2025 Kia Tasman Ute Revealed: What You Need to Know

The 2025 Kia Tasman has made its global debut, showcased simultaneously at both the Jeddah Motor Show in Saudi Arabia and in Hobart, Tasmania.

After seemingly endless ads, and teaser photos, this marks Kia’s first foray into the competitive ute market, challenging the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger with a ute which looks set to bring battle to Australia’s best-selling vehicles. Kia plans to launch the Tasman in its native South Korean market in the first half of 2025, with subsequent releases in Australia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Ho Sung Song, president and chief executive at Kia, said the car “was created from the ground up to transform the market and respond to the growing preference for lifestyle-oriented trucks with advanced features”.

“The Kia Tasman is a progressive pick-up truck that follows its own path – not the competition,” he said.

“The Kia Tasman combines true pick-up values with exceptional capability and practicality, and advanced features that defy conventional thinking.

Rather controversially, the Tasman sports a boxy design with chunky fender flares, giving it a look unlike any other ute on sale, though its specifications align more closely with the HiLux and Ranger.

Currently, Kia has revealed only dual-cab pickup and cab-chassis versions, with single-cab options to follow. The Tasman will be available in base, X-Line, and X-Pro variants, with local pricing and specifications to be announced closer to its launch.

Drivetrains:

The Tasman will offer two engine options: a petrol and a diesel, with the diesel (named ‘Diesel New R’) locked in for the Australian market.

• Diesel: 2.2L turbo-diesel 4-cylinder, 154kW, 441Nm, 6-speed manual or 8-speed auto, 0-100km/h in 10.4s, 7.6L/100km fuel economy (target).
  
• Petrol: 2.5L turbo-petrol 4-cylinder, 207kW, 421Nm, 8-speed auto, 0-100km/h in 8.5s, 12.5L/100km fuel economy (target).

Despite its competitive power figures, the Tasman’s torque is slightly lower than some rivals – the four-cylinder Ford Ranger BiTurbo (154kW) and Toyota HiLux (150kW) both make less power than the Tasman, though the torque figure falls below both of them, with both the Ranger and HiLux pumping out 500Nm of torque each. However, the Tasman matches them with a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg.

Suspension and Chassis:

The Tasman features double-wishbone front suspension and a live rear axle with leaf springs. It includes Kia’s Sensitive Damper Control (SDC) and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technology to reduce vibration and improve ride comfort. The four-wheel drive system can switch automatically to provide optimal traction, with modes including 2H, 4A, 4H, and 4L.

The X-Line and X-Pro variants come standard with four-wheel drive and selectable drive modes such as Eco, Smart, Sand, Mud, Snow, and Rock (X-Pro only). The X-Pro also boasts 252mm of ground clearance and rides on 17-inch gloss-black wheels with all-terrain tyres.

Interior and Practicality:

Inside, the Tasman features a rugged design with a widescreen assembly that includes a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 5.0-inch climate display, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The interior is designed for user-friendliness with features like a large folding console table, under-seat storage bins, and dual wireless charging pads.

Kia says that the Tasman offers best-in-segment headroom, shoulder room, and second-row legroom, with rear seats that recline between 22 and 30 degrees. Kids rejoice! No more sitting upright in the back of the ute. Sustainable materials are used throughout the interior, including bio-plastic trim and recycled PET carpeting.

Safety and Technology:

The Tasman will come with a range of active safety and driver assist features, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and Highway Driving Assist 2. It will also offer Remote Smart Park Assist, allowing the vehicle to be moved in and out of parking spaces using the key fob.

There is no word yet on an official safety rating, though we would expect that Kia is gunning for a full 5-star ANCAP rating locally.

Dimensions and Weights:

Tub dimensions:

Kia says the Tasman has a wading depth of 800mm at speeds of up to 7km/h.

Design and Colours:

The brand’s head of design, Karim Habib, says the Tasman’s widely spaced headlights and broad grille are intended to emphasise the pickup’s width.

“Solid and capable, its design begins with an honest form, using simple and rugged elements to capture a spirit of practicality,” he said.

“The Kia Tasman is a pick-up truck that effortlessly blends lifestyle and utility, and represents our commitment to always bring bold and innovative ideas to our customers.”

While Kia describes the Tasman’s design as having a “basic, honest form” without the oversized styling typical of many pickups, we’re not quite sure to be honest. We’ll reserve judgement for later though, with beauty always in the eye of the beholder.

A total of nine colours will be available. These are:

• Clear White
• Snow Pearl White
• Steel Grey
• Interstellar Grey
• Aurora Black Pearl
• Cityscape Green
• Runway Red
• Tan Beige
• Denim Blue

Tan Beige and Denim Blue are new to Kia.

Pricing details are yet to be announced, but the 2025 Kia Tasman is expected to be competitively priced and will be covered by Kia’s seven-year warranty and capped-price service plan.

Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto as we inch closer to the Tasman’s local launch next year.