First Experience Grand Design Vs Lance

[Ramv]

I had 2018 Lance so before Rev Group took over.

Big differences:
Leaf springs versus torsion axles (Rev went to leaf spring)
Battery/propane seem like an afterthought. - tri five and internal dual 31 group batteries versus a single 27 group and a cheap bungee cover on two 5 gallon propane tanks
No 12 volt plugs? Wtf, it’s an RV
No rear storage— front is taken up by generator which is fine but why no rear storage
tv mount is fixed versus extending and adjusting with lock to secure for travel
New trailer has more fresh water not sure on grey might be less (which typically is our pain point)
Kitchen is nice
Lots of USB ports
TV is 120 volt not sure how that works if you don’t have 120
No satellite receiver location
Manual stabilizers - honestly this was a big selling point on the Lance that it had electric stabilizers. I don’t understand why this trailer wouldn’t
Frame seems solid
Compressor fridge seems like a good idea
Have a few issues but expected on any trailer out of Indiana. Biggest issue there is dealer is nine hours away.
It’s heavy and pulls heavy. I didn’t expect an few thousand pounds to make that much difference.

Floor plan is good

 

[Ramv]

I am worried on tongue weight. Only have a little water and gas on board.
Lance had freshwater at the front so 45 gallons of water was a good thing

 

[Ramv]

Also miss the keyless entry of the Lance. Not sure why I need remote start on the generator, would rather have keyless entry like the Lance

 

[NB Canada]

Some of those things you mentioned can be added like keyless entry and batteries

you don’t mention what trailer you have but with mentioning a generator I assume it is a toy hauler?
Does lance even make a toy hauler?

 

[Bungy]

Some of those things you mentioned can be added like keyless entry and batteries

you don’t mention what trailer you have but with mentioning a generator I assume it is a toy hauler?
Does lance even make a toy hauler?

sounds like the op has buyers remorse...

 

[WhittleBurner]

Sorry you aren't happy, reading your post history I see it is a Momentum TT.
Not being your first trailer it's suprising you did not give full attention to what it had and did not have.
All those differences are things you should have been aware of before purchasing, including the weight difference on your truck. Did you not spend time looking around the trailer?

Trailers are different today than they were even 10 years ago when we bought our Reflection ( big part of the reason we are still in it)

 

[retired_engineer]

I don't know what model of Grand Design you have nor which of your comments refer to the GD trailer and which to the Lance. In general I would put Lance as a higher level travel trailer manufacturer than GD. We looked at them quite a bit and they were at the top of our list before we decided to go with a XLS 22MLE. A couple of the reasons as to why are listed in the next paragraph. We felt we were getting a little less with the GD in the luxury department but we also paid about half the price and didn't have to move up to a 3/4 ton truck.

Lance trailers have some drawbacks of their own. In particular their bathrooms are very small and tight even when compared to our 22MLE. They tend to have high tongue weights to the point that they cannot be towed with most 1/2 ton trucks unlike many similarly sized trailers from other manufacturers. They also tend to have issues with the dinette slide due to its size and weight not to mention the extra high step required to clear the wheel wells.

I will give Lance credit that when they converted to leaf springs that they automatically included a MORryde CRE3000 and shocks. GD has recently started to include the CRE3000 on their Imagine and up travel trailers but I'd like to see shocks as well.

We'd really have preferred an Outdoors RV travel trailer but like the Lance they tend to run heavy and we would have had to upgrade the truck. The fact that there are no dealers here on the East Coast was also a factor since we would have trouble seeing one in person and had concerns over warranty coverage. In the end buying any trailer is a series of compromises and the willingness to live with them.

 

[Ramv]

Momentum 29GS. Toyhauler. Lance hasn't made a Toyhauler since 2017 or so I think.

I didn't actually see it prior to purchase (dealer is 9 hours away, delivered to the house. GF looked at it) so some of the little things like no 12 volt plugs and tv mount I didn't know about. GF wanted a toyhauler so we had to get a new trailer, total combined I'm only about 2k lb heavier. (well within my truck capabilities) The floor plan is perfect for what we want.

I knew it didn't have the motorized stabilizers, just seems odd. Same with keyless entry, I realize it all costs money.

I just am surprised that they didn't add some of the little things. The Lance was really nice and probably last of its kind but the size didn't work for me anymore. It did have a really nice bathroom much bigger than the Momentum) but this one will work, just need to figure out some storage. The Lance was very heavy on the tongue which I liked a lot, this one isn't much heavier for a much bigger trailer so that's my concern there. I'll know more when I tow it, I'm hesitant to put too much water or fuel on it since both tanks are at the back.

Shocks might be my first upgrade. Well probably dual batteries, then shocks.

 

[txloser]

Lance makes a nice trailer. If I were to have a white box TT, it would be a Lance.

Hopefully your GF likes the new one and you can make some additions to get it to where you want it. Just more $$ and time.

 

[Ramv]

Yeah, if it tows well, everything else is fixable. It fits the side by side which was my number one concern. I like it, and as I said the floor plan is perfect. I like the compressor fridge, that’s a major upgrade. Kitchen is nice. It seems very stout which is good too. The Lance had issues (before my year) of frame flex but it was always a little concerning.

The built in generator and inverter will be nice. I had the Lance all fixed up with a nice inverter and 200aH Lithium battery but still had to get up in the middle of the night to fill the generators if it was super hot.

Got both backup cameras installed today.

 

[Ramv]

Honestly first overall review, I don’t see the quality lower. There are a few screws missing but the Lance
Did too. Biggest issue so far is the solar controller doesn’t work and was wired wrong. Hopefully they send a new one. I’m just surprised they skip on some cheap upgrades like keyless locks and a decent tv mount.

 

[Ramv]

And just for clarification noting things aren’t perfect aren’t buyer’s remorse or even things that make me upset. Its just observations.

I’m far more annoyed with the dealer over accessories which had nothing to do with the trailer. They definitely didn’t follow through

 

[Jason-Texas]

I am the prior owner of 2 Lances, a 2375 & 1985, and I loved them both. I bought them because of reputation and quality. They did not disappoint. However, we decided to go full time and wanted more room. I bought the 2019 GD Reflection 337, for the same reasons, and I am happy with this decision as well. Neither is perfect, they are RV’s, they all have some issues. Most of the problems I have in countered have been with the appliances, not the build. I have looked at the newer 337’s and I feel mine is a way better build. I wish I had a 12 volt refrigerator, inverter, & solar, but thats about it.

 

[Dadeo6472]

Our GD was my first travel trailer. Why do I now own a Lance 2375 travel trailer?

We liked the layout and most of the features, but it was the poorest built thing on wheels I've ever driven or towed. And I had to drive a three speed automatic four cylinder 1978 Ford Fairmont for a year. First trip: no tongue jack because the wire to it was cut by the sharp edges of the hole in the frame the wire passed thru. There was no protection from the sharp edges. I swear it seemed like 1970s car slapped together by rushed and/or drunk workers on a Friday before a three day weekend. I was still dealing with electrical, plumbing and workmanship flaws four years after we bought it. The shower drain pipe failed because it was never glued or screwed to the shower drain, there were leaks and kinks in the supply lines to and from the water heater, the kitchen sink dropped into the cabinet, the couch was impossibly uncomfortable, all the drawers and cabinets would open when underway, the toilet leaked and valve broke, it was impossible to get more than 5,000 miles out of a set of tires because the frame and axle weren't straight, the outside speakers lasted only a year, the inside speakers rattled from day one, the radio failed the second year, workers left behind piles of trash under all the cabinets AND left behind a complete installation kit for the TV/radio antenna. The glass fell out of the overhead kitchen cabinets. The door lock had to be replaced after only a year. The pipes froze at 20 degrees F (with the furnace running) despite GD's claims that it was a 4 season trailer.

I will never stop telling people how poorly Grand Design built our trailer. And I will never buy another GD. In fact I will never buy another RV or vehicle of any kind built in Indiana or by any company that builds anything there. The place is polluted by workers who are rushed, no standardized build processes, cheap hardware and companies who could care less about standardization, engineering and construction quality.

In the year we've owned the 2020 Lance we've had to repair.... nothing. Oh I did replace the tongue jack after it got slammed by me dropping the tailgate on it. The hardware is marine quality. The drawers and doors stay shut when underway. The water doesn't freeze when its 20 degrees outside.

And then there's all the things that Lance just does better. Yes the bathroom is smaller, but the shower has acrylic glass doors and a bigger sink. The furniture is comfortable and cloth, not cheap hard and vinyl covered. Lance somehow made sure all the cabinets received light from a ceiling light or a light in the cabinet. Most of the ceiling lights on the Lance are turned on individually so its possible to light one area of the trailer without lighting the whole place.

If you can't afford a new Lance (they are expensive), buy a used one. Yes you will pay more, but its far more likely the Lance will still be on the road when you pay off the li,en the bank placed on it.

RV folks: we seriously need to stop buying Indiana's trash.

 

[Dadeo6472]

Honestly first overall review, I don’t see the quality lower. There are a few screws missing but the Lance
Did too. Biggest issue so far is the solar controller doesn’t work and was wired wrong. Hopefully they send a new one. I’m just surprised they skip on some cheap upgrades like keyless locks and a decent tv mount.

Oh, I forgot to mention in my other post... the solar plug on the side of our old GD was also mis-wired. They'd reversed the positive and negative connections. Relatively speaking this was perhaps the smallest issue on what was otherwise a real piece of junk.

I swear there were so many things wrong with our GD that I can't even remember it all.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Win some, lose some.

 

[chemist308]

Before this, my starter rig was a an older Jayco 31BHS. Honestly I had it all to do over again, I'd have found an older Jayco fifth wheel and simply updated the interior as I've done with this one. You couldn't pay me to own a new Jayco. When I was on the market for this, I walked through Pinnacle and couldn't even get the door to close after I opened it--WTF. Toured a new Solitude recently and the fridge door wouldn't even close right after I looked in it--fit, finish and quality went way downhill over the years, just like other brands. What drew me to Grand Design was the theater seating and the fact that they actually published their insulation R values. Well that, and the fact that they inspected every single unit they made. My point is Lance probably has gone downhill a bit too.

But a better question is who is making good ones these days? Or are you better off finding a older Hitchhiker and completely re-doing the interior?

 

[goducks14]

Oh, I forgot to mention in my other post... the solar plug on the side of our old GD was also mis-wired. They'd reversed the positive and negative connections. Relatively speaking this was perhaps the smallest issue on what was otherwise a real piece of junk.

I swear there were so many things wrong with our GD that I can't even remember it all.

If it was the Zamp solar plug on the side then it was wired correctly. Zamps are wired in reverse. Kind of a gimmick so people will buy Zamp solar panels for it. Easily remedied with a reverse polar plug found anywhere.

 

[txloser]

Probably the only route to a well built mostly trouble free RV would a newer but used Oliver with any kinks worked out. Simple and solid. All the standard white box rv’s come with a little suck. But, if you want a residential feeling interior, you have to go that route. Even Airstream with no slides and a high price point comes with some suck(Thor).

We’ve had a Forest River, and two Jayco’s prior to this. The pre Thor Jayco was the best trailer from a reliability standpoint(one slide @32’). The Solitude we have, I really enjoy, but it’s not been without its issues in the 12k miles it’s been towed. And it is missing some stuff our previous trailer had. Stuff you don’t think about till you’re spending time in it. Dumb light configurations without dimming, when the microwave runs its super loud because the fan runs over the stove, uncomfortable furniture, and the recliners didn’t even come with cup holders like those built before and after this one. Just a wood cover over where it would be. Also, the floor shows every little bit of dust. Better not knowing with a different shade on the floor. And the TV being on an televator doesn’t pivot. All stuff I accept as compromise for lots of pluses, but the wife really doesn’t like this trailer. Not sure which one I’ll have to trade in. lol.

 

[RV2600RB]

We’ll be selling our 2021 GD Imagine 2600RB this fall. Aging parents are ending our RV travels, need to stay close. We love the floor plan, perfect for a couple.