Trailer hitch experience

I agree that the difference is probably more to do with different regulatory environments, but I wouldn't be too quick to assume there are no spec changes between markets, either. At least with earlier gens, I've been tripped up now and then by forgetting that some markets got different brakes than the US. Even within the US, it surprised me when I first learned that the Gen 3 trims with 15 inch and 17 inch wheels are in fact different cars. There are different part numbers for some of the structural sheet metal, not just things like brake components.

 

Gen4 pretty standard cross market our Excel grade is your Limited. We too have variants for 15 and 17 wheels but all grades can tow with exception of the awd.

 

My wife and I spent over 30 years RVing (20 of it traveling full time in more than one type). We belonged to several different clubs that hosted various experts in different fields including insurance and legal liability. We learned that statements like “not designed for “ trumped pretty much EVERYTHING ELSE.
My 2008 Ford F-250 was rated at 16000 lbs GCW for several years and was raised to 18000 lbs with no apparent change in equipment. It didn’t matter, my 2008 was rated at 16000 AND if I chose to go the 18000 lb route, several lawyers and insurance companies clearly stated “I was on my own”.
I have no idea why Toyota says the vehicles in the USA are rated differently than other countries, all I know is if I bought one in the USA then I have to live within the confinements of that purchase agreement. I can choose to ignore it, but I do so at my own peril, and to advise others to ignore such statements as “not designed for” is VERY DANGEROUS grounds (at least according to my attorney).
Why can a UK Prius tow when I can’t, or why is there a different oil requirement from one area to another? I don’t know and wasn’t privileged to those engineering decisions. What I do know is that it is way above my grade to second guess them.

 

There are many common parts, to be sure, but just from the limited information Toyota has disclosed in the separate U.S., European, and Japanese editions of the Repair Manual and New Car Features books (more info) and Electronic Parts Catalog, it’s clear that there are also some important differences.

Besides the obviously different parts, such as headlights and rear bumpers, there are also different versions of the hybrid vehicle control ECU, engine control module, and skid control ECU, with different firmware. Toyota doesn’t reveal much detail, since service technicians don’t need access to this valuable intellectual property, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that acceleration, braking (including ABS, VSC, and TRAC), and operating limits for the hybrid system, for example, have all been adjusted for the emissions and safety regulations, buyer preferences, driving conditions, and warranty terms offered in each destination market.

Has anyone here driven Prius cars of the same generation that were built for different markets? I’d hoped to rent a fourth-generation Prius car in Europe or Japan, just to see how driving it would compare, subjectively, to my U.S. model at home, but the pandemic got in the way.

 

Personally I would not try it. Transmissions are expensive.

 

I’m thinking regulation vs capability.

What are the towing capacities of the latest Toyota models? - Toyota UK Magazine