Long-awaited 2025 Kia Tasman pickup unveiled

After months of anticipation, the 2025 Kia Tasman pickup has officially been unveiled, showcasing a design that is as polarizing as the previously teased prototypes suggested.

The Tasman made its debut simultaneously in Hobart (Tasmania) and at the Jeddah Motor Show in Saudi Arabia, with plans to hit Australian showrooms by mid-next year. While many details have been revealed, the pricing for this new competitor against the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux has yet to be announced, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

While overseas variants get the option of a manual transmission and turbo-petrol engine, Australian buyers will exclusively be offered a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder making 154kW and 441Nm – a minor performance bump over the 148kW/440Nm in the Kia Sorento fitted with the same engine.

All Australian models will be fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 10.4 seconds and a top speed of 185km/h.

The entry-level Kia Tasman will be available with either two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the Tasman X-Line and X-Pro models are exclusively all-wheel drive.

Kia has yet to officially certify fuel-consumption figures for our market, however, initial information suggests all-wheel-drive variants will provide a combined efficiency of approximately 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres.

Neither weight nor emissions figures have been released at this stage, and are expected to be confirmed along with pricing closer to launch.

The Kia Tasman is 5410mm long, 1930mm wide, and comes on a 3270mm wheelbase. The base model is 1870mm high, with the Tasman X-Line and X-Pro 1890mm and 1920mm tall respectively.

Despite the different heights, Kia has listed a wading depth of 800mm for all Tasman models.

The two-wheel-drive base Tasman has 231mm of ground clearance, which increases to 224mm for the all-wheel-drive version – a figure shared with the Tasman X-Line.

For those heading off-road, the Tasman X-Pro provides 252mm of ground clearance, while an electronic locking differential provides increased traction.

Drivers can also use X-Trek mode to maintain a slow and steady pace without driver inputs, with the Ground View Monitor delivering a live video feed from under the car.

All Tasman variants with all-wheel drive feature Sand, Mud, Snow, and Rock modes, though only the Tasman X-Pro features all-terrain tyres on 17-inch gloss-black wheels, whereas the Tasman X-Line is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels with highway tyres.

While unbraked towing figures haven't been released, the Kia Tasman can tow up to 3500kg braked – matching its competitors in this class.

Out the back, the Kia Tasman tub comes with a 240-volt domestic outlet, and measures 1512mm long, 1572mm wide – with 1186mm between the wheel arches – and 540mm deep, which Kia claims provides a best-in-class cargo capability of 1173 litres.

News.Az