2025 Kia Tasman review: Will Kia’s big gamble on the Aussie ute market pay off?

The Tanami Desert and not the Tasman Sea was originally intended to lend its name for Kia’s landmark new Aussie ute. But when headquarters in South Korea vetoed their first choice, Kia Australia’s management in Sydney pivoted quickly from desert to ocean. Too quicky, in fact, for CEO Damien Meredith.

“We initially had submitted a name, Tanami, but that wasn’t well received by senior management,” recalls Roland Rivero, the general manager of product planning at Kia Australia. “We really wanted a name for our region. So we submitted Tasman on the Friday and it was approved by Monday. But I hadn’t told Damien.

“I don’t think he spoke to me for a month . . .”

Lucky or not, the name game was only a minor hiccup on the six-year Tasman program, which is now live and running after more than a year of teasing and tweaking through a massive marketing program.

Utes are in showrooms and driving onto the road, and the Tasman – with help from a set of grippy Mickey Thompson tyres – has even conquered Queensland’s Beer O’Clock Hill to earn its spurs with off-road enthusiasts.

4

To cut straight to the chase, and the answer everyone wants, the Kia Tasman is shaping as a top three contender in the pick-up class. It’s right there with the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, with a series of ‘swings and roundabouts’ results which tip the balance in different directions for different things.

The Tasman is nicely car-like to drive and has a great cabin, but only comes with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine and is not yet proven through heavyweight outback towing. It has a 5-Star ANCAP rating, but not for the whole range.

Kia is also asking premium prices, from $42,990 for the Tasman S 4×2 dual-cab pick-up model through to $74,990 for the X-Pro, when it’s a total newcomer and still a challenger against proven champions. So, let’s get back to the beginning.

4

Who knew that the ute battle in 2025 had become a beauty contest?

Just as many people decided not to vote for the Coalition in 2024 because they didn’t like the look of Peter ‘Voldemort’ Dutton, there are now people who think the Tasman is ugly and have already cut it from their shopping list without waiting for a test drive. Kia was not totally surprised by the early reaction, and now believes the kickback against the design will fade fast.

“I’ve called it ‘industrial’ from day one. And aggressive. The hierarchy in Korea wanted something different, and they got it,” says Meredith. “I like the look of it. It’s aggressive. It (negativity) is diminishing.

“I think road presence will dilute the angst about the way it looks. That’s a fact. We have seen the dial changed, and it’s actually not too bad. I think it has diluted considerably. We were reality confident in the capability story, and the interior story.”

The basics for the Tasman are simple: three body styles, six model grades from S 4×2 to X-Pro 4×4, and a single engine with eight-speed automatic gearbox. The bodies are a basic single-cab pick-up for business use and farms, the dual-cab pick-up which is matched to a huge range of Kia accessories, and the family-focussed dual-cab pick-up.

The official sales target is 20,000 utes a year, from a total output in Korea of 60,000, but Wheels has learned the ‘stretch’ target is 25,000 and the factory can produce up to 80,000.

“The maximum in its lifecycle, in 3-5 years, it might be 25,000. If we can do 20-25,000, year-in and year-out over the 10 years, we would be satisfied. We don’t want to be a poor number one, we want to be a rich number two.”

The only way to put the predictions to the test was to put the Tasman into action, so Kia Australia went all-out on a two-day press preview program that culminated in a takeover of the historic gold mining town of Sofala and its re-naming as Tasman Town with sign-written utes for imaginary businesses parked everywhere.

For once, Kia went actively aggressive on its road – and off-road – choices, instead of curating a course which would play to the Tasman’s strengths and avoid any weaknesses. It meant the first real experience of the Tasman was a drive from Orange to Bathurst on gnarly and nasty backroads, full of potholes and broken edges, dips and bumps and changing surfaces.

There were only two driving choices – the X-Line and X-Pro – as Kia put its best models forward. But there was a chance to check some of the details, including the nicely-damped tailgate and steps at the rear corners of the tub, both first seen on the Ranger.

Helping to make a good impression were the standard dual 12.3-inch interior screens, LED headlights, wireless smartphone integration, reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors, and dual-zone aircon. On the flagship X-Pro there were also leather-trimmed seats with heating – a good thing in frosty Orange – and ventilation and larger 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres.

4

It would be a discovery voyage for the rest of the two-day event but driving time was immediate and impressive. Within 10 kilometres, riding on the softer all-purpose tyres, the Tasman was almost car-like in its comfort. It was quiet, the seat comfort was good – Kia used the Isuzu D-Max as its benchmark – and the cabin quality was impressive.

The performance was not startling, but still more than adequate, and when the road deteriorated to the motoring equivalent of a pimply teenager, the suspension coped without fuss, bother, or distractions.

But …

After a switch of model grades, and a change of tyres, the ride was less impressive. It was brittle at low speeds and missing the grip and confidence of the first Tasman. It seemed the 17-inch road-focussed Kumho tyres were than the chunkier new set of 18-inch Hankooks with a tread more suitable for dirt roads.

Arriving in Bathurst, at the Rydges Hotel alongside Conrod Straight, it was time for the inevitable Powerpoint presentation and some straightforward replies from Kia chiefs on the Tasman project.

“Capability without compromise” is the message through slide after slide, often comparing the Tasman to Ranger and HiLux.

“We’ve invested countless hours and countless trips to Korea. We believe it’s ready to re-define what Australians expect from a ute,” says product planning manager, Christopher Lee.

Looking to the numbers, the Tasman is claimed to have 100 litres more capacity in the tub with a payload that exceeds a tonne, with 3.5-tonne towing and a 350-kilogram downball weight. The 2.2-litre turbodiesel makes 440 Newton-metres from 1750 to 2750 revs, with peak power of 154 kiloWatts at 3800 revs.

For towing, there are two radiators – which also helps emissions – and a transmission cooler, downhill braking control, with powertrain, braking and stability control. Compared with HiLux and Ranger, it’s longer-wider-taller, can carry a standard ‘pallet’ in the tub, and is claimed to have better leg-head-shoulder room in the cabin.

“We had to break through 40-50 years of heritage,” Lee says of the match-up with the top sellers.

Kia is closely monitoring the Tasman’s reception, ready to make changes or upgrades if necessary.

“If you need more, we will do more. Australia is the number one marketplace for us,” says Gwang Hoon Heo, a vice-president on the Tasman project, who is visiting from Korea.

Talking about the powerplant, Kia admits it considered a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, but it was scratched because of the CO2 penalties under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) which has just come into effect.

“The NVES calculation wasn’t great,” says Rivero.

But he admits there could be additional variants in future, not ruling out a plug-in hybrid.

“Over 80 per cent of the category is four-cylinder diesel. We’ll closely monitor that. And obviously we have to monitor NVES. We are studying other powerplants. We’ve got a 10-year product lifecycle.

 “We are a little bit blessed that we have some EV products. It will allow Tasman to do its thing.”

1

That thing includes impressive off-road numbers – 32.2-degree approach angle, 252-millimetre ground clearance, 25.8-degree ramp angle and 26.2-degree rear departure – and the grip from two types of locking rear differential and the various tyre choices.

While the Tasman talk continues, news comes through to Bathurst.

It’s the pricing for the ‘lesser’ models in the range, the single and dual-cab chassis models.

The two-wheel drive single-cab opens at $38,010 and rises to $49,520 in SX specification, while the dual-cab choices are the S in 4×4 at $48,240 and SX at $52,740. All are priced below equivalent dual-cab models, with deliveries from August and all able to be paired with a ‘genuine’ tray.

But wait, there’s more.

Confirmation comes from the Australasian New-Car Assessment Program that the Tasman has a achieved a coveted 5-Star safety rating.

This time, however, there is a big ‘but’ …

The 5-Star score is not for every Tasman, but just the versions with a special ‘scoop’ under the front bumper. It’s there because the 2025 ANCAP protocols demand a new level of pedestrian protection, scooping a wayward walker up onto the bonnet.

Three versions of the Kia get the big tick, but the upper-level models miss out. So you have to dig into the detail of the ANCAP announcement.

4

“The five-star rating for the Kia Tasman applies to 4×4 dual cab variants currently on sale. X-Line and X-Pro variants, as well as 4×2 rear-wheel-drive, and upcoming single-cab and dual cab-chassis variants have not been assessed by ANCAP and are unrated,” it says.

ANCAP also says the Tasman joins the Ranger and HiLux on the 5-Star honour roll, without mentioning they were tested to previous safety standards. Look closer and the Ranger’s date stamp is 2022, while the HiLux is an ancient 2019.

The second day of the Tasman preview begins in the garage, with suspension and engineering guru Graeme Gambold standing alongside a bare Tasman chassis. He talks through the changes from a ladder-frame chassis intended as a Korean workhorse to a refined Aussie ute, highlighting things including the eight-speed auto and the part-time four-wheel drive system, special ZF Sachs shock absorbers, special bump stops, re-tuned steering and three-leaf rear springs to provide both a smooth ride and carrying capacity.

Then it’s over to the accessories’ bay, where bullbars and side steps are the headline act alongside the cab-chassis tray, and roof racks, and on and on. More than 40 pieces, in total.

Kia says the bulbar – available as a bar replacement, single and double-hoop – does not affect the ANCAP scoring and neither do the side steps.

Then it’s time to get back on the road and head out for some serious off-road work.

The bitumen road towards Lithgow is even worse than Day 1 but the Tasman is not threatened. Sitting in the rear seat of the flagship X-Pro, there is extra relaxation thanks to the tilting seat back which is unique to the Kia.

There is lots of talk before the off-roading about modes and switches, with the emphasis on having maximum capacity – including the locking mechanical rear differential in the models below the X-Pro. Kia also highlights its front-view camera system, the terrain modes – auto, snow, mud and sand – as well the X-Pro package with X-Trek mode providing a low-speed cruise control.

While the one-at-a-time driving is underway, there is time for a little bit of a Kia history lesson about the Stinger. The four-door sports sedan was the first truly ‘Aussie’ product, aimed at people who were moving away from a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon in the dying days of local carmaking.

1

“I think Stinger was the right car at the right time for the brand. It gave us a lot of accolades,” Meredith says. “The ride-and-handling that was done on Stinger was exceptional. And the guys have lifted it to another level with Tasman.
“Our success with Stinger and the ability to sell something that was very difficult to sell globally helped us. We’ve got good respect from the hierarchy for what we can do and what we can achieve.”

So now it’s off-road driving time, but with a twist. Instead of keying all the assistance stuff, my time is going to be in D for dunce. After all, lots of amateur off-roaders never understand the systems and want an easy life, or their off-roader is never properly explained or demonstrated to them.

The Tasman is excellent. Up and down, on sand and stony ground, it walks easily over the terrain. Just once, crossing a muddy gully, there is a need for the rear-axle lock. But otherwise it’s as simple as going gently on the accelerator and brake to let the Tasman do the heavy lifting.

So there is just one thing left on the Tasman program. Towing.

Kia has set a course and provided a 2.4-tonne caravan for the assessment, but this is Bathurst. It has to be The Mountain.

It’s not the ‘approved route’ for the job, and the on-board observer is worried about official permission, but Mount Panorama is calling. It will be my slowest lap of all time, and done with considerable margins for error, but the tow rig easily copes with the steep climb and challenging descent.

There is plenty of torque, the various electronic assistances work well in Tow Mode, and it will hold a pre-set speed down to The Dipper.

So it’s all done and the Tasman has made a solid first impression. It appears to have hit all of the targets set by Kia, but only some serious back-to-back testing against the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger – and likely the Isuzu D-Max and others – will provide the real answers.

Model by model

The walk-up through the Tasman range starts with the only two-wheel drive model, the S 4×2, with the dual-cab at $42,990 RRP, a $290 advantage over the equivalent Ford Ranger. The obvious giveaway is
17-inch steel wheels, although it still gets LED headlights, twin 12.3-inch digital displays, adaptive cruise control and wireless smartphone mirroring.

Stepping up to the 4×4 S adds nearly $7000 to the bottom line, the SX jumps to $52740 RRP and brings 17-inch alloys and satnav with driving modes, then the SX+ is $62,390 RRP with 18-inch alloys, rear air vents, a tub liner and wireless charging pad.

The big change is to the X-Line, priced from $67,990 RRP and bringing LED projector headlamps, a 360-degree camera, synthetic leather trim, eight-way power seats, remote smart parking assist and a ‘wand’ style gear selector – think of the indicator stalk – and roof rails.

The flagship X-Pro takes the total to $74,990 RRP and means Harman Kardon sound, extra driving modes, a ground-view monitor, sunroof and off-road pages in the infotainment system. Kia also allows buyers to choose a reduced payload so their ute can qualify for novated leasing.

Pricing

Specs