Kia Tasman: Looks can be deceiving

What is it?

The Tasman ran into some rough waters when the first Kia pick-up broke cover 18 months ago, with some folk reckoning it had gone too far with its out-there looks.

The maker was the first to admit it was designed ‘to push the boundaries of what a pick-up can deliver’ — and it’s hard to argue with that.

How about steps at the two rear corners of the tub, a load bed equipped with illuminated 240-volt power outlet, sliding cargo floor and class-leading 1173 litres of space, enough to take a standard Aussie pallet?

What’s it cost?

With five spec levels – S, SX, SX+, X-Line and X-Pro – Tasman is in solid company, squaring off with best-selling main rivals, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton.

Sitting between the SX+ and the flagship X-Pro, the X-Line, the vehicle on test, combines a classy cabin with off-road mod cons.

Cost is $67,990, plus on-roads.

The Kia design team turned their back on the traditional monster pick-up pattern, preferring to strip away the oversized styling that had come to dominate the segment.

The Tasman is meant to serve as a dependable companion in every situation, says Karin Habib, executive vice-president of Kia Global Design.

Kia opines: ‘An expansive radiator grille and bumper emphasise the width, while the hood trim and grille frame the familiar (brand) Tiger Face.

The upright windscreen and rear glass contribute to the Tasman visually reinforces its highly practical nature.

The tailgate showcases a bold stamped logo.’ Sound familiar?

The X-Line is finished off with 18-inch alloy wheels shod with combination highway/all-terrain tyres.

All Tasmans include Kia’s latest panorama display comprising a 12.3-inch driver instrument display, 5.0-inch climate control screen and 12.3-inch multi-media display, along with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Kia Connect with intelligent remote control, plus in-car services and Over-The-Air updates.

X-Line also is equipped with a twin wireless smartphone charging pad.

A quality six-speaker sound system is standard across the board but for a price can be substituted by a premium, eight-speaker Harman Kardon unit.

Tasman is built to ensure occupants are protected by the latest technology no matter what the driving conditions throw up on- or off-road.

The vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems include features such as lane keeping assist, blind spot collision warning and remote parking assist via Highway Driving Assist 2 enabling a trailer spec to be incorporated into the vehicle’s ADAS, automatically optimising driving characteristics to match.

Passive safety includes driver and front passenger airbags, front side airbags, centre side airbag and curtain airbags for first and second rows.

What’s it go like?

There’s more. ‘Just as the Tasman’s exterior aesthetic breaks free from conventional thinking, the pick-up’s cabin introduces a bold new dimension of design quality for customers.

The robust, rugged space is in keeping with the character of a pick-up truck, creating a stable, balanced appearance.’

The Dual Cab sets the standard for storage, with up to 45 litres of space under the second-row seat base out of the way of prying eyes.

Also in situ is a slide-and-recline feature in which the cushion slides forward and the seat back reclines between 22 and 30 degrees.

Together with class-leading head, shoulder and 940mm of legroom, it all adds up to the provision of a comfy and relaxing travel experience.

The centre console lid folds out to act as a table for eating or working.

Like all Kias, Tasman carries the maker’s 10 must-have sustainability items such as a dashboard made from bio-plastics, seats crafted with recycled PET fabric and bio-PU synthetic leather, paint that includes BTX-free and bio-paint , plus carpet made from recycled PET material.

For the Australian market, the Tasman gets a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine, developing 154kW of power at 3800 rpm and peak torque of 440Nm between 1750 and 2750 rpm, hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Kia claims combined urban/highway fuel consumption for the X-Line of 7.8L/100km.

Our test vehicle averaged 10.1L/100km over a week’s work, while the tester came up with a best figure of 5.4L/100km on a motorway run.

A high standard of engine protections, sees the air intake located inside the vehicle’s fender, enabling it to safely work in water up to 800mm deep up to 7km/h.

With claims of acceleration from standstill to 100km/h in 10.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 185km/h, the Tasman X-Line has few pretensions of smoking the bitumen at any time.

And just 440Nm of torque has the pick-up making average way, which sags even more under a load, attacking seep inclines or when towing.

That said, the power on offer is delivered smoothly and paddle shifts help in control here.

Lane-keep and speed limit alerts are relentless and driver attention monitoring is easy to ignore after time.

The X-Line is equipped with all-wheel drive, which switches between driving modes – Eco, Smart and Sport – automatically.

A Ground View monitor keeps an eye on the going at ground level via a camera and the infotainment screen.

Development included testing in snowbound Sweden, steep inclines of the United States and the scorching deserts of the Aussie outback.

A step up to the X-Pro brings in a Rock mode for taking on mountainous terrain.

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In Australia this is extended to Sand, Mud, Snow and Rock.

A large exterior rear view mirror (tick) on the test car A-pillar presented an ugly blind spot (cross) for the driver.

Features such as improved sound-deadening materials, additional wind-sealing strips and advanced noise extractor technology provide a quiet vibration-free cabin unmatched in the pick-up truck segment.