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DawGry's avatar
DawGry
Explorer
Apr 09, 2018

Which one grand design M-class or DRV full house

Have a Raptor Velocity Toy hauler Looking to replace with something new Asking for information on the differences and benefits of two different haulers Looking at Grand design M-class 394M versus a DRV luxury suites LX450 full house
Who is the better bang for the buck Quality and user friendly functioning Trying to keep price out of the equation for now Your feedback and advice will be greatly appreciated
  • I don't know how you can "keep price out of the equation" when comparing two such different units as these. Grand Design is a good value for the money and has great customer service; DRV is in a different class. Compare specs on on chassis, walls, roofs, etc., and you'll see the differences. All of GD's suspension systems are solid axle/leaf spring with drum brakes. Many DRVs come from the factory with the MOR/ryde independent suspension and disc brakes. Grand Design also uses a lot of plastic-covered MDF in the cabinetry whereas DRV uses a lot more real wood. You'll likely find at least a 2X price difference between the two, too.

    Rob
  • Between the two if I could afford the DRV I'd buy it in a heart beat. Grand Design makes a great unit, but as Second Chance said, the DRV is in a different class. But you pay for it. So money has to be a factor, if the DRV is to much then I think the GD is a great unit.
  • Thank you Second Chance and Y-Guy
    Not trying to overlook the price factor. I know that will probably be the deciding issue. I wanted to have objective opinions on the quality and features of both brands
    Again Thanks for your information/opinion
  • We love our Grand Design A step above the rest This is our forth brand of toy haulers and the best one yet
  • I'd be looking at the frame underneath of them. If I understand DRV units, they're built on a box frame whereas Grand Design is likely built on an I-Beam frame.

    My guess is the DRV is going to be better built. Hopefully they rely less on Lippert products.

    My big issue with Grand Design was it's over use on Lippert ****. In some of the living areas, they don't have hard switches for lights and instead you use a tablet on the wall (or app on your phone). There weren't hard switches for slides and water heater and whatnot. I'm all for technology, but Lippert's quality is questionable and relying on it for "critical" things is scary.
  • That said, my big issue with the Full House was that there wasn't one with a 1/2 bath setup.

    That was a requirement for us and one that made me start exploring how hard it would be to build a 1/2 bath in the garage myself.
  • Well I know the DRV full house LX455 is what we will be getting in a few years...no comparison to any other hauler out there in my opinion!! As others have mentioned, 2 completely different classes of haulers! DRV would be my choice even for the big price tag.
  • ependydad wrote:
    That said, my big issue with the Full House was that there wasn't one with a 1/2 bath setup.

    That was a requirement for us and one that made me start exploring how hard it would be to build a 1/2 bath in the garage myself.


    LX455 has 1/2 bath, that's why we like that model. A person should be able to get LX455 pretty well loaded for $125K plus tax, at least that were we were. DRV has also gone somewhat wireless.
  • Just seen a 2017 DRV LX450 toy hauler on ebay for sale, that's the model with NO 1/2 bath.