Toyota rates the 250 Series Prado to tow 3,500 kg braked, and that's the number everyone quotes. It isn't the number that decides your trip. The one that does sits on the same compliance plate and almost nobody reads it. Slide-on campers and 3.5 tonne vans are turning up behind new Prados everywhere.
The matte black 250 in these photos is one we built for LMCT+, since given away with the camper behind it. It's a fair example of how people are actually setting these up, and a useful one to run the numbers against.
At a glance
- 3,500 kg braked towing, up from 3,000 kg on the 150 Series
- GCM of 6,600 kg, so at maximum tow the Prado itself is capped at 3,100 kg
- That cap sits at or below the GVM of every grade in the range
- Towball download on a 3,500 kg van is usually near 350 kg, and it comes out of your payload
- A bar, a rack and a set of steps come out of the same allowance
The two numbers that matter
Your 250 Series Prado is rated to tow 3,500 kg braked. Its Gross Combination Mass, the most the vehicle and the trailer are allowed to weigh together, is 6,600 kg on every grade.
Subtract one from the other. Hook up a 3,500 kg van and your Prado, everything in it and everyone in it can't exceed 3,100 kg. That's the whole argument, and it's arithmetic rather than opinion.
What that leaves, grade by grade
| Grade | Kerb | GVM | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|
| GX | 2,495 kg | 3,100 kg | 605 kg |
| GXL | 2,535 kg | 3,150 kg | 615 kg |
| VX | 2,570 kg | 3,180 kg | 610 kg |
| Altitude | 2,520 kg | 3,100 kg | 580 kg |
| Kakadu | 2,595 kg | 3,200 kg | 605 kg |
At maximum tow every grade is held to the same 3,100 kg. A GXL gives up 50 kg against its own GVM, a VX 80 kg, a Kakadu 100 kg. The grades with the most equipment are the ones the GCM punishes hardest, which is the opposite of what most buyers assume when they walk into a dealer.
Working it through on a Kakadu
Kerb weight 2,595 kg against a 3,100 kg ceiling leaves you 505 kg. Out of that comes the towball download, generally taken as ten per cent of what you're pulling, so about 350 kg on a 3,500 kg van. You're down to roughly 155 kg.
That's two adults and very little else. No fridge, no water, no recovery gear, no roof load, no third row full of kids. It's why owners come back from the first big trip saying the Prado felt fine and the scales didn't.
Where accessories fit into it
Every kilogram bolted to the vehicle comes out of the same allowance as your passengers. Know the Urnieta exterior parts for the 250 by weight before you plan a tow:
- Front bullbar, 55 kg
- Roof rack platform, 48 kg
- Side steps, 40 kg
- Side handle, 7 kg
- Ducktail spoiler, 6 kg
A bar, a rack and steps together are 143 kg. On the Kakadu example above that's most of what was left after the towball. The carbon fibre hood is the one part that moves the number your way, because it replaces the factory steel bonnet rather than adding to it.
The honest version
Most people aren't towing 3,500 kg. Drop to a 2,500 kg van and the GCM allows your Prado 4,100 kg, which is above every GVM in the range, so you're back to the vehicle's own payload and the maths stops fighting you. That's the weight where the 250 tows the way the brochure suggests.
If your van is genuinely 3,500 kg, the questions worth asking are about the tow vehicle rather than the accessories. A 79 Series or a 300 Series carries a different GCM and a different answer.
Urnieta exterior upgrades for the 250 Series
The Urnieta range for the 250 is drawn off the factory body lines rather than bolted over them, which is why it reads as trim rather than aftermarket. Current parts:
- Front bullbar, $4,199
- Roof rack platform, $2,999
- Side steps, $2,549
- Carbon fibre hood, $5,599
- Ducktail spoiler, $699
- Side handle, $449
They're made to order, so plan the build around a lead time rather than a weekend. If you're working out what to fit first, see where to start on a 250 Series Prado build.
