2026 Kia Tasman revealed: EVERYTHING you need to know!

[@DeanSeketin]

Damn those lines……. Straight out of 1952 Soviet era

[@alxdava2004]

Those are really classic. These are just weird

[@martinhuntley5342]

😂

[@garryrichardson4572]

If you squint you can probably see they were trying for a Jeep Wrangler or land cruiser 70 type of vibe with Korean expressions 😂. Edit. Further looking at the plastic inserts on top of the bonnet looks like a hummer 3 sort of feel.

[@tinyadventuresoffroad]

Or an American WW2 military truck

[@Andrew-ch1fj]

"Looks are polarising" is a very nice way of saying " the thing is ugly as a mud fence jeweled with hop-toads"

[@AdrianPhilipMiciano]

thought so too

[@jack.ws_5415]

Mahindra and Jeep Gladiator had a baby🤣🤣

[@CACressida]

Thank you Kia for not planning this product for the USA. Our eyes are still bleeding from the Cybertruck sightings, and that's more than enough torture.

[@pwrrpw319]

Oh the irony !!!!, we here in Aus have been spared the Cyber Urinal so far!, and yet we are set to have this thing inflicted on us !, what did we do to deserve this ?.

[@Garbo4973]

It's great that the employ blind people, but maybe they shouldn't have them in the design department.

[@PlumbBob-FGX]

At least they can easily identify it against all the others on the market.

[@IanWinch]

Looks like a housebrick with wheels

[@hi9580]

As it should be

[@billybob1511]

Same as Ford Ranger?

[@chrishepple7238]

Most good 4wbys do

[@antoniomachado6420]

😂😂😂

[@aarronhanson6248]

Agree so damn ugly.

[@PaddyBoy644]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!! Kia poach head designer from SsangYong.

[@Peter_Monti]

You win best comment 😂😂😂. The check is in the mail. The designer lied on his job application for sure. 😅

[@bukaneja]

😂😂

[@A8shhsjw]

Hahahahahaha

[@Nahbuts]

I see Mahindra mixed with gonhere

[@Nahbuts]

It looks like a Mahindra mixed with gonorrhoea

[@orangejuicepony6881]

The Homer. Hilux is safe.

[@Fireblaze1230]

lol 😂😂

[@JBrezicPhotography]

The 70 series looks like a super model next to this thing 😆

[@WilliamBlinky]

Now THIS really did have me chuckling away to myself. Well done!!

[@anderson2718]

Nah the 70 series is actually aight this is something else, a whole new level of weird 💀

[@MaxDJsWorkshop]

When I was a kid I was always told that "if you have nothing good to say about a topic, then say nothing." I have nothing else to say.

[@Peter_T123]

What a shame 😮 Makes the new Triton look attractive

[@mustafahasan8384]

I think the kia tasman is way bigger than the triton

[@Peter_Monti]

Lol 😂 true it's an ugly thing

[@bull5hits]

You beat me to say that... what an eye sore... move over triton, you're no longer the ugly step sister

[@Tobycentresydney]

hahah which is incredible coz that isn't attractive either but tolerable next to the Tasman, you're right.

[@ChristopherJGallagher]

I like both. Very strong design, reminds me of a military vehicle. Bit Russian looking. Cool truck compared to the old Hilux and Ranger never mind the Navarra.

[@dalemcmartin9201]

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have to say in my eyes it’s absolutely hideous. And KIA stopped producing the Stinger, what for, this? What a disaster.

[@mitchell5064]

stinger was the only thing worth buying from kia hyundai

[@bukaneja]

Who design this and say, that is cool design

[@imopn]

I don't mind the design but man the engine. Really needed a big straight 6 Diesel to get me interested. That little engine is more for offroading at McD drivethrough or fleets

[@WilliamBlinky]

Yep! So many Utes coming out miss a trick when it comes to the donk. A V6 turbo diesel with decent power & reasonable economy and IMO, they're in with a good chance.

[@MrKainlucas]

Kia, that is an aesthetic crime against humanity. Please, take it away and never bring it back.

[@oliver_mendi]

congrats on 500k subs!!!

[@michaelvlcek1766]

Wow that looks like total crap. What a disappointment. I've been a big fan of Kia's design language in recent generation. This just bad.

[@mahcooharper9577]

I'm a big Kia booster but the appearance is... challenging... Still, you'd look less silly in this than a Cybertruck

[@mixalis6168]

Na. look silly in both !

[@lukewarm2075]

@@mahcooharper9577 might get further off road in the Elon truck

[@onetwothreefour-s1n]

That's fair

[@firecrakka]

Keen to see the optional guards because those wheel arches are horrid.

[@Tobycentresydney]

either one you hop into you'd look like an idiot.

[@MecTecher]

They should’ve spent some of that excess marketing budget on some designers

[@FuManchu5ltr]

There’s no way anyone is going to take this thing seriously. Until the 4WD24/7 crew take this somewhere for a solid thrashing, it won’t make it.

[@The_Stylus_]

Fr @4WD24/7

[@lukewarm2075]

@@FuManchu5ltr it won't make it out of the driveway or off-road

[@jack.ws_5415]

Depends on pricing tbh, we all said the same thing about GWM and LDV utes but some suckers still bought those🤣🤣

[@dalesmith4985]

it's a 4 cylinder ute....not really meant for hardcore 4wheeling, it will have AWD but probably less capable than a 2008 rav4 lol

[@kingwillbisthebest]

They won't sell many as it's so incredibly ugly but the good news is, when it's heavily discounted you can afford to buy one and a massive bull bar to hide the nose.

[@robmaz65]

I’d have a Triton over this over styled Tonka truck.

[@Sean-pb5cn]

wdym this is a way under styled lego truck lol Triton is way more over styled.

[@MrBigad77]

That’s got to be one of the ugliest automobiles ever produced

[@mark7620]

Giving ssangyong a run for its money. A real shame given their other models have looked pretty bloody good the last few years.

[@agoaley]

Gives a Pontiac Aztek a run for the money.

[@daweigo6851]

Oh I like it ha ha

[@kiraniumbra]

Makes the outgoing Mahindra Pikup look like a Maserati

[@MaddogJoe100]

Doesn't look any uglier than a BYD shark.😂

[@mattyb1624]

🤮🤮🤮 I was looking forward to seeing the KIA Ute, hoping it would look like their nice big SUVs... but nope

[@tbillington]

Same, I like their design language on the new cars, but this is a shocker.

[@mattyb1624]

@tbillington surely it's just a p8blicity stunt, then they'll release the nice one

[@Mike-xh2gm]

I was thinking of a sub-variant name in the range. . . "Beluga". . . . can't wait to see examples in my local showroom.

[@wosamosman9814]

Thinking more of Hump maybe 😂.

[@hardy9429]

the depreciation on these will be monumental

[@joelsmall8471]

Genesis had a 3.0L i6 diesel on their gv80 and it was a banger engine, they dont offer it anymore which is a shame. they should've used it in the tasman

[@roberthocking9138]

It’s out there in exterior looks, worried about the engine. Find out about the annoying driver monitor systems and how sensitive they are and if you can permanently switch them off please.

[@PapaSeBakkie]

The ONLY “upside” to this thing is that the 2.2 diesel is a reliable engine, its hideous and it really doesn’t seem like its going be competitive

[@einfelder8262]

Just to clarify your complaint about 441Nm being low - you said with a full load of passengers, a 3.5t van, and 1295 payload 441nm is too low - well, you are never going to load up with all passengers, 1295kg in the tub, and a 3.5t van. That would exceed GVM, GCM and rear axle load by a huge amount.

[@mitchell5064]

thanks, sherlock.

[@malsmith2012]

Yep but it's still not enough. People expect more and for them to launch this thing with a tiny diesel with an almost 11 second 0 to 100 time that's not good enough. It'll be laborious to drive especially with a legal load in it.. They could have grabbed that Genesis 6 cylinder diesel or come up with a new version of it..

[@einfelder8262]

@@mitchell5064 Happy to do your thinking for you, since you obviously can't do it yourself.

[@einfelder8262]

@@malsmith2012 Agreed, it's stupid low. I have 221kw/400nm in my car which weighs 1570kg, and that's not even a high number these days. It can do 0-100 in 4.6 seconds :).

[@rorynicholson3295]

What a monstrosity, the design team should be sacked.

[@januzportz7367]

Well guys, I gonna admit it when you look at this UTE everyday it will be like transform to a beautiful UTE in your eye. You will come to terms with it and accept it naturally. I am speaking from my experience looking at my missus.

[@PROBODAFERRARI90]

Looks better than the Cybertruck

[@mixalis6168]

Anything looks better~

[@NZsarge1]

Yeah but only marginally

[@stephenmancinelli1289]

For a company that gained global respect when they produced a vehicle like the Stinger in a competitive segment have obviously forgot the winning formula with this Ute 🤦‍♂️

[@netsiteing]

headlight integration is such a mistake … you picked it up straight away … lightbar is a must as a backup

[@timmehh89]

I could forgive the looks if it had a decent powertrain, but the piss weak 2.2l from the carnival isn’t going to cut it for a new to market Ute released in 2025.

[@jjian5]

Just order the BYD after seeing this. thanks, kia

[@yaavarmaghami438]

The earlier renders were so promising!!! Unfortunately, they've missed the mark in exterior and engine capacity. The low sales will force a redesign.

[@zoltanrudolf]

The will redesign this before it hits dealerships otherwise they will sell exactly zero of these things. It’s nauseatingly ugly.

[@adrianoconnor4120]

Thanks for the update, I think if it’s priced too high it will fail 🤔

[@garyandthebat]

Good luck with that Kia. Paul can you lose the elevator music please.

[@rockstargrader]

The new meaning of Bloody Ugly " jezzzus

[@RogerM88]

Seems robust enough to handle the heavy grocery loads, as the rough terrain in parking lots. For large fleets companies will stick to the most traditional ute manufacturers with plenty of parts supply.

[@jessexi]

Now BYD Shark makes more sense to me. Thanks Kia.

[@glennO-e9r]

Well, looks like I’m getting the BYD Shark.

[@KCEL-i1i]

china no.1

[@zoltanrudolf]

I wanted a Jimny and then I saw the Shark!

[@robertstojcevski1098]

Homer Simpson at it again!!! Looks like the mahindra

[@jamesbonica]

Congrats on 500K Subs CarExpert. Y’all are awesome! Really keen to see how the Tasman stacks up against the other competitors in this class. Kia have really thrown the cat amongst the pigeons here. It’s got potential 😀😀

[@CarExpertAus]

Thanks for continuously supporting!

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

Paul, according the KIA AU website, selected models have integrated brake controller, Engine is 154Kw and 440Nm, Hilux 2.8 is 150Kw 500Nm so not that far behind, bigger engine would have been better, they should have offered class leading performance to sway buyer to the vehicle rather than mediocre engine,

[@jb243wp]

Hypothetically, it would have been interesting if KIA were able to keep up with production if they had put a V6 TT diesel in or even a V8 auto diesel, potentially may of sold like hot cakes, specially painted in the Teliban-tan/ Sandy Taupe.. Now, with this spec, KIA would be lucky to sell 100 throughout the entire country. I thought the new 79 series was a joke, but KIA has taken it to the next level joke.

[@richardbarrington4314]

Trailer brake controller is on the spec sheet at 9:58 in the video too. The controls for it appear to be behind the steering wheel (trailer icon visible) next to the electronic park brake, at 16:30 in the video.

[@-PORK-CHOP-]

@@jb243wp I don't think KIA / Hyundai have a V6TT diesel in anything they could have borrowed for this, and with electrification pushing hard they would not have developed a new engine, it looks like the same engine as in Palisade which gets good reviews, I agree a V6 it's the engine of choice just look at Ranger V6 sales numbers, yes the Taliban sandy colour suits this vehicle, the 79 is definitely a joke starting at $90,000 for the 4 cyl ute, if were stupid enough to pay that much for that, we will pay whatever they want for this

[@reckherdkek5685]

​@@-PORK-CHOP- they have both a V6 and I6 diesel, not TT but they do have options

[@croz2530]

Ford has set the bench mark for power and torque out of a small diesel motor, all the other brands need to take note.

[@damolux3388]

Yeah, but with a rubber cam belt bathed in engine oil.........asking for long term trouble.

[@dalehayton9944]

Power is not about speed in this type of vehicle. No idea.

[@anthonybugge5220]

They better hurry up with the 3.3tt Stinger motor as a GT line

[@itisbarneyk]

Is it rumoured to happen? That'd be a nice competitor to the Ranger Raptor!

[@SydneyEV]

Makes the Cybertruck look good.

[@kristrgo9065]

The auto-locking rear differential in the mahindra/ssangyong/silverado is NOT an electronic locking differential, its purely mechanical. Its pretty much an Eaton G80, there are plenty of videos on youtube on how they work - you should look it up. When Kia states 'automatically engaging electronic locking differential' I assume its like the Defender, where the ECU switches the locker on and off in certain situations AND the driver can select to just have it locked.

[@schalkburger6170]

Sadly, Kia got this very wrong. What a disappointment

[@youngsahm03]

Interior is gorgeous with some very nice practical features.

[@MrRILEYRALLY]

They should used this engine Smartstream D3.0 (D6JA) 204 kw 588nm Paul Maric

[@jamesmcmillan2656]

Those lights are going to make designing a roo bar challenging imo.

[@rc70ys]

I like it a lot ! Only negative things is those little headlights

[@ProspectorswithParkinsons]

As far as I am aware, the Tasman Ute is KIA's first crack at building a 4x4 off road all terrain vehicle, based on that I think this will be the foundation vehicle for KIA to further refine and importantly learn from mistakes made in this futuristic Ute, I like the rear disc brakes, the interior, the exterior, the powered up tub, the clearance and the style lines look like a robust military truck, not sold on the engine size though but my Dmax with 3.0 Diesel couldnt pull a granny off a piss pot so Ill wait and see the results of towing.

[@lukewarm2075]

@@ProspectorswithParkinsons low range and diff locks you can control would be nice

[@lukewarm2075]

@@ProspectorswithParkinsons oh it's not 4x4 it's awd

[@liamwindsor5854]

Dmax has ample power

[@AusRock]

I like it, the side on image @ 19.27 looks the goods. The extra competition will be good for the segment.

[@Mike-xh2gm]

Paul , . . . will it go up Log Mountain ?

[@steveblake6877]

The elephant in the room? It’s absolutely ugly. Undesirable. A huge mistake from Kia.

[@trickster8635]

Reminds me of Mahindra. Coming from an off-road background, I share the following misgivings - Departure angle is low and it will drag it's bum - Outboard headlights are waiting to be smashed on the first scrubby track - Trailing edge of the transmission bash-plate will hang up when reversing over rocks/stumps/mounds - tubular sport frames are nothing but a blind spot and hinder tub loading - 240 volt outlets were canned by the electrical safety authority in Ford Ranger, so how will they get around that? Media says 1195 plus 3500kg towing capacity? Hope they have done their sums correctly in terms of GVM?? Auto engage diff locks are a disaster waiting to happen when high wheel speeds are encountered as in boggy terrain. I do like the following - side storage with fold down lid, excellent for roadside stop and coffee or morning tea on the run - Under seat storage makes sensible use of otherwise dead space and would be ideal for that second battery system - opening roof is a great innovation for when the car is parked up to let out heat and should be auto closing with a rain sensor. I'd like to know transfer gear ratio's, final drive ratio's, fuel capacity and potential for second tank - tyre sizes to gauge if next size tyre (33 inch) could be fitted without scrubbing - but the elephant in the room is the poor torque figures, because once this thing is optioned up with more weight, it is going to be a slug and a thirsty one at that. 2.2 litres and 441Nm just does not cut it anymore, but I think the only satisfied buyers will be fleet owners that don't really give a toss.

[@cybermatstrikes7557]

No proper low range, centre-difflock and not enough torque. You want selectable lockers in a truck of this nature. I have a feeling this will be a damp squibb after the long wait.

[@davidholmes3323]

Looks ok at first glance. If it comes standard with those tyres, and that approach angle appears pretty good.

[@Hungdiddly]

The model in black looks alright. I thought the new model triton looked very average until I seen them on the roads and overtime they didn’t look so bad. I don’t think it looks bad, it’s just unusual and different.

[@KevinHogg-f5p]

distinctive does not mean attractive...

[@malsmith2012]

Must've sacked the Stinger designers when they canned it.. No way could the guys that came up with the stinger have come up with this thing.. It's madness that they thought people would jump at it with that tiny diesel.. It will not cut it..

[@martiniwanderi719]

They have a v6 diesel in the Kia Mojave with 550nm,,,why not use that?

[@softyclub7010]

I love it. It looks different from others. 😊

[@cormacsage7126]

Awesome bring it on

[@DavidBarwick-hb7eo]

This thing grows on you.

[@duaneleroux5956]

I think this thing will look sick with some aftermarket goodies

[@danr00]

After market car cover

[@alexjohnson3696]

I like how it looks on the outside.

[@TroyClayton-w2l]

No one, or at least, no one you want to talk to, will have a picture of this on the wall.. fewer still will dream of owning one .This take ugly to new and exciting places, and should stay there.

[@MP_145]

Oh, this is a challenging look from the pictures. Interested to see your thoughts in person but seems as though nothing flows from the front to back at all...

[@darrenmoore1305]

The simple fact is that the vast majority of these will never do serious off road and will be used by soccer mums to pick up the kids and tradies. As such 440NM is plenty. Every Tim the Toolman (more power urgh urgh) banging on about more power and more torque wouldn't be happy if the vehicle came out with twice what it has, they would still find fault...oh the tourque curve is all wrong... oh the gearbox doesn't make the most of the engine. My old man used to drive semis up and down the east coast that didn't make much more torque and significantly less power than this towing 20 tons. It isn't about the power/torque as much as how it delivers it and how the box handles it. Done right there is more than enough power there. After all, plenty of people drive Jimny's offroad and don't complain about the lack of power. As for the looks, I reckon it looks good. The proof will be in seeing it in the flesh. Clearly different to everything else on the market. Interior is bang on. The issue with the lights is a valid point but can see some enterprising guru designing a cage or something similar to protect them or incorporating into a bullbar. I can see this being a success, price being a determining factor. Make it competitive and people will buy it. Looking forward to the drive review. Keep up the good work.

[@tallboy49]

The Jimny is light. Power to weight ratio sorts them out.

[@choosehowyoulive2640]

The styling doesn't put me off. I like unusual. I'm definitely interested in the x-pro variant as I intend to do a lot of secondary back roads as well as dirt and off-roading. I'll also be interested to see exactly what off-road tech it comes with.

[@mikey380sx]

Don't mind it with the tray and bullbar, not keen on the style side though

[@donaldo1974]

I think it'll look good with some good mods, bar work and a nice canopy but without a V6 it will fall short of expectations

[@JimmyShields-z2h]

Outside is ok, i have it in black cover grey/black bumper trim. Inside fantastic especially tan colour breaks dark shades, dash, door trim n seats look nice. Interesting with the flat tray setup, it looks high up. I drive D40 Nissan so if KIA can do same in handling n performance i would be happy.

[@arttilldawn155]

Kia marketing department: "Kia : They're boxy but they're good"

[@PeterIkin-e2x]

Looks great Gunna sell well and kick ass . Non electric. I luv it 💗

[@jeffc1898]

It's the most failed product and strongly demands the dismissal of the designer and CEO!!!!!!

[@hobit-j4o]

When taking on a bold design, there can be two outcomes: 1. A failure that reminds you of something ugly, or 2. A design so different that it feels out of place. In my opinion, this design narrowly falls into the second category.

[@petermills1402]

Start making the ‘custard’ now Paul, I’m itching to see the test to see if it can pull the skin off

[@willhooke]

Ride quality and the niceness of the cabin are important How fast do you need your Dual Cab to be? And you're already catered for by Ranger Wildtrack if grunt is your highest priority I think the headlights should be in the middle, more like an FJ Cruiser But not every ute driver is an offroader Interesting to see how Kia goes with the Tasman

[@stevemcintyre4398]

Looks to me like it's trying really hard to look like a Jeep, crossed with an F150, Silverado and a Ram, with just a touch of Discovery. Weird looking would be an understatement.

[@pummyy]

How can someone even approve this...looks like a brick

[@neilsedgwick9387]

Thanks Paul for sharing this I have written about this vehicle before in its hyped advertising I mentioned then that if the Tasman did not come out with at least a 6 Cyl similar or better the the Ranger that I would not entertain buying one now this definitely confirms my convo will now order a Platinum Ranger should have wasted all this time waiting for the Tasman launch I could have had my Ranger by now

[@gerardcrabb4556]

Looks like aimed for light military work maybe heavy duty version later with bigger engine...

[@basedondennis]

i see so many hints of the honda civic and accord with the interior

[@mameishacllu2898]

Price will be the deciding factor...

[@warboyrb]

Agree, they'll have to pay people a bit to drive this.

[@nevininni2709]

I wouldn't buy it if it was only $29,990 drive away, Kia are kidding themselves.

[@beamtweez1210]

2:38 BOLD IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

[@frankyfish1177]

Definitely premium price I think . Kia has come a long way

[@Tha_Valkyrie]

Is this the look cars are moving towards? Quite interesting

[@Currymuncher2000]

I like this guy Paul. Comes across as a down to earth guy without being an attention seeker who is over the top like certain other reviewers out there

[@goranghair5704]

Paul is different breed...

[@davidvictorsen]

I don’t mind it now after a couple of days.

[@andrew8683]

No low range? Very curious as to why that hasn’t got a mention in your video mate ?

[@BingoDingo8394]

You can see the 4L switch in the pics. Watch it again.

[@hannesroos5319]

Hi Paul. First of all, always love your reviews. Ok, surely this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but in today's world, I don't think you really get a bad vehicle among the top contenders. Some may be slightly better on some aspects than others, but I think the competition is too high to be putting a bad vehicle out in the market. Some are Ford guys, some are Toyota then, some guys like something completely different like this....

[@smithiesoutdoorequipment]

Does it have high low range transfer case? Or is it just electronically controlled awd

[@FreestyleCab]

Random thoughts: I have a Diesel Sorento with possibly(?) the same engine as the Tasman, I think it will be fine. Maybe Kia had different priorities for the Tasman and perhaps using a derivative of an existing engine/gearbox gives them some wiggle room with where they price it. Looking at the photographs and videos on the Kia website, the trailer brake controller is next to the park brake. The tub wheel arches house the fuel filler door on one side and a larger storage door on the other. The rear sensor package on the dropside tray model looks "interesting". I'll wait to see it in the flesh in some better colours before judging the exterior styling. If its priced to compete with the Triton I think it will sell well......if its Ranger money and not in the 500-600Nm club then I think it will be DOA

[@louscarpato1440]

Over the years there have been some good cars that were unfortunately designed by a committee. Some failed because the company refused to redesign them and some moved forward due to major design upgrades. Let’s hope this happens here. The Ranger sells on design alone, so no matter how much better this is under the skin, it will struggle due to its looks. Buyers can be fickle.