Made the mistake of going to a RV show

[robkathybat]

We decided to get out of the house the other day and went to an RV show. We are perfectly happy with our RW, We have always enjoyed going to shows (only if they are free), especially to gloat to ourselves how nice our RW is compared to whats out there. Well we were very surprised at what we found with the Grand Design Solitude series of 5th wheels. We really liked the front living room model 380FL. The technical specifications, like tank size, hot water heater, propane and such are equal to our RW, but it comes with solar prep and optional solar panels and 2000W inverter, which I assume is mostly for the residential refrigerator. If I were thinking about trading in I would also be able to upgrade to disk brakes, the MOR ryde suspension and some other things. My question is had anybody had any experience with the Grand Design Solitude 5th wheels, I honestly had never heard of them before.

[Ford truck guy]

The Grsnd Design Solitude was on our SHORT LIST when buying our Redwood, but we got a much better % off the Redwood.
That said, my best friend was looking into upgrading and he purchased a 2022 Solitude and Loves it. He had a few issues from PDI, and the dealer that was 16 hours away did some minor damage to it in their lot.

Long Story short, BOTH the selling dealer, and Grand Design were awesome to deal with to get those issues resolved after our first trip….

They now have 3 or 4 trips with it and still like it, they seam to be well made..

Good Luck with your decision ..
Joe

[mhs4771]

Grand Design has been around for 8 to 10 years. They were purchased by Winnebagp in 2016. They appear to have a large following. Only know of one owner, they were picking up their Grand Design when we were picking up our current RW. They had some serious issues, went through 3 or 4 AC had a major water leak that required pulling and rebuilding the kitchen slide. Don't know anything more.

[Lloyd]

There are a lot of very happy/satisfied Grand Design owners.
Nose around a little bit on their forum.
https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/forum.php

[travelin' texans]

We have a good friend with the Solitude, IIRC its a '20 or 21 model, & has the same typical issues as you'll have with any make, model, brand or price, after all they're all rvs. All are built in the same geographic area by the same demographics for labor that jump from manufacturer to manufacturer on a weekly/monthly basis, pound for pound not a nickels worth of difference.

[Ford truck guy]

The 1 main reason we moved on from the GD Solitude was the lack of a rear molded cap.. That , to me is a big selling point… I know its only looks, but that what WE both like…. A rear molded cap….

[hmdarwin]

We have loved our 2013 RW36FB for 7 years but couldn't take our Honda SXS with us because of the length. Found a slightly used 2020 Solitude (pre Covid) for $40k less than ordering new and have been pleased with layout, interior, and mechanical. The outside of the Redwood is preferred by me, mainly because of the molded endcap. Yet pulling a shorter rig that's 2500lb less is a good tradeoff.

Often in campgrounds, folks walking by would comment "I would love to have a Redwood like yours someday." I haven't gotten that with the Solitude because there will be 5 or 6 other Solitudes camping there too.

I will miss the full body paint, dual pane windows and disk brakes, all available options our GD doesn't have. Yet the drum brakes do great probably because of the lower weight of the shorter GD, the GD windows are huge by comparison, and inside it feels just as spacious as the RW.

For me, I will miss most the RW family of this Forum. You have helped me solve every problem with diagnoses and solution. I visit weekly, but don't post often, yet it feels that I have come to know you and your gracious helpfulness and thoughtful responses; you deserve a heartfelt Thank You! You are the best!

Howard Darwin

[Chief AFD]

We went from a 2016 redwood to a solitude best move we have made. Had it a year now and no issues so far. It doesn’t have the disc brakes which I do miss and I could upgrade at some point but the drums are ok and I couldn’t justify the cost now. Plus grand design has a huge dealer network. In our travels I think there are more grand design products out there than anything else now. They did get bought out by Winnebago so time will tell .

[drj564]

Originally Posted by Chief AFD

We went from a 2016 redwood to a solitude best move we have made. Had it a year now and no issues so far. It doesn’t have the disc brakes which I do miss and I could upgrade at some point but the drums are ok and I couldn’t justify the cost now. Plus grand design has a huge dealer network. In our travels I think there are more grand design products out there than anything else now. They did get bought out by Winnebago so time will tell .

I think this is what the industry needs. One manufacturer to come in with a quality product at an affordable price. Kind of like the car industry in the 70’s and 80’s. Poor quality and high prices for it won’t change till someone shakes up the industry. I’m not convinced Grand Design is the answer but it’s a good start.