100 towing and payload still impressive

[sacmaster]

I drove a new Ram 1500 crew cab today with 4 wheel drive and the much-hyped Pentastar V6. It was actually a very nice truck and seemed well made. Over 20 mpg combined in a full size 4wd truck is what made me give it a second thought. It had me reconsidering my long held belief that anything made by Chrysler is pure crap.

However, after doing some research, I discovered that the Pentastar, while making 80 more horsepower than my 4.7 motor, makes 50 less lb/ft of torque. This combined with the 3.21 gears standard in the Ram limit it to a 4100 lb towing capacity in the model I drove. That's 2500 pounds less than our cruisers! And the Ram is a huge truck. I mean it truly feels like you are driving a big rig. Not to mention the cruiser has a payload of 1745 lbs. That's higher than or equal to even the Rams equipped with the Hemi.

Just shows how truly heavy duty these Toyotas were designed to be.

 

[hoser]

To be fair, the truck you drove is their most fuel efficient model. The optional 3.55 gears with the same Pentastar engine would've bumped the tow capacity up to 6500 lbs. Though both vehicles have the same numerical "rating," I would guess the Ram would handle 6500 lbs better than a 100.

Tow ratings for trucks (not SUVs) are in a state of transition right now. Some manufacturers are complying with the new SAE standard and some aren't. But at the time the 100 was manufactured, there was no standard and Toyota just gave it their own number.

That 1745 lb payload capacity for the LC with stock suspension is probably optimistic too. That's 10 people weighing 175lbs each. The suspension would be complaining.

 

[TXLX100]

I agree, IMO you can't put 100% reliance on payload and towing amounts. The towing capacity of my LX and my f150 are close in amount, but I wouldn't put 6000-7000lbs behind either of them, unless it was an infrequent thing and a short trip.

But yes, incredibly well built vehicles. I've seen 100s and similar sized SUVs after heavy collisions, 100s will normally still have all wheels and axles intact, can still open doors, etc.

 

[TeCKis300]

What's awesome about the LC payload is that it does it with supple suspension tuning vs. the likely stiffly sprung load bearing oriented setup typical of trucks.

 

[PIPO]

I don't have experience towing with the hundy but my old Nissan Armada with a rating of 9k lbs struggled pretty bad with a 6k enclosed trailer. I can't imagine the hundy doing any better.

 

[TrekboxX]

I agree with the replies above. The 100 is great, but it's soft even without any weight stock. No match for a pickup built for towing/weight. Different purpose.