2025 Kia Tasman Unveiled As Brand’s First-Ever Pick-Up Truck

The all-new Kia Tasman breaks cover as the brand’s first-ever pick-up truck with both petrol and diesel options.

This is it. Following a year-long teaser campaign, Kia has finally unveiled its first-ever pick-up truck to the world, cordially known as the Kia Tasman. Unlike its cousin, the Tucson-based Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Tasman stood as a more proper pick-up truck that underpins a ladder-frame chassis with a solid rear axle.

From the spec sheets, you can clearly see that the Tasman is set to disrupt the burgeoning midsize pick-up truck segment, which is currently dominated by a slew of Japanese-named brands, as well as a lone entry from the Blue Oval marque.

For starters, the Tasman is available in both single- and double-cab configurations, as well as a customisable chassis cab, providing flexibility for private owners and businesses alike. Measuring 5,410 MM long, 1,930 MM wide, 1,890–1,920 MM tall, and a wheelbase of 3,270 MM, the Tasman measures slightly bigger than its aforementioned midsize pick-up truck rivals, which also allows it to have a segment-leading flatbed of 1,173 litres for the double-cab model.

Design-wise, it is easy to tout the Tasman as the most radical and futuristic-looking midsize pick-up truck out there, thanks to Kia’s unconventional design. Just like the radical EV9 SUV, the Tasman comes with bold and boxy overall proportions, featuring vertically-stacked LED headlights, chiselled flared-out fenders, as well as a pair of squared-off LED taillights that flank its Kia-embossed tailgate.

And coincidentally, the EV9 resemblance comes as no surprise, as the Tasman is penned by Kia Global Design boss Karim Habib—the same brain behind Kia’s radical flagship EV SUV model.

On top of its radical design, the Tasman also boasts a pretty promising payload of over 1,000 KG, a towing capacity of up to 3,500 KG, and a decent wading depth of 800 MM—the latter thanks to its high air intake position, which is placed inside the front fender instead of the grille. For better water ingress prevention, Kia has also equipped the Tasman with several waterproof connectors in some of the interior parts.

As for its powertrain, the all-new Tasman is offered with both petrol and diesel options, with the former coming in the form of Kia’s 2.5-litre 4-cyl SmartStream Theta turbocharged engine rated at 281 PS and 421 NM, which has also been used on the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Said turbopetrol mill is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox that allows the Tasman for a decent 0-100 KM/H time of 8.5 seconds and 185 KM/H V-Max, although the fuel economy rate reads rather poorly at 8.0 KM per litre (KM/L).

The diesel option, on the other hand, comes in the form of a new 2.2-litre 4-cyl SmartStream turbodiesel R mill rated at 210 PS and 441 NM, which can be mated to either an 8-speed auto or a six-speed manual. While its century sprint time reads slower at 10.4 seconds, drivers will find the turbodiesel’s torquier output and decent fuel economy rate of 13.2 KM/L to be more suitable for such a workhorse.

Regardless of your engine choices, the Tasman is available in both 4WD and 2WD drivetrain options, with the latter offered in base models. The former, on the other hand, comes with a slew of selectable terrain modes such as Sand, Snow, Mud, and Rock, with the top-spec X-Pro variant getting an additional Electronic Locking Differential (e-LD) and an X-Trek mode for tougher terrains.

Besides multiple driving modes, the Tasman is also equipped with some techy gizmos for its double-wishbone front and leaf spring rear damper setup, as they are equipped with frequency-sensitive dampers and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technology to improve both comfort and control on rough terrain.

The tech-laden theme continues as we get inside the Tasman, as the cabin is brimmed with tech and comfort amenities that all helped to improve life inside this rugged truck. Key highlights include a triple-screen digital cockpit comprising two 12.3-inch screens and a small 5-inch display for the climate control, plush fabric or synthetic leather upholstery options made from recycled and eco-friendly materials, an optional 8-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, as well as tons of cubbies and secret storage compartments including one under the rear seat.

The all-new Kia Tasman is slated to make its home market debut later in early 2025, followed by other key international markets such as Australia, the Middle East, and Africa in the near future. As of now, there is no news on whether this bold pick-up truck will make its way into the ASEAN regional market, which is quite baffling given the huge popularity of midsize pick-up trucks in markets such as ours and Thailand.