Today’s RV review isn’t as much about the RV itself as it is about some of the technology it has. The RV we’re looking at is the 2025 Grand Design Imagine 2800BH, which is a larger bunkhouse model. But, as they would say in some B-movies, fuggedaboutit for a moment if you would. Let’s talk towing safety.
I keep writing about suspensions and chassis on towables because I know what a difference a good system can make. The better the suspension on a trailer, the less damage it’s going to incur due to the lousy roads so many of us travel on.
Just this last week, I traveled from my home base near Albuquerque to the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff. Some of the places on I-40 where the road meets bridges were so bad that I truly was concerned about serious damage to the RV. The truck is fine—it’s a beast. But I am almost certain that those road craters bottomed out the suspension on our trailer, and we have a torsion axle suspension.
Electronic sway control
But, suspension aside, this trailer incorporates a new anti-lock braking system as well as the CURT sway control.
Sway is a reason so many of us deal with complicated and heavy hitches for “bumper pull” trailers. Wind and even some evasive maneuvers (oh, big rig drivers and your shredding tires 🙄) can cause a trailer to sway more than you want and could ultimately result in loss of control under the right, or maybe wrong, conditions.
So this trailer uses the CURT True Course™ Sway Control System, which uses technology plus the trailer’s own braking system to mitigate sway. The system can easily determine if there is a circumstance that needs intervention and applies the brakes individually on the trailer to help straighten it out.
I like this idea quite a bit. This is how the anti-sway system works on your vehicle, and now it can work on your trailer. And, yes, you can install one of these systems on your existing towable, but I’m pretty impressed that Grand Design has done so from the factory.
Anti-lock brakes
This is one of the newer travel trailers that also incorporates anti-lock braking. If you’re new here, know that I got to experience Lippert’s anti-lock braking system on a test track. It was impressive and another safety feature that I wish were simply mandated by the RVIA’s self-imposed regulation.
This type of technology helps the driver maintain control in more braking situations, especially emergency braking or panic stops.
Other chassis upgrades
Another thing on this chassis is an upgraded suspension system where Grand Design has taken their vintage leaf spring suspension and, at least, put in a dampening shackle in the form of a MORryde CRE 3000 system. This is better than nothing.
This trailer is also shod with Goodyear Endurance tires and fitted with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Honestly, I wouldn’t buy any trailer that didn’t have a TPMS and high-quality tires.
What’s inside the Grand Design Imagine 2800BH
This is a decently designed bunkhouse trailer with some nice interior features. Storage is an example where the trailer features a large drawer under the stove and oven that has reconfigurable pegs in it. With those you can organize things and not have them sliding around, busting up the drawer as you roll down the highway, especially if you take advantage of that sway control or ABS.
There is also a U-shaped dinette. But the seat against the back wall of the dinette is actually an ottoman, which can be removed and moved around inside the RV. It also provides additional storage, and you can leave it against the wall or move it so someone can sit in the living space or whatever. I like when companies do things to offer multiple options. Grand Design did that with this ottoman—it changes the dynamic of a U-shaped dinette.
Another plus is that there are two drawers on either side of the bed, which is a 60 X 80 standard queen model. There are also cubbies for your electronics with power outlets. The cabinets over the bed also use hinges that hold the doors up, so bedroom storage is well-designed. Another little bonus: There’s a sliding compartment under the bed to help make better use of that space.
Something about this trailer that I really like is the two different step systems they use. There are those stable steps, which are nice once you’re set up, and then more traditional folding steps in the bedroom of this rig. I like these because they’re quicker to deploy on those rushed bathroom stops on your way to your destination. They also don’t bring dirt, debris, and critters into the RV when they’re folded for travel.
Hey, is that an elephant? 🐘
Let’s talk about the elephants that are in the room, though, shall we? Recently, we had a review of a Grand Design product and one of the comments read something like, “If you keep reporting about all the issues with Grand Design, why do you advocate their products?”
Okay, first of all, these reviews are never meant to advocate any RV, just share my honest reactions to them. I also hope that I can share insights into what I find based on my experience at a dealership, managing warranties, and just spending time in the RV industry. So, just because you see a story about any given RV doesn’t mean that we’re telling you to buy it, just that we’ve looked into it.
Further, an RV like this has some pretty groundbreaking features like the anti-sway technology and the anti-lock braking. I would like to see all brands adopt these features—but they haven’t.
Grand Design has had some issues of late and, in my opinion, handled their frame-related issues badly for long enough that it hurt their reputation. Yeah, yeah, they then upgraded their warranty significantly, including making it transferrable, and that was a good move on their part.
Also, things like the small oven, the worthless vent fan in the bathroom, and some other examples of cost-cutting are other things I hope to point out in these stories. To many RVers who never use the oven, it doesn’t matter, but to me, I do. And I know the difference between the worthless 17” oven in this rig and the better 21” oven. In a bunkhouse trailer like this one, it seems stupid to have this small oven, quite honestly.
There are a lot of brands out there, and I love sharing highlights with you all. But I also feel like I have some value in the insights I can provide, which is why these articles seem to be popular.
I hope that’s helpful. I think that having these safety technologies available means we should demand them next time we’re choosing a new towable, quite honestly. Let the dealer know that you wouldn’t buy a trailer without them.
When people bemoan the lack of features or quality in RVs, know that we’re the biggest factor in that. Camping World sells more trailers than anybody, and many of the ones they sell are Coleman trailers, so we’re basically telling the RV industry what we want with our own buying habits.
If we demand better features or better quality, the RV industry is more than happy to build whatever we want.
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and photos in this article.
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars.
You can also check out Tony and Peggy’s RV podcast.
MORE GRAND DESIGN REVIEWS:
- Grand Design Lineage VT—a Class B!
- Grand Design Transcend 265BHT—More uses for bunk space
- A first look at a 2025 Grand Design Lineage Series motorhome
- 2025 Grand Design RV Lineage Series F 31ZW Super C—Wow!
RVT1210
Love this article, Tony, and KEEP HARPING ON THOSE SAFETY FEATURES! They should be standard issue for any manufacturer who gives a rat’s patootie about their customers.
“…If we demand better features or better quality, the RV industry is more than happy to build whatever we want.”
The RV industry builds junk because they get away with it, NOT because it’s what buyers want! Most buyers will never be RV experts. While many buyers could do better by acquiring more pre-purchase knowledge, the industry has an obligation to provide a safe, functioning product. There will always be a need for levels of features (good, better, best) to hit price points. “”Good” should still be safe and functional for what it is. Just look at the Liz Amazing story in this issue. No buyer asks for that quality level!
Thank you for your thoughtful insights into the “bones” of this RV and others, Tony. I usually learn a few things from each review. Admittedly, I am a slower-than-average learner with below-average retention (think more in the direction of Drew Barrymore’s character in 50 First Dates than someone with a photographic memory), so I do “learn” the same thing multiple times before “knowing” it. I still don’t quite understand the need for two gray tanks rather than one larger one, but I may never quite get there. Have a great holiday and week! Safe travels!
My 2019 Silverado has sway protection. What’s new then?