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Review: Coleman RoadTrip Grill LXE

Coleman RoadTrip LXE Portable Gas Grill
Coleman RoadTrip LXE
Reviewed By: Josh Klassen
Our Rating:
4/5 stars
Discontinued

I like to call the Coleman RoadTrip LXE the starter version of the RoadTrip line of portable grills.

For its less-than-average price tag, it packs in a ton of features and is easily one of the most versatile portable grills on the market.

Even with the smaller price tag, it still has all of the best features that other grills in this line share.

Coleman created a product that took the best of portability and cooking ability and merged it into one fantastic grill that can go nearly everywhere.

This grill is so versatile, it’s perfect for RV camping and trips, or picnics and tailgate parties.

Discontinued!

The Roadtrip LXE has been discontinued!

It has been replaced by a new model. Check back soon for a new review, or click here to see it at Amazon!

 

Features

The Coleman LXE pictured from the top

My favorite feature of this grill is what you can cook with it. Cook steaks on one side with a cast-iron grill grate, and sauté onions on the other side with an accessory griddle plate. Or, cook pancakes on one side and bacon on the other, without worrying about bacon grease invading your pancakes. How about eggs and coffee? Or steak fajitas? With mix and match plates, your options are endless.

I also really like how big this grill is. For a portable grill, you would be amazed at just how big the cooking surface is. It’s 285 square inches, but for those of us who need a little help imagining just how much room that is, think of it this way – the grill itself is 24″ wide and 12″ deep. That is more than enough room to cook food for a family of four and a guest or two.

What really makes this RoadTrip grill a tremendous portable grill is just how easy it is to take with you. Yes, it might have a large cooking surface, but it folds down in a snap. The stand cleverly becomes an extendable handle on one side and wheels on the other, making the LXE very easy to wheel down to your favorite beach spot.

Other Noteworthy Features

  • Metal grease trap slides into the bottom of the grill to catch drippings
  • Two burners controlled independently for different temperatures on each side of the grill
  • One side table located on each side to hold drinks, sauces, buns and more
  • Three tool hooks located underneath burner knobs for hanging your favorite spatula, tongs and BBQ fork
  • Small metal handles on each side to move it around easily
  • Steel construction with high-heat painted surfaces that won’t flake

How Portable Is It?

View of the Coleman RoadTrip LXE in compact travel form

This grill might not be the smallest, but it’s evident that Coleman took great care in designing the LXE to make sure that is was very easy to set up, tear down and tote around.

As I mentioned previously, it can go from compact to completely set up and ready to light in less than a couple of minutes. It takes less than a minute to erect the stand from a folded unit to its cooking position. It takes one minute more to connect the regulator to the LP bottle and attach it to the back of the grill.

However, I would not recommend this grill for backpackers or anyone who has to travel long distances on foot or across rough terrain. Space for storage should also be a consideration, as even in its packed up form, the LXE is more than 2′ long and a foot wide.

Cooking Capabilities

The LXE cooking a variety of food

This is by far one of the most capable portable grills on the market when it comes to what culinary wonders you can create with it. Several features of the LXE work in combination to allow you to get the most out of your meals with one single cooking appliance, whether it’s breakfast time or steak time.

Two powerful burners produce up to 10,000 BTU’s each to provide even heat distribution and quick cooking. Each burner is controlled independently, allowing for different temperatures on each side of the large cooking area. It can easily provide enough heat to sear steaks and chicken perfectly.

With the option to purchase different styles of cooking plates, you can also cook in two different styles at the same time. Quickly grill steaks or chicken on one side with a cast iron grill plate, and sauté vegetables on the other side.

There is a downside, and it is that the lid clearance is not very high. This will limit some of your choices as it will not handle large items that need the lid down to cook, such as whole chickens or larger roasts. I’m not sure many people wouldn’t consider using it that way anyway.

Another point against it is that because it is so hot, there is a bit of a learning curve to getting the right temperature for cooking. I think it was designed to cook hamburgers and hotdogs at lightning-fast speeds, which it does well. For grilling anything else, you will probably want to have the temperature down quite low until you are familiar with how fast it can cook.

Coleman suggests that a disposable LP bottle will allow you to cook for up to 1.1 hours with both burners set on high or 4.5 hours on the lowest setting. Because you probably won’t need the grill running on high all the time, expect it to last for around 2 to 3 hours of use.

Clean-Up

I have mixed feelings when it comes to cleaning the unit.

The Good: The grill plates that come with the unit are easy to clean. They are cast iron with a porcelain coating, which means that they can be soaked, won’t rust, and don’t need to be seasoned.

The grease trap is handy, too, especially when you are cooking bunches of frozen burgers.

Otherwise, Coleman recommends cleaning the unit – inside and out – with mild soapy water and a soft cloth. To that, I would add that you dry it thoroughly after washing and rinsing.

Quality

There are a couple of issues that I have with the way the LXE was made.

The first is that the body is made of steel, and without proper care and cleaning, the interior can rust very quickly. The paint coating on the outside can chip and scratch without much work either. In general, it’s not a good idea to keep it stored outside.

Also, it seems that quality control over at Coleman is a bit off. While I didn’t have any problems, I’ve seen a few reports of incorrect assembly. Unfortunately, many of these reports quite new and apparently haven’t been dealt with by the manufacturer.

On the other hand, several complaints from years ago seem to have been corrected in the design. Old claims of melting handles, lids, and even grill grates have been replaced by comments happily reporting that modifications were present in the product they received. It’s good to know that Coleman is trying to address some of the issues!

Some of the changes that have been made include making the grill easier to clean. The grease tray is now made of metal instead of plastic, and screens have been placed to make sure that food and grease don’t get into places they shouldn’t. Also, reports of the lid and/or handle melting have disappeared as well, because the added heat shield protects the handle from heat.

Setting up the LXE is easy!

Warranty

Coleman provides a 5-year limited warranty on the workmanship and possible defects of their RoadTrip grills. You will need to hold on to your receipt, and of course, this warranty is provided at their discretion.

What’s in the box?

What
  • Two cast-iron, porcelain coated grill grates included
  • Pre-assembled stove complete with side tables and burners
  • Easy-to-attach regulator
  • Stand parts, including towing handle and wheels
  • A removable metal drip pan
  • Instruction manual

Initial Assembly

There is minimal assembly required to get the RoadTrip LXE up and running. All that is needed is putting the wheels on the stand and sliding the handle in place.

Even those with little mechanical skill will have no problems putting the stand together in less than 20 minutes. Those more mechanically inclined should be able to have it together in a quarter of that time.

Out of the box, the Coleman RoadTrip Grill LXE edition is designed to work with 16.4-ounce disposable liquid propane bottles that are available practically everywhere.

For those that prefer the more economical 20 lb refillable LP tanks, a high-pressure adaptor hose from Coleman is available. Please note that when using the adaptor hose to connect to a tank, the tank’s valve must be turned on slowly to stop the regulator from closing prematurely.

The product manual is available online: Click to View (opens in new window)

Accessories

Coleman RoadTrip Swaptop Half-Size Cast Iron Griddle Swaptop Cast IronGrill pancakes, bacon or carmelize onions on one side while grilling sausages or burgers on the other.See it at Amazon
Coleman RoadTrip Steel Stove Grate Swaptop Steel Stove GrateSwaptop Steel Stove Grate is great for your kettle or frying pan.See it at Walmart
Propane Hose and Adapter for Coleman RoadTrip Grills 5′ High-Pressure Hose & AdapterDitch the disposable LP canisters for larger, refillable tanks with this hose and adapter setSee it at Amazon
Rolling Grill Case for LX Series RoadTrip Grills Rolling Grill CaseProtect your grill and take the awkwardness out of traveling with your RoadTrip GrillSee it at Amazon
Coleman RoadTrip Grill Cover Cover for RoadTrip GrillsKeep the elements out to maintain a clean grill that’s ready to go when you areSee it at Amazon
Coleman RoadTrip LXE Portable Gas Grill Accessories

Pro’s & Con’s

Pros

    • Wheels make transporting easy
    • Large surface area can cook for several people
    • Lots of heat cooks food fast
    • Economical use of LP gas
    • Convenient, well-designed placement of LP bottle holder and regulator
    • Porcelain-coated cast-iron grates sear wonderfully and clean easily – no need to season

Cons

    • The grease trap can be messy
    • Cleaning can be difficult, must be cleaned after every use
    • The learning curve to cooking with a significant heat output
    • Not ideal for hikers
    • Potential for rust

Ratings & Recommendations

Customer Ratings

As I noted in the Quality section, several improvements have been made to the LXE over the last few years. These changes have caused a dramatic rise in the overall satisfaction of customers.

Initially, there were many complaints regarding several aspects of the grill. However, it seems that Coleman has addressed many of these issues. Since 2008 or 2009, the majority of customers report being very happy with their purchase.

The image below includes ratings from before changes were made. Even with the old, negative reviews included, 83% of consumers still rate it at 4 stars or better.

83% of consumers rated it at 4 stars or better

Just Portable Grills Rating

Portability5/5 stars
Cooking Ability4/5 stars
Cleaning4/5 stars
Quality3.5/5 stars
Customer Rating4.5/5 stars

Overall Rating4/5 stars

My Recommendation

Since Coleman seems to have addressed many of the complaints consumers previously had with this grill, I’m willing to recommend it. They have, through trial and error, come through with a product that is both very portable and very capable of cooking in a variety of ways.

I also feel that compared to other portable grills, the Coleman RoadTrip LXE is far more capable of cooking for more than a few people. This is the closest you can get to having a full-size grill that can easily travel with you.

Prices & Where to Buy the Coleman RoadTrip LXE Portable Gas Grill

One of my favorite selling points of this unit is the price. You can pick it up on sale from time to time, but even when it’s not on sale, you can find it priced well below $200.

Available Now At:

Click the logo to see current price and availability

Commissions may be earned from this link.

More Information

Specifications

Brand:Coleman
Model Name:RoadTrip LXE
Model Number:9949-750
Grill Height:46″
Grill Width:18″
Grill Depth:35″
Weight:44lbs
BTUs:20000
Main Fuel Source:Propane Gas
Default LP Bottle Size:16oz Disposable
Upgrade to larger bottle?:Yes, with adapter
Cooking Surface Area:285 in²
Grill Materials:Enamel Coated Cast Iron
Body Materials:Painted Steel
Burner Materials:Steel
Number of Burners:2
Igniter Style:Push Button
Built In Temperature Gauge:No
Side Tables:2
Stand:Collapsible, Wheeled, Attached
Warranty:5 Year Limited
Price Range:$150 – $200

22 thoughts on “Review: Coleman RoadTrip Grill LXE”

  1. Thanks for all that info. This is a great site.

    Question: Would you recommend the LXE over the LX? I read both of your reviews and both seem to have decent recommendations from you.

    Reply
    • I’d go with the LXE over the LX. Two reasons: The stand, and the price tag.

      I think, but don’t know for sure, that the LX was the original model and the LXE is the more refined version.

      Hope that helps.

      Reply
  2. How do I fit the lxe into the storage bag without taking the wheels off the stand? How do I take the bbq off the stand? Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Kathy – Do you have an older bag? I know that the bag went through a bit of a remodel a couple of years ago, and the old style was too small to fit the LXE’s wheels. The new bags will fit the whole thing without having to remove the wheels – and certainly not the stand – but you might have to remove the handle. That should be it.

      Reply
  3. I recently purchased the Road Trip LXE and there’s two things I’d like to see on this grill for the price. First, wind guards for the sides. This a common feature on most Coleman camp stoves so I’m not sure why they decided not to include them on this model but they are needed. Second, a means of holding the top open while cooking. This would particularly be handy when cooking a pan of something when it’s a little windy out. It doesn’t take much to blow the lid closed, tipping over your pan of food. Aside from that, I think this is a pretty good buy for the price.

    Reply
  4. I bought this grill a year ago and love it. It fits in the bag fine and I’m able to cram in a few accessories as well. No complaints!
    I do find myself wishing for even more flexibility, tho, as my camping style is evolving a bit. Top of my wish list: converting the stand from full to table top. It doesn’t seem easy to do in a level or stable way.
    Are there accessory legs (I can’t find any online) or are there any suggestions on how others have made this modification?

    Reply
  5. Can you set this unit on a picnic table or other insulated cart? I’m looking for a model to place on a cart with granite slab.

    Reply
    • Hey Vic,

      So, you want to take it off its cart to place it on another cart? Am I getting that right?

      While you theoretically could, I’m not sure that I would recommend it. It’s been a number of years since I reviewed this grill, and I’ll be doing an update of this review with the latest version soon.

      I will need to see how easy it is for the most recent version to be separated from the cart. The original version was anchored to the cart pretty firmly, if I recall correctly. I’m also interested to see if the grease trap sits flush with the bottom.

      Expect to see an update to this comment soon.

      Reply
  6. Great review. The first time I used the grill it seemed like I was frying the meat not bbqing it. Can I put lava rocks in the bottom of it to get that bbq taste and feel?
    Thanks,
    Kristie

    Reply
    • Hi Kristie,

      Good question. I wouldn’t recommend putting lava rocks in the bottom. They would likely scratch the surface of the burners or the grill interior and cause it to rust out quickly. This is more of a grill or even a stove that has the ability to grill, and less of a BBQ.

      Reply
  7. Great grill EXCEPT:
    1. Cooks very hot-need to start w flame on lowest setting!!
    2. Wheels HORRIBLE design. No access to nut (Bolt through wheel enters closed box metal Legs)-so when they loosen (easily)-it’s hell to get wheels off or re-tighten

    Reply
    • Hi, Lou! Thanks for your comments!

      Regarding the heat – no argument there. It’s a hot grill.

      As far as the wheels are concerned, I’d have to look at mine, but do the covers come off the front?

      This grill has been discontinued and isn’t widely available anymore. Its successor, the RoadTrip 285 may have improved on the wheels, but I couldn’t say for sure as I haven’t had time to look at it yet. I will keep an eye out and report back.

      Reply
      • Hi my wheel but is inside and can’t get it out unless I cut it out. 🤦🏽‍♂️
        I was thinking about welding a nut that fits the screw.

        Reply
  8. Hi, after I clean my Road Trip grill I start it up but the flame was too low. can you tell me something about it? Thank you .

    Reply
  9. I have an older LXE grill that I am trying to refurbish. I need a new cooktop assembly and coleman no loger makes the replacement part (Part #9949a1551). Do you have any suggestions for a replacement. Will the cooktop assembly from the LX fit the LXE?

    Reply
    • Hi David,

      So this is a tough one to comment on because it’s not something I can easily test. I don’t know if they’re going to be the same size, though they do look very close. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were, but as they are two different grills, I can’t confirm by just looking at pictures of the parts.

      With that said, if you choose to test it out, and if the LX cooktop assembly is the same size, remember that you will need to get the drop-in water pan as well, as the LX’s version will not have a bottom, nor will it have any way to drain as the LXE does.

      But, my interest is piqued. If you push through with it, let me know what happens!

      Josh

      Reply
  10. Hello, I have a Roadtrip 9949 Series (as the manual describes it) from 2006. This stove is still going strong as I use it with our camping trips. I am trying to find parts to convert to a quick disconnect adaptor that can be used with the trailer propane quick connect lines instead of the regulator that attaches to the stove. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Reply
    • Hey Steve,

      It’s good to hear that your LXE is still working for you! I only used mine a couple of times this year, but it’s still working as well as it did the day I got it, though my wife says it’s looking a little crusty.

      As far as a quick connect conversion is concerned, it’s pretty easy. Your quick connect on the trailer is likely already regulated at the tank, so you only need the quick connect adapter and hose. This one from Propane Gear is probably your best bet for a complete solution.

      You can also go to your local propane parts supplier and have them build a custom solution for you, which I recommend because they will be appropriately certified. I don’t recommend getting one from a random offshore manufacturer you’ve never heard of because you can’t guarantee the safety.

      Whatever you do, don’t forget to take the regulator off the grill because you’ll never get a flame that way.

      Reply

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