Kia releases pricing details for Tasman ute range

Kia Australia’s new Tasman Dual Cab Pick-Up range will start from a competitive $42,990 (MRLP) for the entry-level S 4x2 trim, topping out at $74,990 (MRLP) for the upmarket X-Pro 4x4 flagship with enhanced off-road performance characteristics.

Set to launch in July, Kia’s much-vaunted new ute will be available in five trimlines – S, SX, SX+, X-Line, and X-Pro, across 4x2 and 4x4 layouts – with pricing designed to challenge rivals including the segment-leading Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

Initially available only in Dual Cab Pick-Up, the Tasman range will be expanded with the addition of a Dual Cab Chassis in August, followed by a Single Cab Chassis in late 2025. The Single Cab Chassis will be offered in either S 4x2, S 4x4, or SX 4x4, while the Dual Cab Chassis can be chosen as either S 4x4 or SX 4x4.

Pricing for these later arriving variants has not yet been announced but at $42,990 (MRLP) the entry-level Tasman S 4x2 Dual Cab Pick-Up just undercuts its rival the Ford Ranger Double Cab Pick-Up ($43,280).

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Tasman range the Tasman X-Pro 4x4 Dual Cab Pick-Up at $74,990 (MRLP) is slightly more expensive than a Ford Ranger Wildtrak Double Cab Pick-Up ($74,840), but several thousand more than the equivalent Toyota HiLux Rogue ($71,430) and Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain ($70,500).

That sort of pricing might be seen as ambitious, given Kia has no track record in the ute segment, but the Korean car maker is backing the Tasman’s generous equipment list including its hi-tech interior to give it the showroom cred to go head-to-head with the big boys, rather than targeting cheaper rivals.

Kia Australia Chief Executive Officer Damien Meredith said: “We are confident the input from Kia Australia at each stage of (the Tasman’s) development, along with its competitive value and versatility, will make it a very strong contender in the local market.”

Kia’s interest in the segment is fuelled by a rampant ute market that last year was worth a combined 239,830 sales, including 4x2, 4x4 and the big American pickups priced over $100k.

The three best-selling vehicles in the country in 2024 were all utes, led by the Ford Ranger (63,356 sales), followed by the Toyota Hilux (61,111), and the Isuzu Ute D-Max (31,202).

Based on an all-new ladder chassis platform, the Tasman is available with a single 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel powertrain across the range, a strategy that gives Kia an advantage versus rival entry-level offerings, but puts the upmarket Tasman X-Pro 4x4 at a relative disadvantage in the cubic capacity stakes.

Ford offers a smaller 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder across most of its Ranger lineup but equips the Tasman X-Pro rivalling Wildtrak with a muscular 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel, while Toyota’s HiLux Rogue gets a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel enhanced with mild-hybrid technology, and Isuzu’s D-Max X-Terrain gets a gutsy 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

In addition to boasting the same 154kW/441Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel across the range, where rivals typically offer smaller and less powerful engines on entry level variants, all five Tasman variants get an eight-speed automatic transmission.

By comparison, the equivalent Isuzu and Toyota rivals come with six-speed units, while the Ford Ranger offers more cogs with its 10-speed ’box.

All Tasmans will be available with payload ratings exceeding 1,000kg, with the heaviest and best equipped X-Pro 4x4 capable of carrying 1,013kg, while the S 4x2 Single Cab Chassis offers the maximum payload capability of 1,124kg.

All Dual Cab Pick-Up variants are also available with a reduced payload option aimed specifically at meeting the criteria for novated leases, which often require a payload of under 1,000kg.

Aside from those vehicles intended for novated leasing, all Tasman payload ratings exceed 1,000kg based on a gross vehicle mass (GVM) rating of 3,250kg across all variants, contributing to a gross combination mass (GCM) rating of 6,200kg.

The GCM figure is based on a braked tow rating of 3,500kg, which matches the industry benchmark for light commercial utes, while unbraked towing is also set to the industry standard of 750kg.

Kia says an Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (ITBC) is fitted as standard to the Tasman, enabling electronic trailer brakes to be calibrated for optimal stability.

The ITBC integrates with Towing Mode (TBC), allowing the driver to set up specific towed loads and optimise other towing related functions including Trailer Sway Control.

Kia claims the Tasman Dual Cab Pick-Up also sets a new benchmark for tub size, with the ability to fit an Australian pallet within the tub along with an overall capacity of 1,173 litres (VDA).

There’s good storage on offer inside as well, with Dual Cab variants boasting 45 litres of storage under the second-row seat base. The second-row seat also offers a slide and recline function for improved passenger comfort, a feature Kia claims is a segment-first.

Also claimed as a segment first is a folding console table on X-Line and X-Pro models, where the centre console lid folds out to form a table. The X-Line and X-Pro models also get dual wireless smartphone charging capability, enabling the charging of two phones at once.

Elsewhere inside, all Tasmans feature Kia’s latest integrated panoramic display, comprising a 12.3-inch driver display, 5.0-inch climate control, and 12.3-inch multimedia display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is Kia Connect with remote control functions and Over-The-Air (OTA) update capability.

There are eight exterior colours across the line-up, with three two-tone interior trim varieties.

Tasman S and SX models feature cloth trim, while SX+ steps up to a combination of cloth and artificial leather, and the X-Line and X-Pro grades get artificial leather throughout.

Pre-orders for the Kia Tasman are now open ahead of the arrival of the first Dual Cab Pick-Up variants into Kia dealerships in July.

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