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It was already known the new Prado would upgrade to a 3500kg braked tow rating, but Toyota has now confirmed the full picture of its new 4WD's load-carrying abilities.
Key details on the mass-carrying capabilities of the 2025 Toyota Prado have been revealed, outlining the suitability of this new Ford Everest competitor for heavy towing.
While the boosted braked towing capacity of 3500kg for this generation is an important upgrade for the latest LandCruiser Prado, the Gross Combination Mass of 6600kg has been confirmed for Toyota's incoming 2.8-litre four-wheel-drive wagon.
Gross Combination Mass is a critically important figure for a tow vehicle, because it determines the maximum allowable weight of the vehicle and trailer combined.
The 6600kg Gross Combination Mass (GCM) holds steady across the full range of 2025 Prado trim levels, while the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) ranges from 3100kg to 3200kg.
Due to variances in the listed kerb weight, each trim level of the Prado has a different available payload.
| Kerb weight | GVM | Payload | |
| Prado GX five-seat | 2495kg | 3100kg | 605kg |
| Prado GXL seven-seat | 2535kg | 3150kg | 615kg |
| Prado VX seven-seat | 2570kg | 3180kg | 610kg |
| Prado Altitude five-seat | 2520kg | 3100kg | 580kg |
| Prado Kakadu seven-seat | 2595kg | 3200kg | 605kg |
However, those planning to tow 3500kg need to ensure they account for the 6600kg gross combination mass, as well as the transfer of towball mass onto the vehicle's available payload.
Depending on trim level, some variants of the LandCruiser Prado have a slightly reduced leftover payload when theoretically towing a 3500kg trailer.
This is because when the 3500kg is deducted from the 6600kg Gross Combination Mass, only 3100kg is left over – compared to vehicle GVMs of up to 3200kg on same grades.
It means GXL, VX, and Kakadu come up a little short in this regard, while GX and Altitude don't pick up a deficit.
Buyers who plan on towing a 3500kg trailer will need to account for the Towball Mass (TBM) within the available payload of the Prado, along with passengers, equipment, cargo and modifications.
And in the worst-case scenario, deducing a 10 per cent towball download mass of 350kg from a Prado Altitude leaves only 230kg left in the payload for everything else it needs to carry.
Front axle load capacity for the 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado is 1605kg, while rear axle load capacity is higher at 1860kg.
For reference, a Ford Everest has a lower Gross Combination Mass of 6250kg, but also has lower kerb weights of 2369kg to 2501kg (for 4x4 models).
Payloads for the Ford Everest vary between 638kg and 720kg, with V6 models receiving a slight boost in their GVMs to 3150kg.
Four-cylinder, four-wheel-drive Everests carry a 3100kg GVM, while rear-wheel-drive four-cylinder models quote a 3000kg GVM.
However, once you subtract a 3500kg braked trailer weight from the GCM of the Ford Everest, you are left with an available payload and GVM that is noticeably lower than what is left for the Prado.
Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures.
