The very first thing anyone mentions when it comes to the Kia Tasman is its looks. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, Kia made - to put it mildly - a polarising series of decisions when it came to designing its first ever dual cab one tonne ute and would have been perfectly aware that it was opening a can of worms, in a styling sense that is.
But it was also perfectly aware that it had to get everything underneath those polarising looks exactly right, as you only get one shot at the massively competitive ute market.
And after driving the Tasman both off road at the launch and now spending a week in it on the road I have to say that they have pretty much nailed that. To the degree that I would have no hesitation in saying that the Tasman is currently the best double cab one tonne diesel-powered ute you can currently buy new in New Zealand.
And even if you forget the looks for a moment - hard, I know - and look at the engine specs, that seems a hard call to justify. After all, with 154kW and 440Nm on offer, the Tasman doesn’t blow the competition away - in fact it lags slightly behind the two best-sellers: Ford’s 2.0-litre biturbo in the Ranger pumps out 157kW/500Nm, while the Hilux packs 150kW/500Nm.
But the diesel engine in the Tasman is so much better at giving you access to those figures that you barely notice the slight torque deficit, while it is so incredibly smooth and refined - while also being so much more flexible - that it genuinely feels more powerful that the Big Two, and more closer aligned with the new breed of petrol PHEVs in terms of refined, effortless power delivery.
Driving the Tasman is utterly effortless, eclipsing even the leader of the current ute pack (that’s the Ranger/Amarok twins) in that regard, with Kia’s first ute giving off seriously refined SUV vibes.
And the same goes for interior quality, with the Tasman matching (and even bettering in a few areas) the BYD Shark 6 for quality and refinement, which also makes it light years ahead of the rest of the ute pack.
Does a ute need a high quality interior though? I mean, some would go so far to say that a fancy interior is a negative thing in what is supposed to be a workhorse. But I would counter that this view is abject nonsense. If a ute has a well-built interior that stands up to whatever gets thrown at it, then who says it can’t also be comfortable, or even luxurious?
Where it counts, the Tasman is deeply impressive in terms of its functionality, ease of use and sheer ability off the road.
The Tasman’s interior feels incredibly well bolted together, with big, chunky controls (easy for operating with gloves on!) and a logical, ergonomic layout that just works well.
There are a few glitches inside though, with the switch for the smart X-Trek crawl mode being way too easy to toggle off when you are trying to change the speed, while the clever camera system that gives you a view under the car is badly compromised by the long, slim screen that means you only get a relatively small view of things.
Still, first world problems, right? Where it counts, the Tasman is deeply impressive in terms of its functionality, ease of use and sheer ability off the road.
But what about on it? While it is truly excellent here, there are a couple of areas that show up Kia’s lack of experience in the ladder chassis arena. While ride comfort is excellent, there is a slight underlying edge of brittleness that comes through on coarse surfaces, which doesn’t exactly ruin things, but it does remind you that you are in something that can carry more than 1000kg in its tray or haul 3500kg on a trailer.
The Tasman’s steering is nicely light, but almost entirely devoid of feel, while it also backs up its ‘big SUV’ feel by cornering like one when you push it, with a lot of leaning on the outside front tyre going on when you start getting frisky. These are small things that are made more noticeable by just how good the Tasman is in every other area, but none should be deal-breakers.
The Tasman’s biggest sin isn’t that it is ‘ugly’, rather that it isn’t conventional.
What will be a deal-breaker for some then is those looks. And let me just say right here that, yes, I do like the way the Tasman looks. While it definitely comes across better in the metal than in photos, the big, chunky Tonka truck looks suit it perfectly.
No, it’s not pretty, but then a ‘pretty’ ute would be a dismal failure, because thoughtful, sensitive curves and delicate, graceful feature lines that look so good on the world’s most beautiful sports cars would simply be ridiculous on a ute. Just ask Mazda.
The Tasman’s biggest sin isn’t that it is ‘ugly’, rather that it isn’t conventional. It doesn’t conform to the extremely conservative standards of a segment that is deeply set in its ways, even if those ways are antiquated.
I suppose that is a large part of why I like the Tasman’s looks so much - it is a nonconformist, an outsider. And like that weird kid who always wore a Ramones T-Shirt to school, it doesn’t care what you think about that either.
How much is the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD?
The X-Pro 4WD tops the current Tasman diesel range at $79,690, which puts it absolutely smack up against the closet equivalent Ford Ranger, the 2.0-litre biturbo Wildtrak at $76,990. The Tasman range kicks off at $52,690 for the TX 4WD, while 2WD models are on their way shortly.
What are the key statistics for the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD?
All Tasman models (so far) are powered by the same 154kW/440Nm four-cylinder turbo diesel engine hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission driving through a full-time AWD system with low range.
Is the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD efficient?
It's about as efficient as you can expect for a diesel double cab one tonne ute, in that Kia claims a combined fuel consumption of 9.3l/100km for the X-Pro, which it will happily do providing you do a decent amount of open road running.
Is the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD good to drive?
With its smooth and flexible diesel engine and superb cabin, the Tasman is - by and large - an impressive and comfortable thing to cruise around in, either on or off the road. The steering's lack of feel and slightly over-assisted nature dulls the edge on a winding road, while the ride has a slghtly brittle edge that comes through when the tray is unladen. Not awful, but could be better.
Is the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD practical?
The Tasman is probably the most practical ute on the market today, with al the obvious ute paracticalities along with some clever and useful additions like the centre console lid that folds out to form a small table, the small but very useful storage box in the driver's side rear wheel arch, the external three-pin plug in the tray and the moulded step in the rear bumper.
What do we like about the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD?
Superb quality mixed with supreme capability makes the Tasman utterly convincing off the road, while the slick, refined and powerful drivetrain is a delight. And, yes, we love the looks too!
What don’t we like about the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD?
The slightly brittle ride and numb steering take the shine off a bit on-road, while the poorly laid out X-Trek switch that is WAY to easy to turn off when you are trying to adjust the speed does the same off-road.
What kind of person would the Kia Tasman X-Pro 4WD suit?
Anyone who wants the best double cab one tonne diesel ute you can currently buy in New Zealand, simple as that. Also, someone who likes - or really doesn't care about - the looks, obviously, because if you can't get with the looks then it won't matter that it is the best one.
