New Imagine XLS 17MKE Owner from MN

[Dusty Mark]

We sold our teardrop camper we'd built in 2016 and purchased a 17MKE this October. With one trip under our belts, we're quite pleased with the floor plan. All systems worked well on the first trip. I'd sewn a nice 9' by 11' galley tent for a weather-protected cooking area for our teardrop, but it's nice to be able to just level the camper and cook a good meal inside within minutes of parking the rig. It even has a toilet and shower! Dropping from 17 mpg towing the teardrop to 9 mpg towing the travel trailer is the "cost of admission" for stand-up convenience...

[PursuitOfCamperness]

Welcome! We’re in an XLS, too and love it! The convenience goes a long way!

[RickinCalgary]

Hi Dusty Mark...we also have a brand new 17MKE (2020) which we will pull with our Tacoma. We got a good fall deal from a nearby dealer that also took our older trailer on trade saving us the hassle of selling privately. In the past, I've done a lot of tent camping and recall moving upscale to an 8' tent trailer that made me giddy with excitement that I was actually sleeping off the ground, out of the wind, AND had a furnace...who knew of such delights!!! A year later, my wife wanted a unit with an actual mattress and a bathroom so that was our next trailer...thought I had died and gone to heaven! Now, with our new 17MKE we think we are ready to retire in style and travel comfortably: This thing even has one of those "Television" sets but I can't figure out how to hook up the rabbit ears. Seriously though, I hope we (you and I and others) get many years of delight out of our trailers... Best wishes from Calgary!

[Dusty Mark]

Rick...Another camper who appreciates the "big" step up to the smallest Grand Design trailer in their line-up! The 17 MKE suits our intended use as a comfortable base camp for outdoor activities.

[SGT ROC]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new rig. Stepping up from a tear drop to this must be something. Almost like going to a TT from a pop up. Which we did a few years ago.

[Julie :)]

Just saw that you are pulling your Imagine 17MKE with a Tacoma. We currently have an Escape 19 that we pull with a 2016 Tacoma, and we were thinking we would have to go bigger on the truck if we changed trailers. Did you have to make adaptations on the Tacoma in order to pull the Imagine? Also I can not seem to find the exterior width of the 17MKE. Out Escape fits nicely in its garage; I am trying to figure out if the Imagine will fit. Thanks.

[RickinCalgary]

Just saw that you are pulling your Imagine 17MKE with a Tacoma. We currently have an Escape 19 that we pull with a 2016 Tacoma, and we were thinking we would have to go bigger on the truck if we changed trailers. Did you have to make adaptations on the Tacoma in order to pull the Imagine? Also I can not seem to find the exterior width of the 17MKE. Out Escape fits nicely in its garage; I am trying to figure out if the Imagine will fit. Thanks.

Hi Julie, our first Tacoma was a 2010 4x4 TRD Sport and it pulled our first trailer quite well, Palomino dry wt 3300 lbs. We got an incredible trade in on the 2010 and went for a 2019. At that time, we also decided to upgrade the trailer and chose the Grand Design 17MKE. That one weighs about 4800 lbs dry so I knew the Taco with 6400lb towing could manage it if we didn’t load it up. The issue we had with the Taco centred on the small 70 litre fuel tank and having to fuel up whenever we got between 1/4 and 1/2 tank...there were times when I didn’t think we’d make the next gas station. The other issue was the payload which was 1000 lbs. With a tongue weight of 500 lbs and my wife and I and the Labrador, it didn’t leave much of a weight buffer...especially if we added in the weight of a full 5 gallon gas can. So after Trying to tow with the Taco, we ended up with a Ford F-150 Lariat with. 5.0 V8. This truck has a payload of 1720 lbs and towing capacity of around 10500 lbs...best of all, it has 136 litre fuel tank and the fuel economy isn’t too much different from the Taco...Overall, the extra couple of $$ for fuel more than compensates for the greater capacity and utility of the Ford over the Taco. I should mention that I am a devoted Toyota guy going back to my 1st new vehicle (1981 diesel land cruiser) so going ‘domestic’ was a shakey decision. I am quite confident that it was the right choice for us as we move Into retirement mode and longer trips. If I was just doing relatively short trips, the Taco would be fine as long as you watched all the gas stations carefully. I hope this helps.

[RickinCalgary]

Julie, the only other change to the taco was a brake controller...Teckonsha that plugged right into the wiring harness (had to search for it carefully).

[Julie :)]

Rick, Thanks for the info. We will probably go for a bit bigger truck if we get the Imagine. It hurts though. The Tacoma has been good to us pulling our Escape. More questions: with the slide out in, can you still walk through the trailer? Can the bed be down with the slide out in?

[RickinCalgary]

Rick, Thanks for the info. We will probably go for a bit bigger truck if we get the Imagine. It hurts though. The Tacoma has been good to us pulling our Escape. More questions: with the slide out in, can you still walk through the trailer? Can the bed be down with the slide out in?

Hi Julie, yes, I hear you about the Tacoma...loved both of mine (2010 and 2019...except for the goofy little block heater plug in the bumper of the 2019 which, and I can tell you this from first-hand experience, is NO FUN when it is -30C, with a howling wind, and it’s pitch black in mid December (I am in Canada...brrr!)). Otherwise the Taco was great. About the 17MKE, with the slide in, you can’t pull the bed down, but I can nap comfortably on the recliner or on the sofa. You can however use the galley and the bathroom. That said, there is nothing wrong with an Escape in my view...my wife on the other hand insisted on a few things that made the 17 MKE right for us. I hope this is useful.