After months of teasers, Kia has unveiled its first C-segment pickup truck called the Tasman. The pickup will first arrive on the Korean market in H1 2025, with Australia, the Middle East, and Africa to follow later. Kia's first pickup has a 'purposeful design' and 'ultra-spacious, comfortable cabin' with 'class-leading convenience features', along with two powertrain options under the hood.
Speaking of, the Tasman gets a 2.5-litre petrol and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine. The former produces 277bhp and 421Nm of peak torque, while the latter develops 207bhp and 441Nm. Power is transmitted through either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox, depending on the market. In terms of performance, the petrol-powered Tasman can reach 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, while the diesel model does the same in 10.4 seconds. The top speed for both versions is marked at 185km/h.
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Kia Tasman: Suspension, Drive Modes
The Kia Tasman comes in two body styles (single and double cab) and three variants (Baseline, X-Line, and X-Pro). While the all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is an option with the base model, it is standard with the other two variants. With AWD comes three drive modes – Eco, Smart and Sport – and terrain modes (Desert, Mud, Snow, and Rock). The off-road-oriented X-Pro additionally gets a Rock terrain mode, in addition to automatically engaging rear Electronic Locking Differential (e-LD) and X-Trek mode. At the front, the Tasman uses a double-wishbone suspension, which Kia opted for to 'improve ride and handling in all conditions'. Suspension at the rear is taken care of by a rigid axle with leaf springs.
Kia Tasman: Exterior
Outside, the Tasman features black cladding-integrated vertically stacked headlamps, which incorporate C-shaped DRLs. There is also a massive radiator grille, along with an upright front bumper. The rear has C-shaped taillamps with a debossed Kia logo in the centre. Size-wise, the pickup measures 5,410mm long and has a 3,270mm-long wheelbase. On offer are four cargo bed configurations: Single Decker, Double Decker, Sports Bar, and Ladder Rack. Kia says the pickup can carry a maximum payload of 1,195kg in 2WD mode, in addition to a 3,500kg towing capacity.
Kia Tasman: Interior
Inside, the Tasman comes with a triple-screen setup consisting of a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 5.0-inch display in the centre. Kia also offers a few toggle buttons and switches for media controls and other settings. The pickup also gets large air vents (with a honeycomb pattern), a folding console table, dual wireless charging pads, and an 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Also, it promises 'best-in-segment' headroom, shoulder room, and second-row legroom as well as reclinable rear seats between 22 and 30 degrees. For safety, the vehicle benefits from an ADAS suite, which includes features like lane keep assist, blind spot collision warning, and remote parking.
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The Kia Tasman sits on the body-on-frame architecture, against Hyundai's unibody construction like the Kona and the Santa Cruz. The mid-size pickup will go against the Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and the Isuzu D-Max.
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