Heartland vs Grand Design? RW427 vs Momentum Toy Hauler

[Taralr]

Hi, I'm new to the Heartland forum & would love some help with a prospective 2017 Road Warrior purchase! We love the RW427 floor plan & it 'checks off all our boxes' & then some. We would be giving nothing up off our list of needs & wants in an RV. We've found an RW427 - problem is that it's not close enough to just go check it out & we don't have any other Road Warrior unit near us either to be able to look at just for general Heartland quality. Most dealers around here have one on order, but we really don't want to wait until the fall for this.

Until we found this available Road Warrior with our favourite floor plan, we thought we had it narrowed down to a couple RV's that we've seen in person - a Grand Design Momentum 388M & a Jayco Seismic 4212 (which after seeing the Jayco we didn't like the general fit & finish of & thought that the GD was better quality overall). While these two floor plans each had *some* of the things on our list, neither of these models had everything - like the road warrior 427 does!

I'm hoping that someone here can comment on quality comparisons between Heartland & Grand Design? Also any personal experience you might have with this particular RW model would be extremely helpful! We're hoping to have this purchase for a good amount of time & would be living in it for half the year.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Tarair,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure some of our other RW owners will jump in with some help for you soon.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[Bink]

Hi, I'm new to the Heartland forum & would love some help with a prospective 2017 Road Warrior purchase! We love the RW427 floor plan & it 'checks off all our boxes' & then some. We would be giving nothing up off our list of needs & wants in an RV. We've found an RW427 - problem is that it's not close enough to just go check it out & we don't have any other Road Warrior unit near us either to be able to look at just for general Heartland quality. Most dealers around here have one on order, but we really don't want to wait until the fall for this.

Until we found this available Road Warrior with our favourite floor plan, we thought we had it narrowed down to a couple RV's that we've seen in person - a Grand Design Momentum 388M & a Jayco Seismic 4212 (which after seeing the Jayco we didn't like the general fit & finish of & thought that the GD was better quality overall). While these two floor plans each had *some* of the things on our list, neither of these models had everything - like the road warrior 427 does!

I'm hoping that someone here can comment on quality comparisons between Heartland & Grand Design? Also any personal experience you might have with this particular RW model would be extremely helpful! We're hoping to have this purchase for a good amount of time & would be living in it for half the year.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Taralr,

The 427RW is a great choice! I'm with the Road Warrior team and would love to help with any questions that you have.

What is it about the 427 that really jumps out at you??

-Bobby

 

[IronJ]

I looked at every toy hauler made...(pretty much)..lol...XLR, seismic,momentum, fusion, spartan...etc...

The momentum is nice ...but we didn't feel the finish bling to be a deciding factor in any of our choices..the voltage and fusion were both nice but didn't offer the Floorplan we wanted....

In the end we picked the one that had the layout we liked BEST ...which was the road warrior 420....even though we could have got a cyclone 4200 for LESS we didn't feel the extra interior bling was worth the trade for floor plan we LOVED...

then we just checked every option on it and you get it all...

Other than to be expected warranty work, we could not be happier nor have we owned a trailer that we continue to love more every trip we take...

You just need a BIG stout truck to cart it around...if I had to choose again I would pick the rw again easily.....

sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish

 

[Taralr]

Hi Tarair,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure some of our other RW owners will jump in with some help for you soon.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

Thanks Jim! That's what I'm hoping for on here!

 

[Taralr]

Thanks Bobby, there's a lot of features that grabbed our attention to make it our top pick!

Love the layout - in particular the kitchen with the largest amount of counter space we've seen in comparable models! How bright it is inside overall due to so many windows - we've found that in the main kitchen & living area there tends to be windows just on the living room side. Not only does the 427 have large windows on the living room side, but also in the kitchen itself, as well as the large full window in the entry door, plus the sliding glass doors! It's hard to beat that to let the light in!

Also another big factor for us was the loft (which will be used full time by one of our kids) - this is the only loft I've seen that not only has a roof vent, but also a window at the end of the bunk. Again makes it nice & bright up there. The master bed layout was also very important - we prefer a king sized bed (my husband is 6'6" & I'm 6') with the 'north/south' layout for a couple reasons: 1) master closet area has easier access with the Doors & Drawers vs the 'walk in' closet - which when you're tall is more of a 'crouch in' lol 2) we wanted the washer/dryer to be in the garage, not the master.

Other must-haves for us are the second half bath, large fridge (min 18cu'), larger shower (not the smaller corner shower), and enough living room seats for our family of 5 (most models we looked at comfortably sat 4 people, not 5 in the living areas).

Other things that weren't must-haves, but more 'wants' were: fireplace (that's what I love about the 2017 model!), corner TV placement in the living room (instead of the sidewall placement where you have to turn your head sideways to watch), Side Patio, and in general a more open space that you're not always walking over each other to get around.

Really my only concern is that we haven't got to walk in one yet. As everyone knows it's one thing to look at pictures, but another to actually see it in person. With us both being tall obviously the bedroom/bathroom height is a factor also - that being said my husband is used to having to duck under doorways sometimes, etc. He knows that finding a toy hauler fifth wheel with full head clearance up top would be a tall order.

However we have noticed a difference in some Brands. For example, we looked in two different Keystone Fuzion's (one a 2016 & one a 2015), and found them both to have very short ceilings overall in the bedroom & bathroom. Plus the garage doors were really short - even I had to duck! Those were the first Toy Hauler fifth wheels that we looked at, and we almost thought we'd have to scrap the whole fifth wheel idea all together because of the height thing! We kept looking though & I'm so glad we did. We found that there was no height issue in the GD Momentum & the Jayco Seismic's. My husbands head was close to skimming the top in some spots, but he didn't have to crouch down too much anywhere. So my big question here is how does the Heartland RW stand up in that department? I've been told by a salesman (who measured the RW's bedroom height for me) that it has a 6'5" clearance....which my husband said he's ok with because it's higher than the Fuzion's were!

Also regarding the general frame construction - anything you can offer in comparison? We only know what we've read about online so far for RW. Lemons aside - Every brand seems to have good & bad reviews & I try to just stick with the majority. I will gladly listen to any input & advice from someone with experience here! Thanks!

 

[Taralr]

I looked at every toy hauler made...(pretty much)..lol...XLR, seismic,momentum, fusion, spartan...etc...

The momentum is nice ...but we didn't feel the finish bling to be a deciding factor in any of our choices..the voltage and fusion were both nice but didn't offer the Floorplan we wanted....

In the end we picked the one that had the layout we liked BEST ...which was the road warrior 420....even though we could have got a cyclone 4200 for LESS we didn't feel the extra interior bling was worth the trade for floor plan we LOVED...

then we just checked every option on it and you get it all...

Other than to be expected warranty work, we could not be happier nor have we owned a trailer that we continue to love more every trip we take...

You just need a BIG stout truck to cart it around...if I had to choose again I would pick the rw again easily.....

sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish

Thanks for your input! Glad that you're happy with your purchase, I do agree about the floor plan! That seems to be the deciding factor for us as well. Lots of the toy haulers have a lot of cool features, but the RW427 was the first one we really were excited about. For us anyway - it has everything we want!

Also we do have the right truck already which is a bonus - F350 dually

 

[IronJ]

I drove 300 miles just to LOOK at a rw 420 before we bought, (because its a lot of $$ and i was not buying having never seen one) and then I bought 180 miles from home because our local dealer (camping world) were a PAIN to deal with and would not even negotiate... but yes...major deciding factors

1. Full tub so 3yr old can take a bath and wife can too
2. Nearly 360 degree views...TONS of windows...

(Jellystone in larksburg view )
3. Second half bath in back
4. Huuuge couch and TV is ACROSS the coach...not 90degrees to the couch
5. LOFT!! currently used for tote storage but in a year or so I know it will be my daughters fort!! lol
6. SIDE PATIO!! that thing gets used a ton every trip and has made many rainy days more enjoyable...especially if I need to grill some burgers or whatever

Even with just the one slide in living area, nearly every other camper we have come across has commented how it "feels" so huge and open....and that was my impression also the second we walked in...

After 1 yr of looking and debating, we walked into the RW420 and in 15 min said this is the one....

Don't regret it one iota and we still have not seen a Floorplan or feature we said "dang...wish we had THAT"..

EXCEPT the fire place....but I fixed that for the wife

sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish

 

[Bink]

I drove 300 miles just to LOOK at a rw 420 before we bought, (because its a lot of $$ and i was not buying having never seen one) and then I bought 180 miles from home because our local dealer (camping world) were a PAIN to deal with and would not even negotiate... but yes...major deciding factors

1. Full tub so 3yr old can take a bath and wife can too
2. Nearly 360 degree views...TONS of windows...

(Jellystone in larksburg view )
3. Second half bath in back
4. Huuuge couch and TV is ACROSS the coach...not 90degrees to the couch
5. LOFT!! currently used for tote storage but in a year or so I know it will be my daughters fort!! lol
6. SIDE PATIO!! that thing gets used a ton every trip and has made many rainy days more enjoyable...especially if I need to grill some burgers or whatever

Even with just the one slide in living area, nearly every other camper we have come across has commented how it "feels" so huge and open....and that was my impression also the second we walked in...

After 1 yr of looking and debating, we walked into the RW420 and in 15 min said this is the one....

Don't regret it one iota and we still have not seen a Floorplan or feature we said "dang...wish we had THAT"..

EXCEPT the fire place....but I fixed that for the wife

sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish

Love what you did with the fireplace!!


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[LBR]

Hi Taralr,

The 427RW is a great choice! I'm with the Road Warrior team and would love to help with any questions that you have.

What is it about the 427 that really jumps out at you??

-Bobby

Well, hello Bink....nice to see you here besides the CommanderForum....great to know your with the RW team Buddy!

 

[Taralr]

Thanks so much for your RW input & thoughts 'IronJ'! I agree with everything that was on your list as well. I really appreciate your feedback, especially this:

"Even with just the one slide in living area, nearly every other camper we have come across has commented how it "feels" so huge and open....and that was my impression also the second we walked in...

After 1 yr of looking and debating, we walked into the RW420 and in 15 min said this is the one....

Don't regret it one iota and we still have not seen a Floorplan or feature we said "dang...wish we had THAT".."

That's exactly what we we're hoping for as well!

Oh and I know what you mean about going to great lengths for the RV that you really want...the closest available 427rw for us is 750m/1200kms away!! That's why I have so many questions here first lol!! Thanks again

 

[Bob&Patty]

Have a few GD coaches in the CG we have been at for a while. The people that I have talked to say a GD is OK...but sometimes the CS is a little lacking. Just saying from word of mouth.

 

[Taralr]

Thanks Bob & Patty for the input, good to know!

 

[Bob&Patty]

I believe HL has the best customer service going. Most of the time it's the dealer that lets people down on "after sales service". If you read some of the threads where HL stepped up to repair coaches that were many years out of warranty. Some 5-6 years out. Call GD ask them if they will do that. If you have an issue with a failed part and can do the repair yourself. Call HL service, with you VIN# and 99% of the time they will ship it to you. HL can also find you an independent service company close to that will do warranty work. They will let a mobile guy come and do warranty work with per-authorization from HL. You might have to pay the travel charge.....but hey....might be a lot cheaper that the cost of traveling fuel to your dealer and 2 months stuck at your dealer.

 

[Sarge]

We compared the 40' GD vs the 39' (overall length) 362RW -

Fit and finish seemed about equal. Local dealer ratings seemed about equal.

The double slide-in-a-slide sold us on the 362.....

Sarge

 

[Taralr]

I believe HL has the best customer service going. Most of the time it's the dealer that lets people down on "after sales service". If you read some of the threads where HL stepped up to repair coaches that were many years out of warranty. Some 5-6 years out. Call GD ask them if they will do that. If you have an issue with a failed part and can do the repair yourself. Call HL service, with you VIN# and 99% of the time they will ship it to you. HL can also find you an independent service company close to that will do warranty work. They will let a mobile guy come and do warranty work with per-authorization from HL. You might have to pay the travel charge.....but hey....might be a lot cheaper that the cost of traveling fuel to your dealer and 2 months stuck at your dealer.

Thanks for confirming what I've been reading about here regarding HL CS! Hard to beat that!

 

[Taralr]

We compared the 40' GD vs the 39' (overall length) 362RW -

Fit and finish seemed about equal. Local dealer ratings seemed about equal.

The double slide-in-a-slide sold us on the 362.....

Sarge

Thanks Sarge, love that double slide floorplan in the 362 also! Another RW with awesome living space!

 

[nfa1eab]

Tara,
I have a 2015 Road Warrior RW305. Much smaller than what you are looking at. But I will say that Heartland has been very easy to deal with from a warranty perspective. I bought fr

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[nfa1eab]

I have had very few and minor issues. Unit has been solid and reliable. I will say these earthquakes on wheels need proactive attention and inspection to remain reliable. This is true of all brands. You will not go wrong with a road warrior.

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[Taralr]

I have had very few and minor issues. Unit has been solid and reliable. I will say these earthquakes on wheels need proactive attention and inspection to remain reliable. This is true of all brands. You will not go wrong with a road warrior.

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Thanks! Appreciate your input! You've reinforced what I've read on here & also heard a lot of people say the same thing