The upcoming Kia Tasman looks like they took every overlander’s wish list and combined it into a single model, with options to suit any build style. There’s even an off-road package with increased ground clearance and specialized suspension.
Available in single and double cabs with standard truck beds, both cab options also come in chassis options with flat beds for commercial or deeper custom builds. Here’s what you need to know…
Kia Tasman Design
With an angular design, the Tasman’s broad stance and panels add more than style. The grill hides a big, wide radiator for more cooling under load.
The fender panels over each wheel protect the frame and have up to 6.3L of internal integrated storage.
The truck comes in two editions, the X-Pro off-road model and the X-Line, shown above. The latter gets 18″ rims and all-season tires, but keeps the look and trim panels of the X-Pro.
The Tasman keeps their “tiger” facade, with a slim vertical headlight shape and wide grill giving the truck a very bold stance up front.
The double cab model’s truck bed will be a little smaller, but still looks bigger than some competitors. Kia’s dimensions put this squarely in the mid-sized truck category. Beds will have interior lighting, powered outlets, and corner steps.
There’s also a single-cab model with a longer bed, but the Tasman seems purpose built around bigger adventures with the double-cab design.
If you really need to haul cargo, the chassis option is available in both single- and double-cabs. Total claimed payload capacity is an impressive 1195kg (2,635lbs). That means a LOT of weight allowance for building a very capable rig.
Tasman X-Pro Offroad model & options
The Tasman X-Pro offroad build has 252mm (9.92″) ground clearance, 28mm (1.1″) taller than the X-Line. It sits on 17″ rims and all-terrain tires.
Both trim levels have orange towing hooks, but the X-Pro gets an upgraded suspension…details of which aren’t announced yet.
Low profile roof rails and standard mounting points along the bed’s inner perimeter mean easy additions, and Kia has some options already planned:
The Double Deck rear storage box is the most interesting, offering an enclosed upper level that sits over the bed, creating more secure storage and a deeper roofline for mounting full-size rooftop tents.
Not shown, there’s also a sports bar version that adds cross bars over the bed, and a full deck topper for a full-length truck bed shell (both are shown in the debut video below).
It has a 3270mm wheelbase, but no word on approach and departure angles. The rear end does stick quite a ways out from the wheel, and the optional hitch sits pretty low, but the front end is very short.
They’ll offer two engine options, the 4-cylinder 2.5L Theta 3 turbo gasoline engine (281ps, 421Nm torque) and a new 4-cylinder 2.2L turbo diesel (210ps, 441Nm torque), both with enhanced cooling techonologies. Kia says both will offer “competitive” fuel economy.
AWD system distributes power evenly to all wheels, and the X-Pro comes standard with an electronic locking differential and a low-speed “crawl” mode. There’s also a ground-view monitor and add’l interior screen displays with more off-road data, plus a “desert sand” mode, specifically designed with the Middle East markets in mind.
Interior details
The interior is a mix of modern technology and mechanical design, with a decent amount of physical buttons and switches for a more tactile experience.
The center panel has a nice folding panel that doubles as a small desk.
Second row slide and recline seats also claim to have best-in-class legroom.
Underneath is a huge 33L storage area.
Kia Tasman Videos
Teaser/promo videos above and below…
…and here’s the full debut video:
More vehicle test videos showing off desert driving, water wading, and more off-road action here.
Market availability
The Tasman will be manufactured in South Korea and will launch in Kia’s key markets of Australia, the Middle East, South Korea, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
Sadly, the Tasman will not be headed to North America anytime soon. It’ll have the ability to perform over-the-air system updates for the vehicle and its electronics through a smartphone app in some markets, with plans to roll that out globally eventually.
Looks pretty cool, i am not sure about those weird looking black straight fenders, the rest looks very cool.
Love this machine. Wish to own one someday. Am in Africa, Ghana