Top-5 tow vehicles of 2022 (2024)

What are the best options for towing a big caravan at the moment?

If you want to build on your recreational pursuits with regular towing of a big caravan or boat, you’ll need to upgrade to something suitably equipped.

Never has there been such a variety of new heavy-duty tow vehiclesfrom which to choose, so here’s our pick of the biggest, baddest and best tow vehicles of 2022.

These are not the daintiest or most efficient trailer-haulers or, in some cases, vehicles you’ll want to squeeze through inner-city laneways.

This group of vehicles has been selected with towing on the open road as the priority – although we’ve not included those that have a touch too much truck DNA in them. So noRAM2500/3500 orChevrolet Silverado2500.

A bunch of big, fresh models that can tow 3500kg or more have arrived in the last 12 months or so, including the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, DT-series RAM 1500,Land Rover DefenderandToyotaLandCruiser 300 Series.

Latest Land Rover Defender is a top tow tug

Tow vehicle checklist

The best tow vehicles are those that allow you to tow up to the maximum permitted weight while also being able to carrying the maximum allowed payload in or on the tow vehicle.

In other words, vehicles for which the maximum Gross Combined Mass is high enough so that you can load the vehicle to its maximum while also towing to its maximum capacity if you want to. Not all vehicles (especially utes) have a high enough GCM to allow this.

Dimensions can make a difference: a long wheelbase and a short rear axle-to-towball measurement tend to make a rig less prone to yawing (sway). A heavier tow vehicle might not be as quick or efficient, but its mass will help towing stability too.

Mechanical specs like too-tall gearing or power/torque peaks too high in the rev range can also influence how easy a vehicle tows. Even though towing is mostly about torque, having abundant power for hill climbing or overtaking can make a difference too.

A big 4WD – diesel or petrol – with something even bigger and heavier hitched up to it is going to be thirsty, period. If a vehicle’s fuel capacity is large enough, you won’t have to worry about running out of fuel.

In our experience, the typical fuel average for one of these big 4WDs (petrol or turbo-diesel) is around 20L/100km when you’re towing close to 3500kg. Weather conditions and terrain can make a big difference too; you might see around 18L/100km, or you might average 24L/100km.

These are the current models that we reckon are the best for hitching up a heavy trailer and lugging it around with ease. All have at least a 3500kg (braked) towing capacity and 350kg maximum towball download limit.

LandCruiser 300 Series is even better at towing than its predecessor

2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series

The new Toyota LandCruiser 300 is lighter and more powerful than the 200, and it shows in its strong towing performance. Despite the lighter body, stability is still very good and the big ’Cruiser mostly rides well with a big trailer on the back.

A 3500kg-rated towbar and trailer wiring is standard, although you have to pay extra for the tow tongue and towball. While the rear-view camera has guidelines, the centre line isn’t quite so accurate in lining up the tow ball with a tow coupling.

The LandCruiser (in GX trim) is just 30kg shy of being able to tow to its 3500kg maximum with a maximum payload.

With more torque than any other model listed here, a willing 10-speed transmission and stable platform, the LandCruiser 300 Series is more rounded than the others, with excellent bush manners, a relatively manageable around-town size and good solo-driving fuel economy.

How much does the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser GX cost?
Price:$89,990 (plus on-road costs)
Power/torque:227kW/700Nm
Kerb weight:2495kg
Payload:785kg
Towing capacity:350kg/3500kg
Gross Combined Mass:6750kg

RAM 1500 can tow up to 4500kg

2022 RAM 1500 Limited

The latest DT-series 2022 RAM 1500 finally arrived in Oz as a full-volume import last year and what a cracker it is – ready to shoulder a load on its towbar without breaking a sweat.

Like the DS series before it, the DT series RAM 1500 is big. It won’t fit into many city shopping centre carparks without a fight. Its 14-metre turning circle and six-metre length don’t help.

The RAM has plenty of standard towing features, such as ‘tow/haul’ mode to improve transmission shifts when towing, integrated electric brake controller and towbar (although the 50mm or 70mm towball is an option).

In the Limited, you also get blind-spot monitoring that allows for the trailer length and bed lowering mode (rear air suspension lowers to body so you can more easily reverse under the coupling when hitching up).

Like many full-size US pick-ups, the RAM is light on for payload. If you were to tow a 3500kg trailer with a 350kg towball download, you’d have just 351kg left for payload.

But with its lanky wheelbase and massive kerb weight (2749kg) it will take a lot of unwieldy trailer to unsettle the RAM. And with its 5.7-litre petrol V8 churning out 291kW and 565Nm, it will keep you motoring up and down the highway with ease.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium

The big 2022 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium shares the big, bold ute theme with the RAM 1500. Like the RAM, it has a healthy maximum towing capacity (4500kg for LTZ Premium; 4260kg for the LT Trail Boss) and plenty of power, torque and trailering smarts.

Like the RAM, with about six metres of length and two metres of width – on an almost four-metre wheelbase – this is not the best towing compromise when you’re based in the inner-city. The turning circle, at 14.1 metres, is huge (like the RAM’s).

While it’s about $30K cheaper than the DT Limited, it has steel spring suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle, which doesn’t quite offer the sophistication of the DT RAM Limited’s all-independent air suspension.

The Silverado’s camera monitoring system is impressive; there are 12 camera views as standard, with optional cameras you can set up to give you a view behind the trailer and in the trailer from the centre infotainment screen. The centre screen displays the full side view down past the rig when you indicate.

The Chevrolet is also offered with a phone app called Advanced Trailer System, which includes a pre-departure checklist, light sequencing, maintenance reminders, security alerts and more. The system can also provide prompt tow reminders, provide trailer electrical diagnostics and monitor tyre pressure.

The Silverado LTZ Premium has the natural assets of long wheelbase (3760mm), heavy kerb weight and a petrol V8 that churns out 624Nm of torque through a 10-speed auto – all making for relaxed interstate tow hauling.

Like the Defender, the Silverado’s fuel range on tour might be a bit compromised due to its 91-litre tank.

How much does the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium cost?
Price:$113,990 (plus on-road costs)
Power/torque:313kW/624Nm
Kerb weight:2540kg
Payload:760kg
Towing capacity:450kg/4500kg
Gross Combined Mass:7160kg

Defender is a luxurious and very capable tow vehicle

2022 Land Rover Defender 110

The big, bluff 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 is quite the thing for towing heavy stuff, with plenty of kerb weight to stop it being shifted around plus a big dollop of torque to keep momentum up with a heavy trailer behind.

The Defender is another heavyweight, with a 2400kg-plus kerb weight, aided by a long wheelbase and short rear overhang to help make towing stability a given. Add self-levelling air suspension, a standard towbar and one of the best reversing camera set-ups around and the Defender is another towing champion.

While a towbar is standard, the hitch-receiver is an option. A bit like the American trucks, the Defender feels big around town and it can be hard to see out of. Fuel capacity is a touch low for long-distance towing too, at 90 litres.

How much does the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 P400 S cost?
Price:$97,540 (plus on-road costs)
Power/torque:220kW/650Nm
Kerb weight:2361kg
Payload:804kg
Towing capacity:350kg/3500kg
Gross Combined Mass:6665kg

Nissan Patrol is a cheaper alternative to a LandCruiser

2022 Nissan Patrol Ti-L

The big 2022Nissan Patrolwill belt up any hill towing a heavy van, and while not quite as settled as the 300 Series, the Patrol is still very stable.

The specs look good: the Patrol is one of the heaviest here and has a relatively long wheelbase/short rear axle-to-towball measurement. It is also one of a few that’ll tow at its maximum capacity while carrying its full allowable payload.

But the Patrol is the only vehicle here where a towbar and wiring is optional.

Nissan’s aged flagship SUV also develops its power and torque relatively high in the rev range, meaning it can need a large lungful of revs when towing a big weight.

How much does the 2022 Nissan Patrol Ti-L cost?
Price:$88,990 (plus on-road costs)
Power/torque:298kW/560Nm
Kerb weight:2715kg
Payload:785kg
Towing capacity:350kg/3500kg
Gross Combined Mass:7000kg

Honourable mentions:

Most members of the big-selling one-tonne 4x4 ute class now offer a 3500kg towing capacity, although most can’t tow a full 3.5 tonnes with their full payload on board.

But some are better at hauling loads than others when it comes to towing performance, stability and economy.

The pick of the current crop are both due for replacement:the Ford Rangerand, next year,the Volkswagen Amarok.

Hopefully both will share the excellent towing performance of the models they replace.