There is not pass thru because water heater, pump and filter are at that location on the other side, so no pass thru. There are a couple other draw backs like you have to open slide to access kitchen area and heavy tongue weight. I have 1500# bars for my WDH and has corrected that, but still don't put heavy items in this storage area. Access to kitchen area hasn't been a problem except in crowded parking areas and when the batteries are stored in garage for winter. I install 2 batteries to make sure I had enough power to operate all slides when not hooked up to AC power. We did a 10 week trip across country this summer and trailer was very comfortable to whole time. Can't speak to the other unit, but this one is very nice.