite is a four-bottle wine rack. Above the fridge/freezer are two small pull-out pantry slides. The fridge/freezer is a 175-litre Dometic three-way with automatic energy selection (AES). The 19-inch LCD TV slides out of its travel position in the Luton peak, and you can enjoy seven or eight free-to-air channels. A BEP switch panel and digital combined tank and battery monitor can observe up to four tanks as well as the state of your house batteries’ charge and discharge. As well as charging the batteries, the Setec 35 electronic power supply steps down the 240-volt AC to provide 12-volt DC supply while connected to the mains. When mains supply is unavailable, a 300-watt pure sine wave inverter provides a limited 240-volt supply. The Coastal is fitted with an electronic rear vision system, with night vision, viewed on a seven-inch dash-mounted monitor and augmented with a sensor system with audio/visual alarms for parking and safety. Seitz double-glazed acrylic windows are fitted all round, and there are two 650mm x 440mm hatches. There are external outlets fitted for 240-volt power and LPG, and an outside shower fitted with full hot and cold service. Attwood ‘steadies’ fitted to the rear corners keep the Coastal steady when parked up for an extended time, and the four-metre Fiamma awning cover has been painted to match the bodywork, and stainless steel wheel trims are fitted all-round. The Coastal reviewed was built on a new Ford Transit with the 2.4 Duratorq TDCi diesel engine, 103 kilowatts at 3500rpm, rear wheel drive and Durashift six-speed manual transmission, and is a 460 Jumbo with a GVM of 4.49 tonnes. The tare weight of the coastal is 3560kg. The six-speed gearbox is well matched to the 2.4 litre 103kW motor. It pulled like a mule and is happy idling along at well under 2000rpm in city traffic. The Coastal is a wide vehicle with a very good payload capacity at 840kg.