Today’s RV review is of the new-for-2025 Grand Design Lineage VT Class B RV. This is now the third motorized RV in the Grand Design family. We looked at the Grand Design Class C offering a while back, and I thought it to be one of the best-designed Class C RVs on the market. Well, the Grand Design Lineage VT might be one of the best-designed Class B RVs on the market.
What is the Grand Design Lineage™ VT?
Based on the Ford Transit all-wheel-drive floor plan, the new Grand Design Lineage™ VT really takes that floor plan and does a lot of modifications. First of all, they’ve raised the ride height by two inches and made a number of other suspension changes. There are also a number of aggressive-looking touches that give the van a much more rugged look, including a roof rack.
Oh, and if you look up there, you won’t see an air conditioner because there simply isn’t an A/C on the roof. More on that in a moment.
Other changes to the exterior include replacing what would be the windows in the van with plastic “bump out” panels that have integrated windows in them. These panels add more width to the upper portion of the van, but not so much that it affects the function of the sliding door on the passenger side.
There are several dual-pane windows on the exterior that are the type that are hinged at the top and incorporate bug screens and blackout shades. That’s also true of the window above the front windshield of the van, which is effectively a skylight.
Driving the Grand Design Lineage VT
The way the floor plan works, there are the usual cockpit seats as you’d find in one of these Transit vans. Ford sells these vans in everything from the low-end worker’s special to more upscale versions, and this one has all the safety and technology that is available in one of these vans.
Of course, the front seats swivel around to face the rear, and that’s where you’ll find a back seat that can accommodate two. It is set up with three-point seatbelts and also supports child safety seats.
There’s a nifty table on a rail at the back row seat, and this can easily be lifted off and taken outside. The table also has a second surface that swings out to almost double the size of the table. It’s pretty nifty.
The interior has an almost German feel to it, with plenty of straight lines and sharp edges to the cabinetry and such. It’s also basically black and white—no color to be seen here. Well, black and white are colors, but there was no inspiration taken from the color palette of a 1950s appliance catalog.
Kitchen in the Grand Design Lineage™ VT
The kitchen is built into a cabinet on the camp side of this rig, as are most Class B RVs. But Grand Design has done something very different. The countertop is one long unbroken piece of porcelain, except where the sink is. So, you think to yourself, how do you cook on this?
Well, there is an induction cooktop built into the counter top so you just place a pan on the induction surface and turn a knob. Bam. I love induction cooking, although this is pretty unusual. But it works well.
In the cabinet is a convection microwave—that’s the sole way to bake. But it works out well for me. On using every inch of space, there’s even a pop-up spice rack behind the sink and a slide-out drawer that incorporates a paper towel holder.
The company has also done an exceptional job of utilizing every inch of space in this vehicle. There are drawers under the second-row seat, drawers in the cabinet, and even a drawer with a trash can.
There is also a halo of cabinets overhead. All the drawers and cabinets feature mechanical latches so your can of peas doesn’t come flying out as you’re traversing those country roads faster than you really should be doing.
The refrigerator is a drawer-style unit that Grand Design is importing from Europe. It is accessible either inside the van or standing outside the van.
The best Class B bathroom?
The bathroom in this RV is masterful. It’s in the usual spot you’d expect it to be in a Class B, directly behind the second-row seat. There are two doors on tracks, so you can close yourself off if you only have to use the cassette toilet. But you can wrap the bathroom and hallway with these doors as well. When the doors are open, they do hide the toilet but also maximize the width of the hallway.
The shower is unique as the shower head is incorporated into the fixture overhead. Then there’s a floor insert because the aisle floor of the van becomes the floor of the shower. Now you have a shower that’s larger than in almost any other Class B RV I’ve seen. I am very, very impressed with this design. One thing, though. I prefer a hand-held shower head, and this is just one of those rain-style shower heads.
Cargo and sleeping space
The back of the van has two additional cabinets along the floor. Over on the camp side is a cabinet with more storage, including a metal drawer that can be pulled out through the rear-most cargo door. There’s also access to the side of that pull-out drawer from the interior of the van through a wall that magnetically attaches to the side of the cabinet. So you can get that stuff from inside, or through the back door of the van. Clever.
There’s also a laundry bag built into the cabinet, which makes a lot of sense.
The bed is a hinged affair that is at the top of the cabinets. You simply swing down the bed, and the whole top of both cabinets and the span between them is a bed. They didn’t state the size of the bed, but you do sleep east to west, although the bump-outs on both sides of the van do increase its width.
There is one shade that doesn’t match the others over on the road side blocking the bedroom window because that white shade is the screen for the included projector. That projector can hang from the camp-side cabinet magnetically, but can also be taken outside or upstairs, if you opt for the upper pop top. Yep, this has an optional pop top and, should you choose that option, there’s room for two more to sleep up there.
Technology in the Grand Design Lineage VT
The battery system in this van is a 48-volt unit, which runs much of what’s in this vehicle, including the air conditioner. Grand Design has employed a 20,000 BTU 48-volt mini split system. The outside unit is underneath the van and the interior unit is up by the bed.
I can’t tell you all how thrilled I am that RV companies are finally starting to see that the rattle trap junk we’ve lived with since the Stone Age isn’t the best solution. Thank you, Grand Design.
This RV comes with 400 watts of solar but because there’s no A/C unit on the roof, you can opt for up to 400 additional watts of solar. The standard battery is a Lithionics 165 amp-hour battery, and also the option of a second battery. Also included in the technology is a 3,000-watt inverter, so you can literally run anything in this van.
One other thing the company said was that a solar awning would be available, which would add an additional 720 watts of solar to the vehicle.
My thoughts on the Grand Design Lineage VT
There is so much to like about this van and the way Grand Design has thought through the various components and features. Quite honestly, I was super impressed with the way Grand Design did their Class C RV, and I’m equally impressed with how they did this. There is a lot of attention to detail on this van and, while some of the details are still forthcoming, it’s a great start.
The MSRP on the base model, which is very well equipped, should be in the mid $190,000 range. That puts it at about the same price as many others in this category, including many that just aren’t nearly as well-designed as this van.
So, you could say I think this truly is a Grand Design.
More on the Grand Design Lineage™ Series VT van.
MORE CLASS B REVIEWS:
- Tour the 2024 Entegra Condor 22T, a Class B+ motorhome with nice features
- 2025 Vanspeed Summit custom Class B camper van is impressive
- First look at the 2025 Airstream Atlas Murphy Suite, a luxury Class B with slide
- The mighty, feature-full 2024 Jayco Comet 18C Class B van
- First look at the Embassy Cape Cod Class B-plus motorhome
RVT1206
Thank you, Grand Design for doing something so smart with the AC! And, although I’m also a huge fan of induction cooking and carry a portable unit, I don’t like that the space doesn’t seem to be marked delineated on the countertop. This is a beautiful van, although not our cup of tea. Thanks for reviewing it, Tony!
I think they have a “dot” on the counter top that is the center of the induction cook top but I’m with you, I’d much rather have a portable unit that’s user-replaceable. I can imagine this installed unit failing eventually and then you’re stuck either replacing the whole counter or getting a portable unit.
Thank you for the review, Tony, and writing it so that it both informs and entertains! They certainly have incorporated a lot of features into a small footprint. This seems a great single- or two-person RV. Should DW or I pass away, the one remaining could easily travel quite comfortably in this. I guess I missed the water tank capacities and what sort of toilet it has. I guess I’ll watch the video to get that information. Have a great weekand safe travels!
$190,000!
No thanks!
Not my cup of tea.
I’ll keep my 27’ class C
The price is on par with the Class B market. Keep in mind that is a list price. The actual selling price would be much lower.
Insane price
I wouldn’t trust anything GD puts out their door anymore after a bad experience with one of their lemons.
Some nice features, especially the a/c placement, but the price? Yikes!
Some very innovative features and clever storage. I would be concerned about the induction cooktop in the porcelain countertop. If something goes wrong it doesn’t seem like an easy or cheap fix. I suppose they’ve thought this through, but it seems like the part of the AC under the van would be exposed to a lot more dirt there. For less than 2/3 the price, I’m more impressed with the new Coachmen Pixel. Simple controls that are easy to operate and a very similar layout.
Funny thing I just got to meet with the folks at Coachmen and see the Pixel and, you’re right, I really like it. But I suspect this GD product is marketed toward the overlanding whereas the Pixel could be a great daily driver. Heck, I even fit in the shower in the Pixel!
As a Class B enthusiast and having owned a Pleasure Way Plateau TS I am impressed with the innovations of this van. The only thing I don’t care for is the cassette toilet. I believe that moving the A/C compressor under the van would eliminate noise and I assume they protect it from road debris. The shower system is pure genius. There are more windows that can open than any other van ln the market. There is more storage than expected.
I still fail to see why you are reviewing grand design product. Your article on the problems with them and the lawsuit filed against them and the constant complaint about their warranty cover is wide spread. Why do you still put these reviews online? People read these articles and think you’re promoting their product.
I think the lawsuit only pertains to the 5th wheel trailers on Lippert frames – admittedly an apparent mismatch between the frame capability, trailer design, and cargo carrying capacity. This is a whole different animal, with some really innovative features that RVTravel shouldn’t ignore.
Very valid point but I hope people see these as an honest look at a product, not an endorsement per se. I like to call out the good and the bad.
Grand Design’s towable product has had some significant issues of late and I also see a lot of items in there that really speak to cost cutting. But these newer motorized units seem to have a different level of thinking. Obviously time will tell.
Canned peas, Tony? Who carries heavy cans of peas in an RV?
Laughs aside, this looks like an alternative to Winnebago’s EKKO pop-top, 4wd Transit and M-B B+/C RVs. Both have unique bathroom arrangements and similar seating, kitchens, solar systems/Li batteries, etc. But I would personally take the EKKO’s N-S twin beds and gear garage over this van’s drop-down, E-W bed and underbed “garage o” every time! Especially if Winnebago prices both of those two RVs with similar MSRPs.
I like the EKKO quite a bit but that has an RV manufacturer-built body and this is all steel from those three-pointed star folks in Stuttgart. This overlanding market is growing, or at least getting attention, and I think some of what GD did here is pretty innovative.