Kia enters pick-up truck segment with Tasman introduction

Kia has officially launched the Tasman, which will set the benchmark for the Korean automaker’s future pick-up truck line.

Leveraging on more than five decades of developing special-purpose vehicles, Kia said that the latest offering merges “class-leading convenience features and an ultra-spacious, comfortable cabin” to meet the demands for both work and leisure activities — allowing drivers to explore new horizons.

“Kia’s first-ever pickup truck was created from the ground up to transform the market and respond to the growing preference for lifestyle-oriented trucks with advanced features,” Kia President and Chief Executive Officer Ho Sung Song said.

“The Kia Tasman is a progressive pickup truck that follows its own path – not the competition. The Kia Tasman combines true pickup values with exceptional capability and practicality, and advanced features that defy conventional thinking. This essence is instilled in our global slogan ‘Dive into a New Dimension’, enabling customers to broaden their horizons. It offers world-first solutions for those seeking a lifestyle vehicle for leisure and outdoor activities while meeting the needs of small business operators, such as traders and farmers.”

Specifications

Dimensions

The Kia Tasman measures 5,410 millimeters (mm) long, 1,930 mm wide and 1,870-1,920 mm tall with a 3,270 mm-wheelbase and up to 252-mm ground clearance (depending on the trim)

Its tank can carry as much as 80 liters of fuel.

Exterior

Per Kia, the Tasman’s look strips away the unnecessary — incorporating simple yet functional elements, without relying on the oversized styling.

"Created especially for explorers, adventurers and people who like to get things done, the Kia Tasman is designed to serve as a dependable companion in every situation,” Kia Global Design Head Karim Habib explained.

“Solid and capable, its design begins with an honest form, using simple and rugged elements to capture a spirit of practicality. The Kia Tasman is a pickup truck that effortlessly blends lifestyle and utility and represents our commitment to always bring bold and innovative ideas to our customers.”

Its front fascia sports the brand’s Tiger Face signature as expressed in the hood trim and grille frame flanked by its vertically-oriented headlamps complemented by the huge radiator grille and bumper.

Its overall boxy look complements the upright windshield and rear glass, and unique fender design where the headlights are housed.

Meanwhile, the Kia Tasman’s hind has a high-mount stop lamp, tailgate that wears a bold company logo, C-shaped tail lamps, and bumper with center and corner steps for easy ingress and egress.

Further, the vehicle either rides on 17-inch gloss-black or 18-inch alloy wheels.

There will be nine body colors that will become available for the Kia Tasman: Clear White, Snow Pearl White, Steel Gray, Interstellar Gray, Cityscape Green, Runway Red, Aurora Black Pearl and new hues Tan Beige and Denim Blue.

Interior

The Kia Tasman’s rugged cabin features concise, symmetrical proportions to create a stable, balanced appearance.

It is outfitted with a huge squarish multi-function steering wheel, panoramic widescreen display (which connects the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Other notable components of the vehicle’s interior include honeycomb-patterned portion on the dashboard, carefully-positioned buttons, a crash pad made from bioplastics, seats covered in with recycled PET fabric and bio-PU synthetic leather, a paint composition that includes BTX-free and bio-paint, and an interior carpet that is also made from recycled PET material.

Further, the Kia Tasman also has a large folding console table, dual wireless charging pads and hidden storage bins concealed beneath the rear seats offering class-leading storage capacity of 33 liters.

The Kia Tasman also boasts best-in-segment headroom, shoulder room and second-row legroom of 940mm, with the rear seats able to recline between 22 and 30 degrees, ensuring a spacious and comfortable environment.

The Kia Tasman’s interior trim can be had in any of the five colorways: Onyx Black/Medium Gray, Espresso Brown/Onyx Black, and Deep Green/Medium Gray. When selecting the more off-road focused X-Line and X-Pro models, customers have the choice of between two-tone color options, including Onyx Black/Medium Gray and Deep Green/Terracotta Brown.

Drivetrain

The Kia Tasman is offered in various engine options — either gasoline- or diesel-fed.

In its home country, the pick-up truck will come in a 2.5-liter gasoline engine mated to an eight-speed transmission. The said set-up allows the Korean-spec Kia Tasman to gallop zero to 100 kilometers per hour (kph) in less than nine seconds and reach a peak speed of 185 kph.

For the Australian market, the Kia Tasman will be available in 2.2-liter diesel mill matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission that propels the vehicle to reach 100 kph from rest in 10.4 seconds.

For the Middle East and Africa markets, both options will be offered with either an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearboxes (depending on market).

Features

The Kia Tasman is not short on technologies as it also equipped safety, security, and driver-assistive modern amenities.

Among these are the following:

• Sensitive Damper Control (SDC) and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technology
• Lane keep assist
• Blind spot collision warning
• Remote parking assist through Highway Driving Assist 2 with trailer profile functionality
• Ground view monitor
• Electronic locking differential
• X-trek mode

Roundup

Below are the Kia Tasman’s trims and their respective specifications:

Kia Tasman Specifications
Kia Tasman variants	X-Pro		X-Line			Standard
Overall length	5,410 mm
Width	1,930 mm
Height (including roof rack)	1,920mm		1,890mm			1,870mm
Wheelbase	3,270 mm
Ground clearance
2WD	X		X			231
4WD	252		224			224
Engine type		Engine	Power	Torque	Transmission			0-100 kph/ Max speed
					6MT		8AT
	Gasoline Theta 3	G4KIII FR 2.5 Turbocharged GDI	277 hp	421 Nm	–		A8TR1-1	8.5 s/185 kph
	Diesel New R	D4HIII FR 2.2	207 hp	441 Nm	M6VR2		A8TR1-1	10.4 s/185 kph
Fuel efficiency	Gasoline Theta 3 (4WD) : 8kpl Diesel New R (4WD) : 13.2kpl
Fuel tank capacity (in liters)	80 L
Tire	17"AT		18"HT			17~18"HT
Specialized features	Trailer brake controller (TBC), DBC/X-trek mode, eLD, 4wd mode switch (2H/4A/4H,4L)
Specialized control	X-Trek (Low speed driving assist)		Downhill Brake Contro)			Downhill Brake Control
Terrain mode	+Rock mode		Snow/Mud/Sand(Desert)			Snow/Mud/Sand(Desert)
Wading performance	800 mm, under 7 kph
Towing capacity	3,500 kg
Load capacity	1,173 L (VDA)
Payload capacity	1,017kg ~ 1,195 kg
Convenience features	Panoramic Wide Display (12.3"+5"12.3") SVM, SBW, Harman Kardon premium sound, center console table, side storage (6.3L), 2nd row seat storage (33L), 2nd row slouch & slide seat
Bed convenience	220-volt outlet, Bed lamp, Corner step, Side storage (6.3L)
ADAS features	Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Blind Collision Warning
Other convenience functions	HDA2/1, Ground view monitor, Digital Key 2.0

The Kia Tasman will be launched in the Korean market during the first half of 2025 before subsequently being introduced in Australia, Africa and the Middle East, with Saudia Arabia expected to be a particularly strong market.

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