2027 Tiffin Motorhomes Open Trail 25 CO Review
With a ramp and garage for bikes or kayaks, a locking closet for skis, fishing poles or guns and all-wheel-drive to get you there the 2027 Tiffin Motorhomes Open Trail 25 CO might be one of the more unique adventure-ready Class Cs we’ve seen. This smaller RV has a large cargo hold with a ramp that is truly unusual in this field and something that will attract owners. There are also two sleeping spaces making it great for buddy camping.
So, let’s take a closer look at the Open Trail 25 CO and everything that makes it unique in its class.
At a Glance: Open Trail 25 CO
I rated the 2027 Tiffin Motorhomes Open Trail 25 CO an 8.1 out of 10 in our scoring — with strong marks for the Mercedes-Benz platform’s features and storage. However, in spite of some interesting design features, the storage score was brought down by the prototype’s low cargo carrying capacity.
2027 TIFFIN MOTORHOMES OPEN TRAIL 25 CO
- Unique cargo bay with ramp — plus a locking vertical closet for skis, etc.
- Two distinct bed areas makes it ideal for buddy camping (think fishing trips)
- Geared to go off-road and off-grid with recovery hooks, a winch, and 310ah Lithionics battery
- Cargo carrying capacity of only 540 pounds limits use of the innovative storage
- Two separate sleeping spaces come at the cost of no true master sleep space
- Adventurous campers who need room for gear, plus AWD to get them to spots to use it
- Pet owners who can makes use a garage that’s easy to keep clean and has plenty of room
Check the Specs
- Sleeping capacity: 2 (seating for 4)
- GVWR: 11,030 pounds
- GCWR: 15,250 pounds
- Exterior length: 25 feet 6 inches
- Exterior height 11 feet 2 inches
- Exterior width: 7 feet
- Fresh/Gray/Black (Cassette): 38/48/4.5 gallons
- LPG tank: 12.2 gallons
- MSRP: $270,000 (est.)
Features We Love
- Front bumper hooks and winch
- Cargo bay with ramp
- Vertical gear closet
- Two individual sleeping areas
- Battery and charging system
Benefits
- Off-road style. For those who might venture beyond the roads, the recovery hooks and winch on the front of this rig along with a more aggressive bumper can make returning home from a rugged adventure much more likely.
- Unique cargo bay with ramp. This unique Class C sports a cargo bay that can easily accommodate a couple of bikes or other adventure gear — plus a locking vertical closet that can also be accessed from the outside. This closet is intended for skis, fishing poles, guns, or other items. (It also locks and is accessible from the outside.)
- Two distinct sleeping areas. There are two distinct bed areas in this motorhome, which makes it ideal for buddy camping.
- Off-grid power system. There’s a 310-amp-hour Lithionics battery and second alternator. These enable the Open Trail 25 CO to stay off the grid for an extended period.
Challenges
- Surprisingly small CCC. While this rig might seem ready to handle adventure, the tested prototype only had 540 pounds of cargo carrying capacity.
- No true main sleeping area. While having two distinct sleeping spaces may be nice a for a buddy trip (one example being a hunting or fishing trip), for many RVers, the lack of a true main sleeping area may be something of a deficiency.
Best For
- Adventurous campers and their buddies who need room for gear of all types, plus AWD to get them to spots to use that gear
- Pet owners who can use the gear garage as a space that’s easy to keep clean and plenty of room
Key Areas We Evaluate for RV Buyers
Sleeping Space: 7/10
Typically an RV has an obvious main sleeping area, but that’s not as true in the Open Trail 25 CO. There’s a couch on the road side of this rig that flips out to become a 42-inch-by-80-inch bed. This type of arrangement is used as the main sleeping space in some motorhomes, likes certain Leisure Travel Van models.
There’s also a bed in the garage on a lift mechanism. In actuality, it looks to be more comfortable than the coach. It powers down to be ready for sleep, so it just might be the main choice. That bed has a wedge-shaped cutout to accommodate the bathroom, so there is a short side and a taller side to it.
If one uses the Open Trail 25 CO for hunting or skiing trips (which are often buddy trips), you have two places where friends can sleep in their own bed. Both beds are a bit of a size compromise, but there are two. (So, a coin flip may be in order.)
There is also the option of substituting a more traditional couch for the folding model.
Bathroom: 8/10
The bathroom in the Open Trail 25 CO is an interesting combination of wet-bath features and additional room. In that additional room is the sink, but this could also be where you go after a shower to towel off or change clothes, That makes this bathroom much more usable than a traditional wet bath.
The space that holds the shower also holds the toilet. (That makes this, technically, a wet bath.) There’s a large skylight overhead offering good headroom in this space, and I really like that Tiffin Motorhomes’s products incorporate a Shower Miser water-saving feature that redirects water back into the system while you’re waiting for it to get hot a the shower. So, it saves a lot water. That makes it a good tool when camping off-grid.
The room with the sink is closed-off from the rest of the camper by a rolling, segmented door that extends just a bit into the main living space but not enough to be an issue at all. Its an unusual but well-designed compromise.
Living Area: 7/10
There’s a road-side couch in the Open Trail 25 CO with seating for two. This couch incorporates little tables that slot into holes in the armrest that serve as the primary dining space. Over the couch are reading lights, and you can easily reach the lighting and climate controls without ever getting up off the couch.
The cab of the truck has two captain’s chairs. These swivel around, ostensibly becoming part of the main living space when the RV is parked. This provides four seats for conversations.
Kitchen: 8/10
On the camp side of the Open Trail 25 CO, the kitchen features a smaller sink and convection air fryer/microwave. There’s also a smaller 12-volt fridge with door with doors that can swing either way. (A nice touch.)
For a stove top, this comes with a portable induction cooktop. (In fact, it may convert those who haven’t tried this methodology before to suddenly become aficionados.) Being portable, this also leaves the space wide open for food prep when it’s not being used.
This kitchen also has a decent amount of drawers and overhead cabinet space — more than you might expect in this smaller rig.
Four-Season Capabilities: 8/10
While the Open Trail 25 CO is still in flux and some details weren’t available as we write, Tiffin Motorhomes products, in general, are well-suited to living in colder and warmer climates. The dual-pane windows exemplify this, and the company generally keeps the space the holding tanks are in and the wet bay heated for colder days.
This rig did have the Aqua-Hot heating system and, on the roof, a 15,000-Btu A/C , which should more than handle things at either end of the temperature spectrum.
Further, there’s a closet that’s intended for skis plus a winch and recovery hooks. So, it’s clear Tiffin Motorhomes was quite cognizant of colder weather in the design — even if details aren’t quite nailed down yet.
Storage Space: 8/10
In some ways, the Open Trail 25 CO is all about storage, with the star of that show being the very large cargo bay in the back of the rig that’s served by a ramp door. This would be particularly useful for bicycles, kayaks, or other adventure-related gear. There is also a halo of storage above the cockpit of this rig with nets and cubbies to keep things at bay.
There’s a bank of cabinets and drawers on the road side of this rig with one of those being a floor-to-ceiling lockable cabinet that is labeled as being designed to accommodate firearms, skis, or fishing poles. This cabinet can also be accessed from outside the rig.
The one caution of the prototype we saw is that 540 pounds of cargo carrying capacity. If you fill the water tank, according to the data plate, that’s 336 pounds right there. This very severely limits what you can pack for your adventure weight-wise. I’m hoping they move to the 4500-series chassis to help alleviate this in the production model, as it’s almost unusable in this configuration.
A Look into that Neat Garage
Technically, this sort of is a toy hauler. (Although you’re not getting side-by-sides in here.) But there is a good amount of space for a couple of bikes or, possibly, kayaks and other adventure gear. There’s also a ramp at the back for rolling those things into the cargo area. Nicely, this could also be used as a space for pets to have for owners who have larger pets or whose pets come with a lot of gear.
Chassis/Suspension: 9/10
Mercedes-Benz has a very well-deserved reputation for the performance and handling of their entire vehicle line and this extends to their vans. While the underpinning isn’t quite as advanced as, say, an S-Class Mercedes, the company does well — even within the parameters of what is predominantly a delivery van.
There are also a whole host of safety technologies incorporated into the build. These include active brake assist, traffic-sign assist, electronic-stability controls, lane-keeping, and even adaptive cruise control.
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platform has a very small 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine, but, through the magic of science, this is more than sufficient to give this vehicle a surprising balance of peppy performance and outstanding fuel efficiency. This van is likely going to use much less fuel than a larger SUV yet also have more interior space and even a bathroom.
This also utilizes Mercedes-Benz’s AWD technology. And, while you might not associate this brand with off-road adventure, the rest of the world is quite aware that the three-pointed star folk are really good at off-road vehicles. Still, this won’t be a rock crawler, but you could easily take this to your ski adventure weekend and feel quite confident.
Cockpit: 9/10
The cockpit on this van offers good design and comfort with controls and systems in ideal places. (as you would expect in a Mercedes-Benz.) The two seats offer a full range of power-operated adjustments and everything falls readily to hand. This environment lives up to the brand reputation despite, being designed mostly for commercial use.
Off-Grid/Sustainability: 9/10
Based on the prototype we saw, the Open Trail 25 CO features 310-amp-hours of battery reserves fed by a secondary alternator or two solar panels. (Some details weren’t finalized, so there is still some information not set yet.)
It’s interesting to see how RV companies make decisions because this rig was equipped with a Coleman-Mach A/C unit, which is a decent unit; but Tiffin Motorhomes’s Class Bs use a far more efficient Gree air conditioner. If this is truly an off-grid machine, as you would think it would be with all-wheel-drive and those recovery hooks and winch, you’d figure a more efficient A/C unit would be one of the first decisions the company would make, and Tiffin Motorhomes already has a relationship with Gree. (Curious.)
Value: 8/10
There are a number of windows available to RV builders, but the dual-pane polycarbonate windows with integrated screens and shades used on this rig are probably the best. They offer exceptional noise and temperature sealing and can be opened almost 90-degree for air flow. There is an integrated shade built into the frame which has a metallic back and a screen as well. You can also draw the shade, the screen, or any combination thereof. Pretty slick.
The framing for the cabinets is a black-powder-coated aluminum which is both very strong and quite durable. This should result in a very long lasting coach.
Projecting Worth by Price
With this being a prototype and not having a defined MSRP yet, it’s more difficult to assess value; however, if this is comparable to other Tiffin Motorhomes and competing brands in price, a case can be made.
Considering the very flexible use case including the fact that this really could be a very useful daily driver with the efficient 2.0-liter diesel engine it might be a great choice as a family transporter or as a vehicle for people who participate in vendor shows.
The more different ways a vehicle can be used the more value brought to the table, so I would think, in the case of the Open Trail 25 CO , the value case could be made.
Closing Notes on the Open Trail 25 CO
The model we saw was an early prototype, so some of the features are likely to change.
The Open Trail 25 CO has quite a few use cases brought about by the flexible design with that gear garage and two adult-size sleeping areas. There’s no denying that Tiffin Motorhomes had adventure planned into the rig with this being one of the better adventure-ready floorplans I’ve seen.
Let’s hope that cargo carrying capacity is one of the things that changes before this hits the street, as there is space for your stuff but not much ability to carry it in the configuration I saw.
A Note on the RV Trader Review Process
RV Trader asked RV shoppers what was most important to them in their RV buying process. Potential buyers — like you — helped us to identify a list of six key areas that camping and travel enthusiasts always look at when they’re searching for the perfect RV: sleeping space, bathroom, living area, four-season capabilities, and storage space.
The RV Trader team then got to work providing you with honest and unbiased evaluations. If you’re wondering, that’s where I came in. As an RV expert and enthusiast, I provide an honest look at RVs from an RV industry insider perspective.
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