Kia Tasman: It pays to be different

0 0 October 08, 2025 Edit this post

by Chris Riley

What is it?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that the Kia Tasman is Kia's first ute.

And it has a big task ahead of it as Kia attempts to acquire a chunk of the lucrative light commercial market.

Now the number four brand in the Australian market, the South Korean car maker has come a long way in the past decade.

But it can't take the fight up to market leader Toyota without a ute as part of its arsenal -- and what a ute it is.

Together with partner Hyundai, the pair are now number two in sales, with Toyota in its sights.

What’s it cost?

The Tasman dual cab ute is priced from $46,490 driveaway for the 4x2 S.

There's five grades: S, SX, SX+, X-Line, and X-Pro, with all but the entry S four-wheel drive.

Single Cab Chassis is offered in either S 4x2 ($38,010), S 4x4 ($45,010), or SX 4x4 ($49,520), while the Dual Cab Chassis comes as either S 4x4 ($48,240) or SX 4x4 ($52,740).

On road costs must be added to the cab chassis prices, but the following dual cab figures are driveaway -- no more to pay.

The Dual Cab Pick-Up spans all five grades, from S 4x2 ($46,490) to S 4x4 ($53,890), SX 4x4 ($58,490), SX+ 4x4 ($66,490), X-Line 4x4 ($70,990), and X-Pro 4x4 ($77,990).

In this report we're looking at the dual cab version and our test vehicle was the top of the line X-Pro priced from $77,990 driveaway.

The Kia design team has deliberately shunned the familiar form language that has dominated the pickup genre for decades.

It says this fresh approach strips away the unnecessary to begin with a basic, honest form that highlights the vehicle’s sense of solid power through simple yet functional elements, without relying on the oversized styling that has come to dominate the pickup segment.

Note the X-Line and X-Pro are fitted with a differently styled grille and front bumper.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch steel wheels, cloth trim and dual zone climate air, adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, dusk-sensing lights, auto wipers for SX+ and above, auto-dimming rear view mirror on SX+ and above, LED head and daytime running lights, smart key with push-button start, front and rear parking sensors, and integrated trailer brake control.

By the time you get to X-Pro there's alloys with all-terrain rubber, artificial leather trim, tinted windows, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, power adjust front seats, ambient mood lighting, tilt and slide sunroof, auto-dip on reverse mirrors, front, side and reverse parking sensors as well as a tray liner -- to name some features.

Tasman includes the brand’s 10 must-have sustainability items such as a crash pad made from bio-plastics, seats crafted with recycled PET fabric and bio-PU synthetic leather, a paint composition that includes BTX-free and bio-paint, and an interior carpet is made from recycled PET material.

Kia’s latest integrated infotainment display, comprises a 12.3 inch driver screen, 5.0 inch climate control and 12.3 inch multimedia displays.

There's also voice control, multi-connect Bluetooth, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Sounds of Nature background noise, six-speaker generic audio and Kia Connect with intelligent remote control functions as well as innovative in-car services and Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.

SX adds built-in satellite navigation, while X-Line adds double wireless phone charging and X-Pro adds eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound.

Weirdly SX+ only gets single wireless charging. Stepping up to the X-Line reverts to a double charger.

There's two USB-C ports in the front as well as a 12 volt outlet and another two USB-C ports on the side of the front seats for use in the back, along with a 240 volt outlet.

The position of the front passenger seat can also be adjusted from the back.

Tasman gets a five-star rating for safety from the ANCAP organisation, but this rating specifically excludes the X-Line and X-Pro versions of the ute which remain unrated.

Seven airbags are standard, including a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes.

There's also a 360-degree reversing, together with Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing and Head-On), as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are standard across the lineup.

Notably absent on the top of the line X-Pro is head-up display.

Two top tether and two ISOFix child restraint anchor points are provided in the rear.

A full-size alloy spare is provided.

Tasman is covered by Kia's 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with 3, 5 and 7-year prepaid service plans available.

What’s it go like?

Based on an all-new ladder chassis platform, Tasman has a kerb weight of 2237kg and is 5410mm long, 1930mm wide, with a 3270mm wheelbase and in the case of X-Pro stands 1920mm high.

The off-road focused X-Pro has been specifically engineered for off-road performance, with 252mm of ground clearance and an 800mm water fording ability.

It's equipped with 17-inch gloss-black alloys with all-terrain tyres and offers enhanced off-road performance thanks to a 28mm higher ride height.

There's also no pesky side steps to get hung up on, but of course that makes entry and exit more difficult for the 99 per cent of the time it will spend on the road.

Suspension is double-wishbone at the front with a rigid axle and leaf springs under the back, incorporating vertically mounted shock absorbers to ensure more effective damping and greater control, even at the extremes of suspension travel.

The suspension units is enhanced by Kia’s frequency selective Sensitive Damper Control (SDC) and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technology.

The brakes are ventilated discs front and back.

A gross vehicle mass of 3250kg across all variants, contributes to a gross combination mass (GCM) rating of 6200kg.

All Tasmans can carry a payload in excess of one tonne, with even the better equipped X-Pro 4x4 capable of carrying 1013kg.

All grades are rated to tow 3500kg braked load.

Dual cab variants are also available with a reduced payload option specifically at meeting the criteria for novated leases, which often require a payload of under 1000kg.

Helping to make towing heavier loads as safe as possible is an Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (ITBC) which integrates with Towing Mode (TBC), enabling the driver to set up specific loads and optimise all other towing related functions including Trailer Sway Control.

Dual Cab pick-up set a new benchmark for tub size, at 1512mm in length, 1572mm wide and 540mm deep, with the ability to accommodate an Australian-sized pallet.

Given its size we expected more legroom in the back, but it's not much more than adequate.

X-Line and X-Pro feature under-seat storage with a slide and recline function for the second row seating.

Another segment first is a folding console table on X-Line and X-Pro.

Rear bumper corner steps provide easy access to the tub which has two lights plus a 240 volt power outlet.

However the plastic corner steps appear prone to damage because of their position and one had already received a scrape.

The dash with its sweeping infotainment panel is a feature of most models in the Kia lineup, but the surrounding honeycomb trim is a departure.

Separate controls are provided for volume and air, with other touch sensitive shortcut buttons located below the air vents.

However, there's no shortcut for the radio which we found difficult to access.

The 2.2-litre engine produces 154kW of power at 3800 rpm and 440Nm of torque from 1750-2750 rpm.

It's paired with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission, including paddle shifters.

The dash from 0-100km/h takes 10.4 seconds and, with an 80-litre tank, fuel consumption is a claimed 8.1L/100km.

That gives it a theoretical range of 988km.

The advanced 4x4 system includes a low-range transfer case, rear differential lock, and an intelligent traction control system – the requisite for serious off-road adventure.

A Ground View Monitor (GVM) provides drivers with a further level of confidence while traversing challenging off-road terrain.

Drive is to the rear wheels in 2H, or to all four wheels as required in 4A.

Lock in 4H and Drive is split evenly between the front and rear wheels.

Moving to 4L requires stopping and putting transmission it engages, which takes only a few seconds.

Drive modes include Eco, Sport, Normal, Tow and MyDrive, plus Snow, Mud, Sand, Rock all-terrain selections.

There's also an off-road section in the infotainment system.

It's a lot of information to digest, so we've tried to keep it to the essentials.

With zero preconceptions, we found Tasman engaging and comfortable to drive, with predictable handling.

Even Mrs Riley enjoyed driving this one and she's no pushover.

We took the time to take the X-Pro for a spin down our favourite fire trail, which includes some low range sections.

No worries. Tasman is just as enjoyable and capable to drive off-road as it is on.

It feels relaxed and confident, and ride quality is impressive -- even over rough terrain.

This is a real ute, not a pretend one, with the necessary credentials to take up the fight to the three established utes that are now are regular inclusion in the list of the top 10 selling vehicles in Australia.

We clocked up 534km at a rate of 8.9L/100km.

A 60km run down the freeway returned 6.5L while the trip computer showed a longterm average of 11.2L after 3700km.

Not bad. Not bad at all.