The culture of Pickup Trucks in India is not that popular, but it cannot be called nonexistent, as it is a very niche market. In the Indian Automobile sector, Pickup Trucks are heavily used only for commercial purposes, and in the Passenger market, Pickup Trucks are seen very little - Whatever are seen, they are either used as Camper vans or for a better public image. There are only two Lifestyle Pickup Trucks in India - the Toyota Hilux and the Isuzu D-max Vcross. However, it is said that Pickup Trucks’ culture is most likely to be one of the most preferred categories of SUVs in India’s future. So, here we have brought you the details of the newly revealed Kia Tasman - the very first Pickup Truck from Kia - details. 

Kia Tasman Rivals and Markets

Kia Tasman is Kia’s first entry-level premium Pickup truck which will rival the like of Toyota Hilux. Kia already has plenty of SUVs in its lineup, out of which, the Telluride is from the Fortuner’s segment. Kia has been internationally launching plenty of SUVs/Cars in order to keep their fleet updated and to cater to new customers, too. 

The Kia Tasman is such a product that will help Kia target an affordable segment of premium SUVs and Pickup Trucks. The Tasman, when launched will mainly focus on the markets where the demand is high for such rugged Pickup Trucks. Kia will launch the Tasman in a few specific markets, like Australia, Africa, and the Middle East - Kia expects Saudi Arabia to be the strongest market for the Tasman. The India launch of Tasman is very tentative, as the Indian market is yet to grow in the Pickup Truck culture. 

Tested over 18,000 Times!

To speak more about the Tasman, based on the press releases made by Kia on Tasman - The brand claims that they have done about 18,000 rounds of testing in order to make sure that the Pickup truck performs ruggedly in various terrain conditions. Kia also mentioned that these 18,000 rounds of testing were conducted in the form of 1777 specific tests. 

Kia Tasman Design

The Tasman is a proper full-size Pickup Truck, which will be available in both Single-decker and Double-decker variations. The Single cab version will have a longer luggage bed, on the other hand, the double cab will have a shorter luggage bed, comparatively. 

The Tasman has a very beefy design all over its body. On the Front, it gets a slightly lower-placed grille with huge air-intake windows. Above the grille, a big Kia logo is present and on the bonnet, a few hard plastic materials are used to enhance the rugged look. Lower down the front end, sliver-finished skid plates and fog lamps have been added. The Headlamps are placed on the top two ends of the front profile, they consist of vertically stacked LED beams with inverted ‘L’ shaped LED DRLs. 

On the Side, the Tasman gets plenty of thick hard plastic claddings over the wheels and around the border-line of the Pickup Truck. It runs on 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels that are fitted to road-running tyres, it also has an option of 17-inch alloy wheels with off-road focused tyres. Compared to the front door, the Tasman gets a smaller rear door, which could provide average comfort in the backseats. It also gets functional roof rails with a shark fin antenna on the top. 

The Rear profile is basic with minimal design given to the LED Tail lamps. The luggage bed on the Double-decker model is 1512 mm long, 1572 mm wide, and 540 mm deep, moreover, it also gets a 220 V outlet. This luggage bed is capable of carrying a payload of 1,195 kg in 2WD mode. Overall, the design of the Tasman includes a mixture of curves and boxiness. This slightly differs the Tasman from other Pickup Trucks, which mostly go with boxy design language. 

Kia Tasman Interior and Features

Kia Tasman has typical Kia-like interiors with subtle designs on its dashboard and the use of premium quality materials. The Tasman gets the same layout of screens on the dashboard - 12.3 - 5 - 12.3 inches, as the EV9. The Instrument Cluster is a 12.3-inch unit with numerous vehicular details and various speedo faces based on the driving modes. It also has an EV9-inspired steering wheel with a lot of buttons for ADAS, infotainment navigation, and a few customisable buttons. 

The Tasman gets a separate 5-inch touch screen for Climate Control, which is placed between the Instrument Cluster and Infotainment screen. It also gets a few quick-functional buttons placed lower down the dashboard for Climate Control. At last, it gets a 12.3-inch Infotainment screen, which gets standard Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, a 360-degree Camera, a Ground View Camera, an 8-speaker Harman Kardon system, etc.

The Tasman also gets a very unique Center console with two wireless charging pads and a few charging ports, two large cup holders, a knob for 4x4 driving modes, a few quick-function buttons - Auto Hold, Parking Camera, and an Electronic Differential Lock, and also gets a small storage for the key. The Armrest is wide and big, and it consists of the uniqueness we talked about earlier - The Armrests can be folded to cover the entire centre console. 

The Tasman’s interiors consist of a lot of finely detailed materials, like the rough, rugged texture on the knobs and door handles for Off-road SUV feel. As it is a 5-seater Pickup Truck, it gets all leatherette upholstery with thick supports for the back, thighs, and headrests. It also gets all 5 adjustable headrests. 

Kia Tasman Powertrain and Variants

The Kia Tasman has been made available with both the fuel options - Petrol and Diesel. It also gets both Manual and Automatic Transmission options for one of the two engines. The diesel engine is shared with the Kia Carnival Limousine+, which is sold in India. 

It gets a 2.2 L Diesel engine that produces 210 PS and 440 Nm torque. It is available in two transmission options - a 6-speed Manual transmission and an 8-speed Automatic Transmission. As per Kia, it propels from 0-100 km/hr in under 10.5 seconds and its speed tops at 185 km/hr. The claimed fuel efficiency is said to be 13.2 km/L. 

The second unit is a 2.5 L Turbocharged GDI Petrol engine that produces 281 PS and 421 Nm torque. It is only available in an 8-speed Automatic Gearbox. As per Kia, it accelerates from 0-100 km/hr in under 8.5 seconds and its speed tops at 185 km/hr. The claimed fuel efficiency is said to be 8 km/L. 

The Tasman is available in a total of three variants - Base, X-line, and X-Pro. A few specialized controls and features are standard throughout the variant range - TBC (Trailer Brake Controller), E-LD, 4WD modes (2H, 4A, 4H, and 4L), and features, like Panoramic Wide Display, Harman Kardon Sound system, 800mm Wayer wading Capacity at 7 km/hr speed, etc. 

It has an 80 L fuel tank with a claimed full tank range of - 1056 km in Diesel and 640 km in Petrol. It also gets Terrain modes - Snow, Mud, Sand, and Rock mode (Rock mode is only available in the top model, X-Pro). The towing capacity of the Tasman is about 3.5 tonnes. 

Kia Tasman India Launch and Price Details

The Tasman has not yet been launched in the international markets. As per Kia, the Tasman will be launched in the first half of 2025. 

The price details of the Tasman is expected to be around the Hilux’s price. We believe Kia could price it around ₹33 lakhs. 

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