Towing capacity

[Barry Ng]

Hey guys, my first post ever in this forum.

I own a 2011 Rukus and was wondering what towing capacity it has. I've never towed anything ever. 

Official specs show 500kg unbraked or braked. Which doesn't sound right intuitively, given even a 2015 Corolla (which is lighter in weight and smaller engine size) can tow 1300kg braked.

Any idea what I missed guys?

 

I did try to search in the forum about this topic to no avail, sorry if I've duplicated this one.

Thanks.

Baz

Edited January 26, 2016 by Barry Ng

[trentmeyer23]

500kgs it is.

[Barry Ng]

Thanks for confirming. 

To my understanding, 500kg is the weight of the trailer itself and the load. Even if I find the lightest trailer there is, which is about 300kg, that means the load that I'd be actually allowed to pull legally and safely is about 200kg. Is that right for a car of its size?

Comments anyone?

Thanks.

[trentmeyer23]

Yes. Total weight towed is 500kg.

[Hiro]

There's more to towing capacity than just the weight of the car and the size/power of the engine.  If the car isn't designed for the sorts of loads that a heavy trailer can impart through the rear of the chassis then it will never be able to have a high towing capacity even if it weighs 2 tonnes and has a big-block diesel under the bonnet.