An ARV-designed Sprinter spec van, built in-house

 

Signature is a new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, All-Wheel Drive, custom Advanced RV motorhome in production by our team. It’s an ARV-designed demonstration build – a coach we’re building as “the client,” using our most trusted ideas and a few new refinements we’ve been excited to explore.

Available to claim and purchase now. If you’re interested, send us a message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Idea

 

Nearly 200 Advanced RVs are already on the road, each shaped by the client who dreamed it. Signature is different. This time, our team is the client.

We planned for effiency – something that could move quickly through production. But as Signature passed from department to department, a pattern unfolded. As each craftsperson got their hands on it… they couldn’t help themselves. 

They took their time. They refined. They pushed details further than necessary. Signature is what happens when artists and engineers are given permission to play.

 

 

 

 

 

A Layout Built for Daily Life

 

Signature is a 170” wheelbase, standard-length Class B motorhome with a full wet bath, a wide power sofa bed, and expanded rear storage. We moved the bed forward in the plan to create a larger gear bay behind it – the kind of space that makes long travel feel less limited.

The floorplan flows from front to back:

• Front cab with overhead shelf storage + bulkhead curtain for privacy and insulation
• Tall cabinet wall for clothes storage, refrigerator/freezer, and microwave
• Galley with sink and deep drawer storage
• Full wet bath (shower + sink + toilet) with split door + extended shower curtain for more elbow room
• Power sofa bed across the full width of the coach
• Expanded rear storage behind the bed

 

 

 

 

 

The Sofa Bed

Signature uses a new in-house sofa bed design. It builds upon a comfortable and rugged existing design that has been refined over a decade.

The ARV sofa bed uses three sections of large, expensive latex mattress on top of a supporting foam. When the deploy button is pressed, the three sections are guided by small electric motors into either the sofa or bed configuration. The sofa bed design enables gear storage below and behind the bed, and Signature’s new bed design improves the storage further. 

 

Signature’s sofa bed is faster to deploy, uses lighter components, and places the under-bed mechanics in a better location – making the cargo space underneath the bed significantly more usable. It also draws less power in operation.

The bed dimensions are 66″ wide, 72″ long, and up to 91″ when the fold-down headboard is deployed.

 

 

 

Systems That Reduce Friction

 

Signature, and all Advanced RVs, are the culmination of a number of high-end technological systems that, when integrated, reduce the common frictions of road travels. The sights and experiences of the your journey are amplified when anxieties about power, plumbing, and maintenance fade into the background.

 

48V Lithium Power

Signature uses our in-house, UL-listed 48V battery system:

• 16.4 kWh capacity
• 4,000W inverter/charger
• 48V high-output secondary alternator
• Temperature control, charge controller, and high-end battery management
• Single touchscreen interface for monitoring and control
• Surge protection

Signature stores considerable energy and it recharges itself quickly. The high output air conditioner can run for over a dozen hours straight. The battery will recharge with only an hour or two of engine runtime.

All this means fewer compromises when you’re off-grid. You can expect to take month-long adventures without ever plugging in.    

Four-Season Water + Reliable Monitoring

• 40 gallons fresh
• 28 gallons gray
• 18.5 gallons black

Signature also features a leap forward in tank monitoring technology. For years, we’ve sought to replace air-pressure sensors, which are susceptible to sediment buildup, with something more reliable and accurate.

Signature uses external radar tank sensors to monitor tank levels. These sensors provide accurate readings without living inside the tank environment. We’ve performed this upgrade for a couple clients as well, and they all note the improvement. 

In addition to the tanks, other plumbing designs improve day-to-day functions. integrated filtration and UV treatment make drinking water from the fresh tank simple and low-hassle; our new nerf bar body kit makes filling and emptying tanks easier; and the spacious bathroom continues to surprise visitors used to what’s typically crammed in the Class B footprint.  

Comfort in Real Weather

Signature builds on our proven four-season foundation – so travel stays comfortable in any weather.

A diesel-fired heating system provides warm cabin and on-demand hot water, paired with careful insulation and sound control work throughout the chassis shell. The plumbing lines are insulated and placed inside the vehicle. The tanks are temperature-controlled and monitored by the onboard computer system. 

Chassis and Driving

Signature is built on a 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter AWD with the new 4-cylinder bi-turbo diesel engine and 9-speed transmission – a drivetrain many long-time Sprinter owners recognize as a meaningful step forward in responsiveness and efficiency.

It’s also equipped with Mercedes driver-assistance packages (including features like adaptive cruise control), and includes an extended Mercedes warranty through May 2029.

We also replace the factory rear suspension with a high-end, computer-controlled air suspension system to reduce sway, smooth harsh roads, and support long-term durability by reducing vibration through the living space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bold Look

Because Signature is a demonstration build, we knew we wanted to try something unique. You’ll see multiple blue tones inside, and a vibrant durable, textured lower exterior coat outside.

If you’ve been with us a while, you may remember Baja – another bold ARV color direction that surprised people and became a favorite. (Link to Baja video.)

The Fun of It All

Signature also captures the personality of the team that built it:

• Our electrical team experimented with new colorful and programmable exterior lighting.
• An enhanced amplifier and speaker system to more clearly and powerfully play the soundtracks to your journeys
• Alex, our upholsterer, brought his Italian sports car experience to Signature. He decided to have fun and do something beautiful.

Signature started as a “demonstration build.” It’s becoming a small gallery of what our shop loves to do.

 

 

 

 

 

Availability

Signature is available to claim and purchase now. The coach is largely defined at this stage, but we’re always happy to talk through possibilities and fit.

If Signature matches your travel style – and you want to be part of its final stretch – we’d love to connect.

Submit a contact form or give us a call, and we’ll talk through timeline, pricing expectations, and next steps. If you’re able, we also encourage a visit to Cleveland. The best way to understand a coach like this is to step inside it.

Van Winkle is unmistakably a Ford Transit. And that’s the point.

For more than a decade, Advanced RV has built the majority of our custom coaches on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platform. We’ve also been asked the same question for years: Could ARV build the same kind of high-end, integrated motorhome on a Ford?

Van Winkle is the and answer. It’s one of our first Ford Advanced RVs. Full bath. Large water capacity. Serious electrical. Long-term service access. And craftsmanship that feels like ARV the moment you step inside.

Why the Client chose Ford

Van Winkle was built for a client named Frank—approachable, Midwest-humble, and clear about what mattered.

Frank found Advanced RV through a video where our founder Mike spoke candidly about a mistake – a build we got wrong, and what we did to make it right. “This is someone I would do business with.”

Frank chose Ford because he knew the platform. He’d lived with Ford Transits in a working fleet. And he trusted the Ford service ecosystem—the confidence of being able to get help almost anywhere, without needing a specialty dealership.

As Frank puts it: “That one thing with the Ford outweighed anything with the Mercedes.”

“Custom” means what it should mean

In the RV industry, “custom” can mean a short list of options. At ARV, it means the world is open – as long as it’s safe and legal.

Mike (founder of ARV) says it plainly in the video: “Custom has a different meaning for us than it seems to have in the general RV business… If the client wants a special coffee maker, we build in a special coffee maker… They’re the boss.”

The layout that unlocked everything

Van Winkle’s floorplan is built around a single decision: a motorized bed that stows into the ceiling.

Press a button and the bed glides down on a track system. Stow it back up and the living space opens wide. That one mechanism creates room for the things Frank wanted most:

• Two counters for real day-to-day cooking and prep

• Multiple seating zones, including a rear lounge area that can become a small secondary bed

• A large rear bathroom with a full shower

• A layout that feels open in the daytime, without sacrificing sleep comfort at night

In the video, the client notes his height (5’7″) and how that made the concept viable: “I have no issue walking underneath that bed.”

The ARV cabinet team made the bed work by moving the motors and mechanics the motors out of the bed structure, hiding them into available body cabinets in the Transit.

ARV Designer Rob summed it up after seeing the final result: “I’ve had a few different people tell me this is the nicest Advanced RV we’ve built yet.”

Full motorhome systems—on a Ford

Van Winkle is a complete, integrated luxury motorhome with the same core ARV philosophy: systems that work together, are serviceable, and are built for years of use.

48V lithium power, built in-house

Van Winkle carries our UL-listed, in-house 48V lithium system (16.2 kWh) with a 4,000W inverter and fast alternator charging. Many owners can travel for long stretches without plugging in—recharging while they drive and using stored power when they’re stopped.

Plumbing and true day-to-day comfort

This is a full coach with a large freshwater capacity (40 gallons) and a true bathroom/shower setup designed for daily use.

Weight, safety, and certification

ARV is RVIA certified, and we build accordingly. That means planning for systems, materials, and payload in a way that keeps the vehicle safe, insurable, and dependable. ARV owners can trust the coach they’re traveling in.

Why the Ford platform matters

Van Winkle is built on a Ford Transit 350 HD DRW with AWD—a platform that has become increasingly viable for high-end Class B motorhomes as Ford’s capacities and configurations have evolved.

There are also practical advantages that matter to real travelers:

• A gasoline platform many people are already comfortable with

• Broad service access across the country

• And typically, an equivalent build that can land at about 10% less than a Sprinter-based Advanced RV (depending on scope)

Ford and Mercedes offer more options for travelers, and a new tool for building the right coach for you.

Want to build on a Ford Transit?

If Van Winkle sparks ideas—whether you’re set on a Transit or still deciding—start with a conversation. We’ll ask how you travel, what you carry, where you go, and what you want your motorhome to feel like after years on the road.

Call us, or visit us in Cleveland.

There’s a word the Japanese use – ma – that means negative space. The pause between notes that makes the music. The emptiness that gives shape to everything else. Many of us are taught that emptiness is something to fix, not something to savor.

But every time we witness someone stepping into their Advanced RV for the first time, we don’t see someone disappointed about what they are missing, but someone seeing a future greater than they once imagined: infinite space to breathe. Room to think. The freedom from rooms that are rarely used, gatherings that never quite happened.

The minimalism often shown in magazines is about aesthetics – white walls, hidden storage, everything tucked away. But the minimalism found on the road is about physics. About the weight of what you carry, literally. About the diesel it takes to pull your loved ones up and over a mountain pass.

Every pound matters when you’re climbing the Rockies.

The luxury Advanced RV builds isn’t about having everything. It’s about everything you have being considered. The handle that feels right every time you pull it. The latch that sounds like a vault closing. The window that frames the world the way it deserves to be framed.

When you only have room for twelve shirts, they’d better be the twelve shirts that make you feel like yourself. When you only have room for three books, you’d better love those books enough to read them again and again – until their sentences become part of your internal navigation system.

There’s a moment many Advanced RV owners recognize, when you realize that “more space” doesn’t always mean more freedom. That a home with countless rooms can quietly ask for more attention, more maintenance, more things.

Here, in this moving space of intention, everything has purpose. The coffee cup is the coffee cup. The blanket is the blanket – the one that’s kept you warm in the Badlands, the Olympic Peninsula, that pull-off in New Mexico where the stars were so bright you could read by them.

Back home, life often fills up quickly — closets, garages, calendars. It’s easy to accumulate more than you ever planned to. Out here, the focus shifts. Experiences take precedence. Days stretch longer.

Meanwhile, you’re making breakfast in a space smaller than someone’s bathroom at home, and feeling unexpectedly content. Because outside your window – the only window that matters – is a view that someone would build a hotel to profit from. Except you found it for free. And tomorrow, you’ll find another.

This isn’t about judgment. It’s simply a different way of choosing. Some people optimize for square footage. Others optimize for movement, for stories, for the ability to go.

Some collecting rooms. Some collecting horizons.

The real luxury – the one money actually can’t buy – is knowing exactly what you need. Not what you might need. Not what someone else decided success looks like. But what you, specifically you, require to feel whole.

An Advanced RV invites that clarity. It’s like those questions philosophers ask: If your house burned down, what would you grab? Except instead of a thought experiment, it’s Tuesday. And instead of grabbing, you’re choosing what comes along for the ride.

The answer, it turns out, is less than you thought.

The result, it turns out, is more than you imagined.

 

The walls were never holding up the roof.

They were holding you in.

This revelation usually arrives somewhere around mile 500, when you’re parked beside a lake you didn’t know existed, in a state you hadn’t planned to visit. Your home followed you here. Or maybe you followed it. After a while, the distinction stops mattering because the sun is setting and there is a crackling fire and a glass of wine calling your name.

At Advanced RV we build walls that move, but that’s not what makes them revolutionary. It’s what the walls teach you as you tick past mile marker after mile marker: permanence is a choice, not a requirement.

For 10,000 years, we’ve been running an experiment in staying put. We planted ourselves like fence posts and called it progress. We mortgaged our mobility for the privilege of receiving mail at the same address for thirty years. We traded our birthright as wanderers for a spot in the school district with the good test scores.

But here’s what the architects won’t tell you: every structure is actually two buildings. There’s the one made of materials – wood, steel, stone. And there’s the one made of assumptions – about success, security, what a good life looks like.

The second building is always smaller.

When someone walks into their custom RV for the first time they don’t see 200 square feet, they see the horizon. Because when can wake up from the best nights sleep you’ve ever had, next to the love of your staring out the side window at the majesty of the Tetons, square footage becomes irrelevant. When your kitchen window can frame the Pacific on Tuesday and the Atlantic by Friday, who’s counting feet?

The ancient Bedouins understood this. Their tents weren’t temporary housing – they were permanent freedom. The Mongolians knew it too. A yurt isn’t a compromise; it’s a choice. These cultures didn’t fail to develop “proper” architecture. They succeeded in developing something better: architecture that moves and breathes.

Modern RV life – especially the kind Advanced RV enables – isn’t about downsizing. It’s about right-sizing. It’s about discovering that the thing you were afraid of losing (space) was actually the thing keeping you from what you wanted (spaciousness).

There’s a violence to this kind of freedom. You have to murder your storage unit. Execute your attachment to the basement full of “someday.” Every object has to earn its miles. That specialty coffee maker makes the cut. The bread maker doesn’t. Those three books you actually read, yes. The library you keep meaning to read, no.

But here’s the thing about constraints: they create clarity. When you can only bring what matters, you suddenly discover what matters. When every cubic inch counts, you stop counting the wrong things.

When a client asks us to build them a custom Advanced RV they aren’t buying transportation. They’re buying transformation. They’re investing in walls that tell a new story everyday. In doors that open to somewhere new. In windows that refuse to show the same view twice.

They’re not homeless. They’re home-more. Their address isn’t fixed, but their intention is clear: to build a life that moves at the speed of curiosity. To wake up answering to wonder instead of the clock. To discover that the best architecture isn’t the kind that protects you from the world – it’s the kind that delivers you to it.

Your house has an architect. Your house has an address.

But does your house have a compass?

Does your house know how to chase summer?

The walls were never holding up the roof. They were holding you in. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Every stationary structure starts to look like what it really is: a beautiful prison with excellent financing terms.

Freedom isn’t the absence of walls. It’s walls that understand when it’s time to roll.

When travelers visit Advanced RV, one of the most common questions we hear is, “Do I need all-wheel drive?” It’s a great question — and the answer depends less on the road, and more on how you travel.

In a recent video, Mike shares his experience with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter motorhomes, including his personal van, Blue Skies, a 2020 4×4 extended model. Over hundreds of thousands of miles, he’s learned that even a two-wheel drive Sprinter can take you almost anywhere — if you know your route, respect your terrain, and understand your own travel style.

“We ask people how they want to travel,” Mike explains. “Some clients want the rugged look and capability of four-wheel drive. Others prioritize space, comfort, or mileage. The best setup reflects you.”

For many, all-wheel drive (AWD) offers peace of mind — especially when traveling in the mountains, during shoulder seasons, or through regions where weather shifts quickly. AWD Sprinters also offer added ground clearance and stability on slick surfaces, making them ideal for travelers who like to wander off the beaten path.

Still, for most adventurers, two-wheel drive remains more than capable. As Mike notes, the Sprinter’s solid construction and new four-cylinder bi-turbo engine deliver impressive power, torque, and fuel efficiency — often reaching 20 miles per gallon.

Just as important as your drivetrain choice is how you want to experience travel itself. Mike and Marcia often skip RV campgrounds, choosing instead to park off-grid or behind local restaurants. “We enjoy the flexibility,” Mike says. “Having all the comforts of a luxury motorhome, without being tied to a reservation — that’s freedom.”

Whether you’re new to custom Sprinter RVs or an experienced road traveler, understanding your needs helps us craft a van that truly fits you. That’s the heart of what we do at Advanced RV — listening, designing, and building for the individual.

👉 Watch the full video on our YouTube channel to hear Mike’s insights firsthand.
👉 Or contact us to share your own experiences and start a conversation about how you travel.

Advanced RVs are designed for year-round comfort, even when temperatures drop. A few simple steps will keep your systems safe and ready for travel.

Plumbing:
If you’re operating in freezing temperatures, the diesel-fired heat system will keep your fresh tank and plumbing lines warm. Still, winterize your gray and black tanks by pouring RV antifreeze into the toilet and shower drain, then running it through the macerator.

For storage in freezing temperatures, complete a full winterization by pumping RV antifreeze through the water pump, plumbing lines, the shower and faucets. Watch Frank’s step-by-step video on this procedure here.

Battery:
When traveling in cold weather, your battery system monitors and heats itself automatically. On most ARV builds, the Silverleaf control screen displays battery temperature.

If storing your RV, either plug it into shore power, or disconnect both the Mercedes chassis battery (at the foot of the driver’s pedals) and house batteries(at your battery disconnect switch).

If you have questions about any winterization or storage process, our team is here to guide you every step of the way.

Hello there, let’s talk about the question: how much does an Advanced RV cost? There are really two parts to the answer to that question. The first part is the investment of time and interest by the client. The investment of time should be a joy and it often is a joy; it’s dreaming, visualizing, time spent looking at possibilities, and it includes the configuration process where clients come in and spend three whole days with us. This is where they are defining how their motorhome is going to function, how it’s going to look, what capacities it is going to have, and many other things. 

The second part is the money investment from the client. The cost of the last dozen or so custom-built Advanced RVs has ranged from $410,000-600,000. It depends on what is included, what chassis is used, interior designs, etc. There’s another possibility for owning an Advanced RV and that is selecting from and purchasing one of our pre-owned vans. Every RV that we have ever built that has come back on the market has been purchased back by Advanced RV for cash. This means we know the build, we know what’s in it, we can check the operations of all the subsystems, and do a thorough inspection. It enables us to provide the kind of ongoing service that our clients expect. The used units range in price, depending on the year and the mileage, and a little bit on equipment, from a little over $100,000 to almost $400,000. I hope that answers your question, we appreciate your inquiry, and we hope this has been helpful. 

Still interested in the ARV process? Check out the Advanced RV YouTube channel HERE! Thanks for reading!

There are two parts to this question.

The first part is the investment of time and interest by the client. The investment of time should be a joy and it often is a joy; it’s dreaming, visualizing, time spent looking at possibilities, and it includes the configuration process where clients come in and spend three whole days with us. This is where they are defining how their motorhome is going to function, how it’s going to look, what capacities it is going to have, and many other things. 

The second part is the money investment from the client. The cost of the last dozen or so custom-built Advanced RVs has ranged from $410,000-600,000. It depends on what is included, what chassis is used, interior designs, etc. There’s another possibility for owning an Advanced RV and that is selecting from and purchasing one of our pre-owned vans. Every RV that we have ever built that has come back on the market has been purchased back by Advanced RV for cash. This means we know the build, we know what’s in it, we can check the operations of all the subsystems, and do a thorough inspection. It enables us to provide the kind of ongoing service that our clients expect. The used units range in price, depending on the year and the mileage, and a little bit on equipment, from a little over $100,000 to almost $400,000.

We hope that answers your question, we appreciate your inquiry, and we hope this has been helpful. 

Hey, a popular question we get at ARV is “Why should I pick a Class B motorhome”? Well, let’s start with another question: why do I pick a motorhome at all? If I’m going to be staying in one place for a long period of time, it makes a lot of sense to purchase a trailer, a fifth wheel, a truck camper, or even bring a tent, so that the cost per square foot of living area is the lowest it can be with any of these options. If you can stay in one place or if that’s your preferred way of travel, a motorhome might not be a good use of funds or a good investment. If you decide you want a motorhome because you want to move more frequently, or you wanna have a little more flexibility, and not have quite so much challenge hooking and unhooking and setting up, then a motorhome might be a better option.

There are huge motorhomes from 45 feet, or maybe more, down to 19 feet. The class B is at the low end of this, from 19 to 25 feet long. Class B basically fits into the “van” category. In other words, it’s as wide as a pickup truck and as long as a pickup truck. Class B+s and Class Cs are both wider so you don’t have as much clearance on either side. They are also blatantly a motorhome. Class B can be very stealthy in terms of disguise and going incognito.

When we talk about Class B, what are the things that make it attractive and what are the things that could make it eliminated from your choices? If you have 2 people traveling, most of the time a class B could be perfect. Occasionally, you can accommodate 3 or 4 people in a class B, but 2 people is probably where you want to set the limit. A Class B motorhome is the smallest you could fit a queen-sized bed, a refrigerator, a flush toilet, a heater, all-season use–there are a lot of things a Class B can offer. 

The other thing a Class B can offer is that it can function as your runaround vehicle as well as your camping vehicle. With a Class B, you have the flexibility of staying almost anywhere: campgrounds, off-roads, municipal lots, Walmarts, the list goes on. In terms of efficiency, Class B motorhomes are probably the most efficient and the one we use, the Sprinter, has the new bi-turbo four-cylinder with nine-speed transmission and gets 20+ miles per gallon. 

There’s a feeling we get with our Class B RV that we never had when we rented a Class A and used other motorhomes. That feeling…just having the motorhome in the driveway and we could run away anytime and turn down any road and feel secure, have all of our stuff, go exploring…there’s a huge freedom around that. I hope this helps you make a decision, get in touch with us if we can help any further. 

Still interested in the ARV process? Check out the Advanced RV YouTube channel HERE! Thanks for reading!

Hi there. Today’s question is “Why would I choose an Advanced RV motorhome?” You’re probably going to expect me to say “We’re the best at this” and “We’re good at that”–you know, all the reasons you might want to buy from us. Since we started, we knew there were a few things we didn’t want to do: we didn’t want to compare ourselves to anybody else because that’s the client’s job. We’re also not going to ask questions or make assumptions about what anybody else does. We’ll answer all the technical questions and any other questions about what we do. We do the best we can and we try to learn every day and improve. When you walk through our production facility, you can talk to anybody you want to because we want to give you our undivided attention. 

First, let’s talk about why you might NOT want to choose ARV. I say this to everybody I talk to: if you can find a build that is produced by a factory (and there’s no judgment behind that) like Airstream, Pleasure Way, Winnebago, or good companies like that, go ahead and buy it. Many of these companies build as many in a month as we build in a year, so if you need it now, you’d wanna buy it through a dealer. We’re usually in business with people who are on their third or fourth motorhome. 

So why WOULD you choose Advanced RV? Some people come to us with an entire outline of what they want, why they want it, and how it is a necessity, not a want, for them. Others want to explore all the possibilities that are available in a motorhome and how it can best suit their lifestyle or traveling requirements. If there are certain criteria or specific desires unable to be met through a factory motorhome, Advanced RV might be the best option for you. We are completely customizable at ARV, our only limitations are space and weight. The world is your oyster and we want to give you the experience that leaves you excited to begin (or continue) your traveling journey and be proud of and content with your motorhome. 

One other thing that might be different about Advanced RV is that we spend a week, after the completion of every motorhome, in Quality Check. We do operational checks, we do quality inspections, and we do at least one “rattle-run” on our road that is especially rough so we can test for any rattles or shakes within the van. These are just some of the things we take the time to do to ensure our clients with the utmost quality and care for their vehicles. 

One of our biggest focuses here at ARV is hospitality. We don’t have a sales group, we don’t do commissions–when you call and have a technical issue, you get a person to talk to and we can troubleshoot almost any issue on the phone. If you come here for service or there’s an issue you need help with, everything stops and you’re the focus because we want to get you back on the road.

Still interested in the ARV process? Check out the Advanced RV YouTube channel HERE! Thanks for reading!