#VanLife first invaded your Instagram and have become extra mainstream with the pandemic’s acceleration of the RV house and the proliferation of the large camper van trade. Scrolling by way of social media shows a wholesome and rising degree of curiosity in journey vans, starting from DIY builds to full, no-holds-barred creations from skilled conversion retailers.
The most effective 4X4 camper vans are simpler to drive and open up extra potential locations for the adventurous traveler in comparison with different leisure automobiles.
Whether or not you want to emulate builds of four-wheel-drive camper vans you spied in your social feed, are looking out endlessly for the deal you’ll be able to’t flip down on a used mannequin, or want to purchase your dream journey automobile contemporary off the manufacturing ground, there’s absolutely a 4×4 camper van on the market for you.
Check out our record for the most effective 4×4 camper vans to search out the one which’s best for you.
The ten Greatest 4×4 Camper Vans
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Versatility: The VanDoIt Do Mannequin
Constructed on a Ford Transit AWD Passenger Van with obtainable suspension and brake upgrades, the VanDoIt Do Mannequin stands aside due to its inner aluminum skeleton grid and resultant modularity. Passenger seats, with manufacturing facility anchoring and seat belts, will be added or eliminated, together with Murphy-style beds, a kitchen pod, shelving, water and Espar heater, TV, and different choices.
The VanDoIt modular system additionally permits “à la carte” ordering. Clients can add no matter obtainable options they want, permitting for a excessive diploma of customization with out the same old related prices. Something from photo voltaic panels to bathrooms will be specified to go well with particular person wants and budgets.
VanDoIt conversions will not be the most effective 4×4 camper van for these in search of high-end inside aesthetics and luxuries. For flexibility, nevertheless, its modular system is difficult to beat!
Utilizing an AWD VanDoIt transformed Transit with “Stage II or Stage III” suspension and brake upgrades yields spectacular capabilities. A Quigley conversion can be supplied for even higher off-road prowess. Engine selections depend upon obtainable stock however embody a 3.7L usually aspirated V6 and the twin-turbo EcoBoost V6.
VanDoIt 4×4 camper vans value between $109,600 and $142,600 for the Ford Transit chassis and conversion.
(Disclosure: The creator of this story is an envoy for VanDoIt Camper Vans.)
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Tough Terrain: Area Van Ford Basic 4×4
Simply a Area Van Ford Basic 4×4 instills confidence for touring to distant, off-grid locations the place different camper vans dare not tread. And the model’s deep historical past in journey vans provides assurance.
Beginning with a Ford E-350 Cutaway physique, Area Van drops a steel-reinforced fiberglass shell with an built-in penthouse pop-top onto the body. Each creature consolation is on the market: cabinetry, kitchen, fridge, bathroom, water and air heater, photo voltaic, and different choices. Full customized ground plans are additionally an choice.
Engine selections embody the 6.8L Triton V-10 or the 6.2L Triton V8, however sadly there are at present no diesel choices.
However the Ford Basic 4×4 is a lot greater than a house on wheels. The driveline and suspension have immense off-road prowess. An Advance Adapter Atlas II gear-driven switch case, Dynatrac Professional-Roc 60 entrance Axle, and a Dana 60 rear axle are simply the starters.
A excessive knuckle entrance finish, heavy-duty steering arm, horizontal drag hyperlink, and a Spicer 1350 1-ton rated driveline add extra functionality. Lastly, reverse shackle leaf springs, a entrance sway bar with fast disconnects, brake rotors from the F550, and partial navy wrap springs show this van isn’t nearly appears to be like.
Area Van provides the selection of open, limited-slip, or locking differentials to go well with each off-roader’s choice. Even the end means enterprise, because the Ford Basic 4×4 is roofed with Line-X.
Area Van’s no-holds-barred conversion ends in some of the succesful four-wheel-drive camper vans in existence. The 16.5 inches of floor clearance, 44-degree strategy angle, and 10,000 kilos of towing capability put the Ford Basic 4×4 in uncommon firm.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Reliability: Oasis Sienna Campervan
Oasis Camper Vans of Lafayette, Colo., makes a speciality of constructing camper vans from minivans. The Colorado firm provides conversions primarily based on the AWD Toyota Sienna and its legendary reliability. Toyota minivans routinely log a whole bunch of hundreds of miles.
The majority of the inside homes a residing space, full with a Lagun desk, 12 cubic ft of drawer house, hardwood laminate flooring, and a foldable chair that converts to a part of a full-size mattress, appropriate for 2.
The rear of the minivan homes a whole kitchen galley with a sink, working water, drawers, cabinets, and a sizeable countertop. A fold-up desk and, on some fashions, a slide-out powered cooler drawer spherical out the kitchen that makes essentially the most out of the least. Lastly, curtains throughout provide privateness.
Cupboards are constructed from oak or baltic birch plywood and completed with water-based polyurethane. Oasis conversion homeowners can take away the camper van inside and return it to the unique seating configuration with ease.
Oasis could make minor design modifications freed from cost, whereas vital omissions or additions incur a reduction or added payment. It can value you at the least $8,500 for a full conversion.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Luxurious: Winnebago Revel
Famed RV producer Winnebago makes use of the Mercedes Sprinter 4×4 and its turbo-diesel powerplant as the bottom for its first off-road journey automobile.
The well-appointed and modern-looking inside boasts a 79-inch by 49-inch mattress on an influence raise on the rear of the van, with storage house beneath. Bump outs the place the home windows often reside permit for laying throughout the width of the automobile. A powered roof vent ventilates the world.
A moist tub, full kitchen with a single induction burner, detachable pedestal desk, above-cab shelving, fridge, pantry, and drawers fill the remainder of the inside. A non-skid vinyl flooring makes cleanup simple.
A 21-gallon grey water tank handles wastewater from the moist tub and kitchen. Winnebago opted for a 5-gallon cassette bathroom for ease of dumping and water conservation. One other nod to saving water is a momentary swap that have to be activated to empty the kitchen sink. All of the water traces are inside to forestall freezing.
An on-demand water heater and Espar diesel air heater maintain issues heat, whereas a 2.5 cubic-foot fridge retains issues chilly. A 13,500 BTU air conditioner is an obtainable choice. Photo voltaic panels maintain the 2 lithium-ion batteries charged off-grid.
An exterior ladder is usable on each the rear and driver facet of the van. The working boards and powered awning have lighting.
Different considerate options embody a powered vent designed to dry gear, detachable storage shelving within the moist tub, an outdoor bathe outlet, bug netting with magnetic auto closures, and an outside fold-out desk.
The Mercedes Sprinter AWD system is comparatively succesful off-road and is nice for all climate circumstances. Winnebago selected the short-wheelbase chassis for the most effective floor clearance — particularly the breakover angle. The corporate additionally rerouted the exhaust to enhance the exit angle.
The Winnebago Revel begins at $245,463.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Area Effectivity: Storyteller Overland Mode
The Storyteller Overland Mode boasts the succesful basis of the AWD 144″ Mercedes Sprinter, however the inside’s unbelievable effectivity units this journey van other than the remaining.
The Alabama-based model’s clever design begins with the two-seater GrooveLounge passenger seat, which supplies correct three-point harnesses. The seat even folds out right into a mattress appropriate for one grownup or two youngsters.
Rearward, the DreamWeaver sleep platform resides in Flarespaces, which permit adults as much as 6’5″ to sleep throughout the width of the van, saving valuable size. The platform additionally folds longitudinally in sections, changing to a workbench and making house for taller gear.
Then there’s the ingenious FlexSpace. It appears to be like and features as a floor-mounted storage trunk appropriate for camp seating, however it additionally acts as a bathe pan and is accomplished with a bathe curtain and overhead bathe system. Lastly, this triple-purpose house serves as a tailgating cooler.
The Mode has a correct kitchen galley with a single induction burner, sink, fridge, and out of doors desk. A conveyable bathroom, microwave, powered and lighted 10-foot awning, lithium-ion batteries, extruded aluminum roof rack with ladder, Lagun swing arm desk, and low-profile AC full the bundle.
Pricing begins at $181,321 and might simply climb over $239,737.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Customization: Exterior Van
Oregon-based Exterior Van has been creating absolutely customized journey rigs since 2007. It’s at present fulfilling goals on Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit chassis, together with AWD variations.
Every customized construct begins with its Premium Inside bundle, which incorporates insulation, sound damping, infrastructure, partitions, ceilings, flooring, and lighting. From there, inspiring van lifers can select from an in depth array of choices to finish the automobile of their goals.
Each system within the van has a menu to select from — the client can create the ability system, water system, lighting array, heating, and cooling techniques and adorn the outside with any equipment desired. The ground plan will be created and executed to match way of life, actions, the variety of occupants, and inside adorning tastes.
Every Exterior Van is genuinely an expression of the client’s imaginative and prescient. The sky is the restrict, with in-house woodworkers, steel employees, upholstery professionals, engineers, and design gurus able to convey these visions to life.
The Exterior Van full customized program begins with the Premium Inside Package deal at $23,000.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Nostalgia: Volkswagen Vanagan Syncro
The VW Kind 2 bus of the Sixties — the primary journey van? Fairly presumably. My first automobile tenting reminiscences had been from a Westfalia camper bus throughout the ’70s. I can nonetheless bear in mind the curtains and the way they felt in my palms and the way cool I believed it was {that a} kitchen galley was inside a automobile.
1980 heralded the arrival of a brand new “bus” with a brand new title: Vanagon. In 1986, VW flexed its 4WD expertise (courting again to 1899) with a Syncro all-wheel-drive system within the Vanagon. The system utilized a viscous coupling to ship energy constantly and unnoticeably to the entrance wheels when it detected rear wheelspin. This method was cutting-edge expertise on the time.
However the energy was restricted: 95 horsepower and 117 pound-feet of torque meant endurance was crucial. However perhaps for some, compelled, sluggish meandering down two-track was a part of the attract.
The inside of the “Camper” model of the Vanagan Syncro housed an built-in kitchen with a three-way fridge, a two-burner range, and a stainless-steel sink with onboard water. The “Weekender” model featured two rear-facing seats within the passenger space and a folding desk that folded towards the inside wall when not in use.
Proudly owning one in every of these ground-breaking AWD camper vans would require administering fixed TLC, however the immense feeling of nostalgia can’t be denied.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for JDM Followers: Mitsubishi Delica Area Gear L400
Mitsubishi supplied the Delica Area Gear L400 from 1994 to 2006. This quirky van appeals to Japanese Home Market followers and DYI tinkerers as a base for a purpose-built 4WD camper van.
Earlier, boxier variations proved off-road succesful, however the L400 ushered in trendy efficiency enhancements. Disc brakes and rear coil springs aided dealing with, whereas extra highly effective gasoline and diesel engines (9 variations) doubled the obtainable horsepower. The preferred powerplants had been the two.8L turbo diesel (140 horsepower, 232 pound-feet of torque) and a 3.0L gasoline V6 (185 horsepower, 195 pound-feet of torque).
The L400 inherited the L300’s off-road prowess. Delica vans, with their excessive floor clearance, ample strategy and departure angles, true switch instances, and obtainable limited-slip differentials, can tread in areas different vans worry. The newer L400 added the choice of an improved Tremendous Choose switch case. This supplied all the same old driving modes plus a excessive and low 4WD by way of its locked middle differential.
The standout function of this explicit Delica, which makes it an ample camper van in inventory kind, is the seating’s superb transformative capability. The center two captain’s chairs slide ahead and backward on tracks, pivot 180 levels, and retract to fold up towards the entrance two captain’s chairs.
The rear two-piece bench seat reclines, after which folds up flat towards the edges of the automobile. And if that weren’t sufficient so that you can name this a camper van, each seat folds flat for sleeping.
Moreover, the rear home windows open for venting, and a few fashions have motorized curtains. The Mitsubishi Delica Area Gear 400 is prepared for tenting; simply add automobile tenting necessities. But it surely’s additionally an ideal platform to construct a camper van for these inclined to maintain and preserve this JDM gem.
Prices range broadly, and solely vans 25 years or older are importable to the U.S.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Diehard Toyota Followers: Toyota HiAce H100
Toyota produced the fourth-generation HiAce from 1989 to 2004, making it an ideal place to begin for a DIY campervan for the Japanese Home Market (JDM) tinkerer.
The obtainable powerplants had been 2.4L to three.0L diesel or 2.0L to three.4L gasoline variations. Toyota supplied two wheelbase lengths and high-roof variations. Each part-time and full-time 4WD had been obtainable.
This technology’s HiAce fashions featured many elements shared with the Toyota Hilux pickup and 4Runner of the identical period. This sharing of elements dramatically expands the record of accessible elements for retrofitting and upgrades in style for 4WD upfitting. Restricted-slip or locking rear differentials are examples of choices able to crossing over to the HiAce within the palms of succesful hobbyists or conversion retailers.
Toyota is famend for reliability, and the HiAce inherited that attribute and notion, making it a extremely sought-after place to begin for smaller camper vans and specialty conversion retailers for JDM imports.
Price varies; solely vans 25 years or older are importable to the U.S.
Greatest 4×4 Camper Van for Price range Builds: Chevy Astro Van
Ah, the “lowly” Chevy Astro van (and GMC Safari). It’s the first American minivan, and GM produced it from 1985 to 2005. They constructed 3.2 million models, and many nonetheless roam the streets and fill Craigslist pages.
And, beginning in 1990, AWD was supplied, making the Chevy Astro (or GMC Safari) a reasonable platform for an off-road succesful camper van.
A fast perusal of the web reveals cheap methods to enhance the first platform. Kits to swap in an S10 switch case for actual 4WD with excessive and low, suspension raise kits, pop-tops, and prefabricated kitchen and sleeping platform kits are all obtainable. You may endlessly peruse photos and movies of DYI {and professional} builds, from essentially the most fundamental to the outlandish.
And with costs which can be laborious to beat for a used AWD van (a fast search revealed some lower than $4,000), it’s not stunning that the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari have an virtually cultish following for DIY camper van aficionados.
The Greatest 4×4 Camper Vans Cash Can Purchase
This broad assortment of the most effective 4×4 camper vans isn’t almost exhaustive. Nevertheless, it’s a superb place to start out for inspiration and steering.
A 4×4 journey automobile ought to fulfill the anticipated wants for the kind of tenting you might be most probably to do. Some don’t must run scorching water, whereas for others, it’s a should. In the long run, it’s all about your private priorities. After deciding which options are must-haves, the one limiting elements are the obtainable house in a van and your finances. However past that, the one limitations are creativeness and creativity.
We hope this text conjures up you to take the primary steps towards experiencing the highway much less traveled in your phrases. The #VanLife is the nice life. One in every of these greatest 4×4 camper vans would possibly simply be your ticket to journey!
