2024 Toyota Prado not quite a heavy hauler

The new Toyota Prado 250 Series may be able to tow up to 3500kg, but you won’t be carrying many people if you do

Forget about carrying people and towing a big caravan in the new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series.

Despite being rated to tow up to 3.5 tonnes – now matching the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X – the eagerly awaited newcomer has load limits that significantly reduce how much you can pack into the large SUV once you’re towing at the limit.

The remaining payload – as little as 230kg – is so low that Toyota is openly pointing to aftermarket modifiers as the only option for those who want to haul heavy loads and carry lots of people and/or luggage.

“Serious off-roaders and towers tend to make their own adjustments to the vehicle,” Toyota Australia sales, marketing and franchise operations vice president Sean Hanley said.

“For the serious off-roader and the serious big towing people they’re probably going to do their own thing anyway (in terms of modifications).”

Those aftermarket suppliers perform so-called gross vehicle mass (GVM) upgrades that are engineered to increase the load capacity of the vehicle.

That could involve strengthening chassis components but usually focuses on upgraded springs and shock absorbers, which can bring compromises elsewhere.

The Prado’s GVM – how much weight the car can take – varies between 3100kg (GX and Altitude) to 3200kg (Kakadu) depending on the variant.

Those numbers are in the hunt with key rivals, but the heavy body of the Prado 250 Series – it’s only 45kg lighter than the V6-powered LandCruiser 300 and about 150kg heavier than a Ford Everest – doesn’t help with the payload.

But that GVM tells only part of the story.

People towing heavy loads also need to take into account the GCM, or gross combined mass – the weight of the tow vehicle, trailer and everything they’re carrying. The Prado’s GCM is 6600kg.

Assuming 10% towball download

So if you’re towing a 3500kg trailer with a Kakadu, which weighs 2595kg and has a 3200kg GVM, then you only have 255kg of payload left.

That payload needs to account for all luggage and people, so it essentially limits the car to a two-seater.

If you get a GVM upgrade, the most you can take the payload to before performing a GCM upgrade is 505kg.

That’s because the weight of the car (2595kg) and trailer (3500kg) add up to 6095kg. With the GCM limited to 6600kg, there’s 505kg to play with.

The equation is worse for the off-road focused Altitude.

Its GVM drops to 3100kg, leaving only 230kg of payload if you’re towing the maximum 3500kg.

A GVM upgrade could theoretically get the payload up to 580kg, assuming the GVM upgrade has been engineered to up the maximum load to at least 3450kg (an increase of 350kg).

If you start adding accessories, the remaining payload comes down even more.

Option the Toyota factory steel bull bar (up to 57kg), winch (32kg), roof platform (20kg), tow kit with wiring (about 10kg), aluminium underbody protection (5.6kg), front and rear rated recovery points (17kg) and some aftermarket driving lights (maybe 5kg) and your payload could dip below 100kg.

Toyota has defended the move to offer such a low payload in the effort to deliver a 3500kg tow capacity.

“For the average family buyer, it’s more than adequate,” Hanley said.

Toyota points out not many customers tow at the maximum capacity, however even when towing 3000kg, the Prado’s payload is well below rivals.

Depending on the variant, there’s between 280kg and 315kg of payload when towing 3000kg.

The Ford Everest Trend 4x4 for example has 370kg of payload when towing 3500kg and 420kg when towing 3000kg…

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