RV review: Maxvan Access – Clever use of space

Today’s RV review is of the Maxvan Access motorhome. This is something very different that could serve some campers very well. 

In many ways this is sort of like a Class B van but a bit more. What Maxvan^® has done is taken the Ram Cutaway chassis and put a metal box on the back of it, but not like you’d normally see in a typical Class C. Essentially, this is not much larger than the standard-roof ProMaster van. However, the slightly larger metal body on the back, and pretty nifty packaging on the inside, make this a legitimate fully-featured motorhome. 

What I like about the Maxvan Access

The Ram ProMaster^® is an unusual van in that it’s a commercial vehicle with front wheel drive. What this means is that there aren’t the usual driveline bits under the van so you can use that space for other things. 

This van is not taller than the standard-height Ram ProMaster, but you can stand up inside it. In fact there is a decent amount of headroom. What Maxvan has done is made a recessed floor in the center of the interior space so you can stand there, even if you’re taller. 

That recessed floor has another trick up its sleeve as it’s also the shower pan, but we’ll get to that. 

From this center well you can get to a kitchen in this van which has an oval sink, microwave and a single-burner portable induction cooktop. 

There’s a secondary counterspace next to the kitchen and, voila, that’s where the toilet is. You just flip up the counter and it’s go time. 

Shower in the Maxvan Access

You’ll also find a shower wand in here, and that nifty recess in the floor is also your shower pan. Just draw the curtain around the space and now you have privacy for a shower or the toilet or just a weird game of peek-a-boo. 

At the back of the interior is a couch along the camp-side wall that has almost ridiculously thick cushions on the bottom and back. This is also your bedroom, but you can use this as a couch by day or bring something like an eBike into the space to store along the drive. 

Maxvan Access - 2025

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At night this couch folds down into a bed. You’ll probably want something like the RV Superbag to make this work well. As mentioned, that cushion is really thick. The bed can be folded down in two sections so you could do just a single bed or a queen-sized bed. 

There’s a clever step that pulls out so you can get into it more easily from inside that well in the floor. Someone was really thinking here. 

There’s storage above the bed in a cubby along the wall as well as a TV. 

There is also a window-style air conditioner on the road side. The windows are dual-pane style that swing upward. 

The holding tanks are inside the vehicle, essentially, rather than hanging underneath. This is nifty in that you can actually see how much fresh water there is through a translucent portion of the fresh tank. The gray tank has indicator lights. Having the tanks in the RV means that they’re less likely to freeze. 

The passenger-side seat also swivels around so you can face the main compartment. There’s a Lagun-style table that mounts to a pillar or it can be used at the couch. Nice. 

Lastly, there is a camera that has a display where you’d expect a rearview mirror, which really is a natural place for drivers to look. This can double as a dash cam. Nice. 

Boondocking and travel access

With no slides, this is always available to fully utilize. The Access can run on 30-amp shore power. It also includes a gasoline-powered Cummins Onan generator. There’s also 200 amp hours of lithium power and an inverter. So you can run anything except the microwave and air conditioner on battery power.

Challenges with the Maxvan Access

Of course, being smaller than many RVs has a downside in that there’s not a tremendous amount of room inside this RV to stretch out. That recessed floor section is pretty cool. However, if there is more than one of you camping, the curtain for privacy for the toilet and shower isn’t going to result in a whole lot of privacy.

Conclusions about the Maxvan Access

This is a nifty machine that offers more than most Class B vans with almost no change in exterior size. It’s actually low enough that you can go through a drive-through or potentially park in a parking structure. Try that in almost any other motorized RV without become a YouTube star for your bad decision. 

The build on this is either steel, stainless steel or plastic. So, this is a vehicle that isn’t going to suffer from bad roads pushing wood cabinets. 

You do have to buy these directly from Maxvan. But the company has been upfitting vans for some time, having started building vans for people with mobility challenges and moving into the motorized RV market. 

This is a pretty darned good idea that could be a terrific choice for the solo RVer or even some couples. 

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.

You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy. 

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