Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Grand Design Momentum 27G. Unless you’re a fan of Grand Design products, you might not realize that what we’re looking at is a toy hauler. But I also think that term tarnishes this trailer in a lot of ways.
Yes, it can haul toys. In fact, it can haul some pretty sizable toys.
But many toy haulers really have a stark feel to them—and this one absolutely does not.
Why a toy hauler
When my wife and I were shopping for a new RV before we got what we got, we were looking at a Grand Design toy hauler. We didn’t get one for a number of reasons, including the fact that I didn’t think our truck could safely pull even the one we were looking at. But if we had had a more capable truck, we probably would have a toy hauler today.
Well, and the model we were looking at you had to fold the bed to bring in the slide. That meant that there was no boondocking with the slide in. Hard no, in our world.
Not that we’re some big outdoor adventure couple that likes to climb rocks and hike deep into the woods. My type of adventure-seeking is more in the field of what breweries are in the area, or are there silly tourist attractions and other roadside Americana. You might get thrilled with a great hike; I flip when I can see a Muffler Man.
But what I like about toy haulers is that they are, in many ways, a blank canvas. I can load my eBikes into them and they’re protected on the road. Have I ever shared that we got rear-ended with our eBikes on the back of the trailer and, well, you know what happened to those eBikes?
I could reconfigure the interior of the trailer to be an office. Or to be a dining area. Or a lounging area.
And on the subject of the lounging area, this one has the option of a patio deck configuration, where the ramp of the trailer that you’d use to load your load can be set to become a big patio deck. There is also an optional glass door at the back, and rear awning. Plus, Grand Design puts a light back there.
Now you’ve got a place to hang out with your friends that’s raised off the ground and offers a pretty good view, depending on your view.
And if you have pets and/or small children, that optional patio surround means they can go from inside the trailer to that patio deck and still be contained by the patio surround. If you do have pets (I suppose kids could use this, too), Grand Design has a flip-up pet bowl on the wall of this rig. But, quite honestly, that would be the first thing I’d dump even if I still had a dog.
Is it enough to say that one of the dogs I had was a Husky? I could see her flipping this up with a full bowl of water in it if she didn’t get something she wanted at the moment. The other most recent dog was a McNab, and she’d just slobber the water all over the wall. But I know a fair number of RVers have those tiny snack-sized dogs, and these bowls might do well by them.
Bedroom in the Grand Design Momentum 27G
The absolute highlight of this rig is the bedroom. There’s a proper queen-sized bed in here flanked by a wardrobe on either side, which also has both household and USB power outlets and night stands. Over the bed are more cabinets with doors that flip up—and the hinges actually keep the doors up.
This seems difficult for some RV manufacturers to accomplish lately. Not here.
There’s also a fairly large wardrobe slide in this rig. So you really do get a tremendous amount of clothing storage (or whatever) in here.
Something Grand Design did that truly is a grand design is putting the thermostat for the optional second air conditioner within reach of the bed. So you could chill the bedroom down a bit and then turn the AC to a higher setting without ever getting out of bed. This simple placement of the AC control is brilliant.
Bathroom for a giant in the Grand Design Momentum 27G
Toy “haulering” travel trailers have the benefit of fifth wheel-style ceiling height. That means that the ceiling in the bathroom of this trailer is likewise quite high.
Back in my RV selling days, we would sell a lot of toy haulers to our local customers who happened to be in the timber industry. Yep, they were lumberjacks and tended to be on the tall side. The higher ceilings in toy haulers meant they could actually fully use the showers in them.
That’s true here, as well. For taller RVers, a toy hauler can be a very usable trailer.
One thing I’d wonder. Since the ceiling is so high, would you be okay with this rig if there were no skylight? Skylights are such a huge failure point in the roof of RVs and, since you have all the height you’d need in here, this would be fine without one.
Perhaps you could even trick Grand Design into putting a high-performance vent fan in here instead of the cheap stuff they normally use. Wouldn’t that be grand? Er, Grand.
Main living space in the Grand Design Momentum 27G
There’s not a tremendous amount you could do to the design of the living space in a toy hauler, since so much of it has to be able to accommodate cargo. But what Grand Design did is nicely done. For the most part.
The appearance and feel of the interior of this rig isn’t cheap or industrial feeling at all. There’s nice cabinetry and countertops, and pleasant under-cabinet lighting. Plus, Grand Design had the sense to keep the furnace vents off the floor—so the dust and such that might fall into furnace ducts in the floor won’t do so here.
Speaking of the floor, the one in this rig is a 7/8” thick plywood decking, which is thicker than that of most towable RVs. But that’s just what you’d want if you were rolling in things like golf carts, side-by-sides or motorcycles. So this is a good thing.
Things that I notice because I’m strange
Something regular readers will know about me is that I have an absolute hatred of the 17” RV oven. These things are nothing but hot spots, and they’re expensive for RV companies to buy. Basically they exist so customers who don’t know any different see an oven and think they can actually use it. Ha! Wait ‘til you burn some of your biscuits while others remain uncooked. You’ll see.
And those cookies? A combination of raw cookies and hockey pucks.
But Grand Design had considered (or may still be considering) just dumping the oven altogether and using a three-burner in-line cooktop. This would give the counter less depth, which would be great for some larger motorized toys, and would mean they’d also replace the standard microwave with a convection model.
Yes, please. Absolutely yes, please.
Something I’ve seen in other Grand Design toy haulers is the same table that’s in this one. This table is free-standing with fully adjustable legs.
The idea here is that, with the tail of the RV that slopes down to accommodate rolling in vehicles, you can adjust the table such that it sits flat on this angled deck.
But you can also adjust it up to counter height. Or down to desk height. Take it outside. Use it by the kitchen. Turn it into a desk by the nice windows of this rig. It’s very flexible.
So my thing is, since this is already in Grand Design warehouses, I would love to see this most excellent table replace the dining tables in most Grand Design products. You’d gain the flexibility of this design. To me this is head and shoulders above the typical table in most dining configurations of most RVs.
When I annoy you by repeatedly bringing up this table in the future, put this feather in your cap so you remember the reference. You know I can’t leave stuff like this alone.
Boondocking and travel access
Another thing that is a very strong suit of toy haulers is their ability to go off the grid. This one is no exception.
Optional on this model are things like a 5.5kW gasoline generator, which is not an Onan unit but does offer both remote- and pull-start.
This also comes with 200 watts of solar. But you can opt for a 400-watt package that includes a 2,000-watt inverter and 50-amp charge controller.
Another nifty thing about toy haulers is that they have larger holding tanks. This one has a 90-gallon fresh water tank, 78 gallons of gray capacity and 39 gallons of black tank room. The latter two tanks are also dumped in one spot. All of the holding tanks are in an enclosed underbelly that’s heated, plus there are 12-volt tank heaters.
What I would change
There are a few things I would change in this rig, although it’s a pretty solid design overall. But I do wish Grand Design would offer some sort of suspension upgrades on their rigs. They’ve really stepped up by offering anti-lock braking systems in some trailers, which is a plus. But this ancient tech buggy spring suspension with cheap components is such a disappointment to me. It ain’t Grand at all.
So many friends who have Grand Design products have upgraded their suspensions in short order. If your name is Grand Design, at least offer the option of a better suspension. You know, something more Grand.
Conclusions
So there you have it. While this trailer is bigger than I would want to tow around for my own needs, for those for whom this fits I haven’t seen a nicer toy hauler than this one at this size.
I also really like the optional generator, solar and patio deck system.
You know my vote if Grand Design is still considering a change to the kitchen, and I’m a big, big fan of the table in this rig.
I also prefer toy haulers like this to many bunkhouse models just because the beds in the back are also couches. There’s the second bed on a lift mechanism, of course. So you have plenty of sleeping options, but those don’t constrain space during the day.
What would be your vote on the kitchen ideas tossed about here?
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video 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. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. 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 life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.
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I followed the link to the “Muffler Man” story. That was an enjoyable read. Whooda thunk?
I grew up in a city adjacent to Venice, CA where these things were made so I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a kid. Now there’s even a Muffler Man museum going on line in a few weeks! I may even be at the grand opening in a few weeks: https://www.americangiantsmuseum.com/
I agree with your kitchen suggestions. But I would only need 2 burners and I’ve considered having 1 gas burner and 1 induction burner. I really don’t cook inside very much. Also I thought the built in dog dishes were useless for my 3 slobs. But the toy hauling area is perfect for dogs. I’d like to know what brand the chairs are and what fabric is on them. At a recent show, I saw some furniture that was a high-end polypropylene weave that was soft yet seemed sturdy. There’s no mention of any kind of a generator or a specific spot for one. And if not carrying gasoline toys there is no need of a 30 gallon gas tank. The space could maybe hold a bank of batteries for the solar panels to charge.
I did mention the generator, which is an option, and is a 5.5kW model with both pull start and remote start. As for the brand of the furniture I would imagine it’s whatever Grand Design can get at the lowest possible cost considering the manufacturer.
GD…NOT…but to each their own.
Seems like a well thought-out design with relatively few typical RV company design flaws. The bedroom is great, with a N-S REAL queen bed, a wardrobe slide, and NO front windshield. The exact bedroom plan we loved in our fifth wheel!
However, the leaf-spring suspension should be replaced by readily available, and not significamtly more expensive, torsion axles. RVers carrying a side-by-side in that garage and needing 90 gallons of water and 30-gallons of fuel are NOT going to be parked in an RV “resort” with paved roads! They are going to be on some dirt road in the Rockies or the Mojave desert, where they need a suspension that can soak up the ruts and washboard. Major design flaw!
Thank you, Tony! 🙂 Well, it is not a Grand Design 5th wheel, so there is that. 😉 And it is a toy hauler with the requisite part deck and dueling couches that become beds. So, there is even more. Why only dual axles? Shouldn’t it have 3, given the potential concentrated weight in the garage from the toys? Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂