Today’s RV review is of the new-for-2026 very limited edition Grand Design Lineage 31ZW 43. We’ve talked about the Grand Design Lineage 31ZW in the past in several reviews, including my initial reaction to Grand Design’s announcing this model.
Since I wrote that I got to spend the day with Mike Hums, who’s the guy leading the charge on these motorized units, and realized why they have so captured the market in their category. Mike is an inspired guy and knows what he’s doing.
I got to meet Mike when I went to Grand Design’s facilities to learn more for this review of the Lineage 31ZW.
Grand Design Lineage Series F 31ZW 43 limited edition
What we have today is the limited edition “43” variant on the Lineage 31ZW. This package takes the already-aggressive Lineage 31ZW and turns it into something you might expect from one of those specialty overlanding companies that build vehicles that are technically RVs but border on being military-spec.
When upgrading the Lineage 31ZW to the 43 package, Grand Design replaced the wheels with 43” military-spec tires. The name of this rig comes from those 43” tires. But this is so much more than a tire and wheel package, although the company partnered with Buckstop to create the custom 20” forged wheels on here.
Then they went with eight-piston brake calipers for the disc brakes at all four corners of this RV—so stopping power is incredible. That’s a good thing when you can tow so much weight—which is one of the reasons people love Super C’s.
Suspension
The suspension on this is a Liquid Spring suspension, which means you’re riding on a liquid silicone, essentially. There are no metal springs such as leaf springs or coil springs. You can also adjust the height of this system and the firmness. But my favorite feature is that this rig uses the suspension to level the coach rather than some stab jacks that are the lowest thing you’re going to break off.
As a warranty guy, one of the most troubling things on an RV were auto level systems with low bidder components that worked until they didn’t. That’s when you were stuck at a campground until someone could come and fix the lousy system. This bypasses that. You could never ever not ever sell me an auto-leveling system, although I am not opposed to this one.
Winch, tow hooks, receiver hitch
There is also a winch on the front of this rig. It is under a metal bumper that’s also painted with that spray-on bed liner material. There are also tow hooks and even a receiver hitch on the front for bikes or whatever.
There are four different colors available for this special edition, all of which have the actual prints that the tire makes as a decor on the side. Yes, I like this better than swishy swirls.
There is also a spray-on bed liner material on the lower half of the rig covering the baggage compartment doors and such. It adds to the rugged appearance and just rugged nature of this rig.
Different build in the Grand Design Lineage 31ZW
The more I have learn about these, the more I like them. While I know this particular unit is a limited production model, the thinking that went into the entire line is definitely solid. In fact, many of the pain points you’ll typically find in many RVs were addressed by Hums and his group.
Mike Hums described a partnership with the folks who make SharkBite plumbing fittings, which are used in this RV. Leaky, cheap plumbing fixtures are a common problem in the RV industry. So the fact that they’re using these metal fittings says a lot.
They also have a 25-year guarantee on the plumbing of this unit. That says even more.
This also uses metal skid plates underneath, as you would expect. Well, or not. Not all RV designers think of things that make sense. These help the RV if you traverse over terrain that might come into contact with the bottom of the RV.
Floor plan and interior
The floor plan and interior on this are identical to the versions of this camper that we had seen previously. This is more of a chassis and appearance package.
These feature a king-sized bed in a camp-side slide with a wall of cabinets and drawers at the back. One of the clever features is that one of the drawers, the one adjacent to the bed, can double as a nightstand.
The bathroom is on the road side. I found it to be comfortably spacious.
This is apparently the first use of Lippert’s new SureSlide system, which is reportedly a better slide system. Lippert has no recommended service on this system, so it should be easy to keep operating.
Something else Mike Hums, Product Manager of Grand Design’s motorized line, said was that the plant that builds these has no filler materials or caulking, putty, seam tape or any other way to cover mistakes. “We have to build it right the first time—we don’t even have those materials in the plant.”
Conclusions
Last week I was at the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation and RV Show and wrote this recap of the event. One of the bigger surprises, to me, was that there was a decided trend in what people were buying. They were moving away from fifth wheels and Class A RVs and trending toward Class C and Super C RVs. Perhaps Grand Design knew something when they moved into this market. But, also, they’ve addressed so very many pain points with what they’ve introduced here.
When you think that, two model years ago, Grand Design had zero entries into the Class C market and now they have the best-selling entries into the market, it’s clear that they are on the right path.
Quite honestly, based on my conversations with Mike Hums and what I see in even the standard versions of these Lineage models, they would be the one I would put at the top of my own shopping list. Though I really like this particular flavor of this model, I don’t know if I could hustle together the bucks to become one of only 43 people who get one of these—but I wouldn’t mind if I were.
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and some of the photos in this article.
*****
About Tony and these 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 has also written a book and a syndicated column about cars in addition to publishing a weekly RV & Travel podcast with his wife, Peggy.
You can find more about Tony at tonybarthel.com.
MORE GRAND DESIGN RV REVIEWS
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Downsize with the rugged and comfy Grand Design Lineage Series F Super C
RV review: Grand Design Imagine AIM 16MLA—It’s mini but mighty
The Grand Design Influence 3804DS—a true two-bed, two-bath RV
Grand Design’s new Foundation 42GD trailer has two-story deck
RVT1247
NO MENTION of Price of this monster?
As they say “if you have to ask…”. But looking at their website, starts around $320k – interesting vehicle, but too big for my style of exploring.
As mentioned, this is a limited-production model. I posted references to the article where the standard model is detailed including the MSRP. This was a sneak peek.