Beneath the polarising look of this Kia Tasman hides class-leading dimensional specs and a car-like cabin.
With the way things usually are between Hyundai and Kia, the launch of the Santa Cruz a couple of years back by the former South Korean automaker was all but likely to spawn the latter to bring out its own pickup too. But instead of a road-biased shapely unibody ute as per what the Santa Cruz was, Kia has decided that its newly-unveiled Tasman will be a bonafide ladder-frame Toyota Hilux rival.
Starting very basically first, the Tasman is set to be available in both single- and double-cab body styles. There is also apparently to be a stripped-down chassis cab variant available, where an optional Kia-branded tray back available from the factory.
Size-wise meanwhile, the Tasman measures in at 5,410 mm long, 1,930 mm wide and comes on a 3,270 mm wheelbase, with its height ranging from 1,890 mm to 1,920 mm depending on type of wheels and tyres featured. This hence puts this new Kia pickup to be just ever-so-slightly larger than the (already-massive) Hilux, with all that large-ness incidentally being put to good use from it coming with the largest cargo bed in its class.
Kia currently claims that the bed of its Tasman has the best-in-class cargo volume of 1,173 litres, with it to be capable of hauling up to a hefty 1,195 kg of stuff in it. The bed is also to be illuminated and feature an integrated 240 V power outlet for extra utility. The braked towing capacity of this pickup is in turn to be rated at the industry-norm 3,500 kg.
Now as for how it looks, the kindest thing to say here is that Kia has certainly succeeded in its goal of having “deliberately shunned the familiar form language” found in the ute segment. The Tasman’s bull-nose front grille and vertical LED headlights integrated to the ends of its boxy over-fenders certainly giving this pickup an immediately memorable face, though probably one that is not remembered for all the right reasons…
Its boxy profile on the other hand will likely more aesthetically acceptable to a greater proportion of the population, with some even pointing out that it has hallmarks of a Jeep Gladiator from the rear-three quarter. Found underneath weirdly large over-fenders sizes for the Tasman are tyres that range from 17- to 18-inches in diameter, while the other interesting quirk worth highlighting regarding its exterior is for its tailgate to be stamped with Kia’s new logo, instead of the model name that is to be the norm on all other pickups.
Powering the Tasman is to either be turbocharged 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder that outputs 281 PS and 421 Nm of torque, or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel generating 210 PS and 441 Nm. All trims of this Kia pickup will come as standard with an eight-speed automatic gearbox with low-range transfer ‘box and all-wheel drive (featuring Sand, Mud, Snow, and Rock drive modes), but the base oil-burning variants will also be made available with a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive.
And while performance figures are probably not the priority for this Tasman, Kia has nevertheless posted that the petrol-powered version can clock the century sprint in a rather spritely 8.5 seconds. Its oil-burning counterpart meanwhile will take a marginally longer 10.4 seconds to get up to the 100 km/h mark, but both power plants will still eventually be capable of pushing this pickup all the way to its top speed of 185 km/h.
Turning towards the interior now, the Tasman is currently touted to offer class-leading headroom, shoulder room, and second-row legroom. Kia has also been keen to point out that this pickup has the luxury of being able to recline its rear seats between 22 to 30º in this pickup, with there to further exist two hidden storage bins (with a combined capacity of 33-litres) hiding underneath the tip-up bench for added practicality as well.
The car-like cabin layout of the Tasman features twin 12.3-inch screens for the digital driver’s display and central infotainment unit up front. Among the luxury accoutrements available with this Kia includes eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, heated and ventilated front seats as well as a whole host of active driver aids that brings with it remote semi-autonomous parking.
For those who wishes to tart up their Tasman, Kia will be offering a range of optional accessories right from day 1. These add-ons range from beadlock-style off-road wheels and side steps, to a canopy featuring butterfly doors and a roof rack compatible with a rooftop tent.
Sales of the Tasman will begin in early 2025 from its home market of South Korea, followed by Australia, Africa and the Middle East. There is thus far no word yet regarding the pricing of this pickup, but it is currently expected to get right into the retail range of Toyota’s Hilux and Ford’s Ranger.
