Why does the Hyundai Santa Cruz have more payload capacity than my Tacoma?

Modern 4 door El Camino.

 

Toyota trucks are fairly well known for low payload capacities in the truck world. Both Tacoma and Tundra have very low ratings (lowest in the industry basically)

Virtually every truck can outhaul a Tacoma. Maverick, Ridgeline, Santa Cruz and not by a little, but by a lot. Unibody construction actually helps these vehicles have higher payloads, so that's an advantage over BOF in these cases.

Frontier is another truck that actually has a very low payload and so is the Gladiator, but if memory serves right they are slightly higher than Tacoma. The problem is all commercials quote the bare bones 4x2 4cylinder extended cab numbers, which are quite respectable around 1600lbs. Most people never bother to check the sticker on the lot until they have to haul something heavy I guess.

 

More like a Dodge Rampage as the El Camino was Body on Frame.

 

Dodge Rampage is probably the car to be seen in today.

 

I can't even remember the last time l came across one.

 

wrong... only one at a time

 

Follow me in your Santa Cruz and lets see who is worried about how much weight they are carrying.

 

Do you even lift bro?

 

the beak off that back end.. it looks like it made that face mother warned it not to and actually got stuck that way!

 

You are correct, that is what was said about payload for that vehicle.
But, what was said is correct when 5 passengers are in the cab. So, 5 passengers plus 600 pounds in the bed.
Or 1,400 pounds in the bed with only the driver in the cab.

The Tacoma has less payload in the bed than the Santa Cruz, if you figure 5 passengers in the cab of the Tacoma.
The Santa Cruz has self leveling rear shocks. A nice feature to reduce squat when carrying a load in the bed.

With the Hyundai turbo providing 0 to 60mph in just over 6 seconds and over 300 ft lbs of torque at 1800rpm to 4000rpm, it walks over mountain range highways at 1,800 to 2,200 rpm at 65 mph, with no gear hunting and just a single downshift.

I look forward to a Tacoma with a turbo engine. It might not be the most long lasting engine, but it'll be so much more fun, more powerful and more well behaved than the 3.5 liter V6 with 6 spd auto trans.

 

Payload ratings can vary by as little as the tires originally spec'd on the vehicle.

Looking at it from an engineering perspective, look at the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) to see what the truck can really handle. I'm willing to bet that there is much more in the way of surplus capability on the axles/drivetrain of a ladder framed than on a unibody truck (in terms of GAWR, anyway). Theoretically speaking, as long as you have tires that can handle the GAWR, and springs to hold the truck up at optimal ride height, then you can carry that load.

However, many manufacturers downgrade the GVWR based on *dynamic* reasons--it many not exhibit safe driving behaviors with that much load regardless of whether the components can take the load or not. With the multitude of ways that weight is loaded onto a pickup--tongue, bed, passenger, not to mention towing, you better believe that engineers are playing it safe.