Toyota LandCruiser 300 towing capacity

The trap the 300 mostly doesn't have

A 3,500 kg tow rating answers how heavy the trailer may be under the manufacturer's conditions. It does not answer how much your vehicle can carry while towing it. Check GVM, each axle and GCM separately. For combined mass, add the unhitched loaded vehicle to the caravan's ATM, or add all the connected axle weights. The towball is already part of ATM, so adding hitched vehicle weight to ATM would count it twice.

The LandCruiser 300 figures used here are 3,280 kg GVM and 6,750 kg GCM. With the VX at 3,280 kg while hitched to a 3,500 kg ATM caravan carrying 350 kg on the ball, combined mass is 6,430 kg: 3,280 + 3,500 - 350. That leaves 320 kg below GCM, although the vehicle is already at GVM. This is why payload and axle weights deserve close attention when you compare on the towing-capacity hub.

Which raises a more useful question. If the GCM isn't the limit that bites, what is? On a seven-seat VX, the answer is lower down the spec sheet, and it is the rear axle and the payload.

Generous up front, tight at the back

The MY25 seven-seat VX figures used here are 2,620 kg kerb and 3,280 kg GVM, leaving 660 kg of brochure payload. That covers what you add: passengers, accessories, water, luggage and towball load. Toyota's kerb definition already includes a full standard fuel tank. Extra fuel and additional tank hardware still count, unless they are already in your measured vehicle weight.

The table's MY25 GX and GXL are lighter at 2,480 kg and 2,545 kg, leaving 800 kg and 735 kg of brochure payload. The VX and Sahara figures shown leave 660 kg. Choosing a higher trim can therefore change what remains for the trip before any accessories are fitted. The Toyota Prado comparison is useful for the same reason: compare the exact variant's carrying capacity as well as its tow rating.

Where the 660 kg actually goes

Use a measured 350 kg ball load as an example and more than half the VX's 660 kg payload is already allocated. That leaves 310 kg for the accessories, people, water and luggage added to the standard vehicle. It is a scenario, not a rule that every 3,500 kg caravan puts 350 kg on the hitch. If your starting point is a weighbridge result that already includes the fit-out or connected caravan, do not add those same loads again.

This is where the permanent touring fit-out matters. A bullbar, drawers and other equipment reduce what remains before you pack the holiday gear. Add the people travelling with you and the measured ball load, then compare the total with GVM. You still need axle weights: a rear-heavy arrangement can reach an axle limit before the vehicle reaches its total weight limit.

The 1,930 kg rear axle is the real ceiling

Payload is the headline limit, but on a loaded 300 the rear axle is usually the first rating to tip over, and it has a lower number than people expect: 1,930 kg. The reason is where the ball weight sits. A tow ball doesn't just add its weight to the rig; it hangs off the back, behind the rear axle, so it presses down on the rear and lifts a little off the front. With the 300's 2,850 mm wheelbase and a hitch about 1,360 mm behind the rear axle, a 350 kg ball loads roughly 515 kg onto the rear axle and takes around 165 kg off the front.

Now stack the rest of the rig on the same axle. Drawers, a fridge, recovery gear, a second spare and rear passengers all sit at or behind the rear wheels, right where the ball weight is already pressing. A towing analysis worked a typical GXL at full van weight (two adults, a bull bar and luggage on top of a 315 kg ball download) and found barely 70 kg of margin before the 3,280 kg GVM, with the rear axle the first limit to go. The reviewer's blunt read was that the 300 will pull 3.5 tonnes all day, but on a weighbridge it is the rear axle, not the engine or the GCM, that ends the conversation.

The Nissan Patrol comparison tells a related story from different kerb weights and axle ratings. Both vehicles need their own payload and axle checks even when combined mass has room remaining. Neither the badge nor a generous GCM tells you how much can sit in the back of your particular wagon.

The diesel doesn't sip when it's working

One trope worth correcting: the 300 is not especially thirsty around town. The current MY25 diesel returns roughly 12.3 L/100km unladen on a real-world run, modestly above Toyota's 8.9 L/100km combined claim; normal for a 2.6-tonne wagon. Empty, it is fine.

Loaded is a different story, and it is the load that spikes the figure, not the driving. A GR Sport tow test recorded 18.2 L/100km towing 2,600 kg, against 10.2 L/100km unladen on the same test. A Sahara towing 2,750 kg drank about 23 L/100km. So expect fuel use to roughly double under a heavy van, which matters for range planning on remote trips. A long-range tank adds weight to the same payload and rear axle you are already watching.

Would a GVM upgrade solve your measured problem?

Some owners consider a GVM upgrade when their touring equipment and passengers exceed the factory carrying allowance. Start with measured weights, then identify which limit needs attention. The approved GVM, GCM, axle, wheel and tyre limits depend on the particular package and vehicle. Check the approval documents before treating an advertised upgrade figure as available capacity on your rig.

An upgrade should solve the limit you have actually measured. Raising GVM does not by itself establish a higher GCM, tow rating or rear-axle rating. Reducing equipment, changing how it is loaded or choosing a different caravan may also be options. Compare those choices before committing to hardware, then confirm the finished vehicle's approved limits and actual weights.

Known traits worth checking before you buy

Two recalls sit against the 300 and both are worth a VIN check on the national recalls register before purchase. An exhaust after-treatment campaign covers about 40,693 vehicles built between July 2021 and February 2025: a fuel-addition injector in the after-treatment system can clog and trigger an engine-maintenance dash warning, with the remedy a clean, a retainer and an ECU reflash. A separate transmission recall covers roughly 11,019 MY25 vehicles built across 2025, where a transmission control fault can let the gearbox over-rev with a fire risk, remedied by reprogramming the control unit. Both are dated 2025-2026; confirm the status of any specific car.

The diesel also has a known oil-consumption trait; owners report using up to around 1.7 litres between services, which Toyota classes as within spec and addresses with shorter service intervals. It is a maintenance-awareness point, not a failure, and it is worth a habit: check the dipstick when you're towing hard, because that is when consumption is highest. One thing you can stop worrying about is the cabin. The MY25 VX runs a 12.3-inch wireless CarPlay and Android Auto setup with physical climate buttons retained, so any old 'dated screen' line about the 300 is simply wrong today.

Buy the proven diesel now, or wait?

There are two live forks for a buyer right now. The first is the incoming Y63 Patrol, with a new twin-turbo V6; the MY25 300 update is partly Toyota's answer to it. The practical read is that the 300 is available today, it has factory trailer sway control and strong low-end diesel torque for heavy towing, and it is a known quantity, while the Y63 is still unproven in Australian conditions.

This guide's figures describe the MY25 diesel variants in the table. Do not apply them to a different engine, seating layout or later specification without checking that vehicle's documents. For your own shortlist, the useful question is what remains after the touring fit-out, passengers and caravan are accounted for. Get the loadmate app to explore that setup before you commit; measured weights and the vehicle's actual limits are still needed to confirm it.

Watch the limit that bites, as you load it

Here is the trap the spec sheet sets. The 300's 6,750 kg GCM is so generous that it lulls you into reading it as the headroom you have, when the rear axle and GVM are quietly filling far ahead of it. The ball weight lands, the boot fills, the third row goes up, and the rear axle creeps toward 1,930 kg while that big GCM number still looks miles away. You don't feel it happen, and a roadside intercept or a weighbridge ticket is a poor way to find out.

loadmate helps you follow the VX's weight budget from the setup and loads you record. Add the drawers, account for the passengers and record changes to the caravan's ball load, then see how the estimated axle, GVM and GCM margins change. Keep that setup current between trips so the next packing decision starts from your vehicle, not an untouched brochure figure. Confirm the loaded combination on suitable scales; the app does not measure the gear as it goes in.