Kia's Prado-punishing 4WD shapes up: Ladder-frame, V6-powered SUV based on Tasman ute looks ready for LandCruiser rumble in new renders

We know that a Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival based on the Tasman ute is on the table from Kia, and now we know what it could look like, with the blocky 4WD taking shape in new renders.

Although unofficial, the renders – cooked up by NYMammoth – use what we know so far about the Kia Tasman dual-cab ute to create what looks to be a believable image of the 4WD.

Reports first surfaced of a ladder-frame 4WD that would follow the brand's first ute not long after news of the Tasman first broke. It then followed that the project had been placed on the hold as work on the ute heated up, before being placed back on the table earlier this year in the face of international demand for the product.

Read More About Kia

"We're not mucking around": Why the Kia Tasman will be Australia's benchmark diesel dual-cab ute as Korean brand looks to topple the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger Double trouble: All-new Y63 Nissan Patrol and reborn Mitsubishi Pajero to team up to take down Toyota LandCruiser - reports Hyundai's 4x4 SUV reborn? Render reveals what electric Toyota Prado, Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender off-road rival could look like

It's officially under study, but the smart money makes the 4WD SUV a near-certainty, what with Kia now having a ladder-frame platform and just one model so far, the Tasman, to build on it.

Australia, of course, has its hand in the air for a Prado fighter from Kia, but we're not alone. The Middle East is reportedly calling for it, as is South Africa, and that's where things get interesting.

While the Tasman will be offered exclusively, at least from launch, with a four-cylinder turbodiesel engine in Australia, the fuel type doesn't work for other big international markets, leading the Korean Car Blog to speculate that a V6 petrol would be added the lineup for the 4WD.

One such option would be the brand's 3.5-litre V6 found in the Carnival and the Sorento, producing around 216kW and 355Nm.

Whatever happens, we're unlikely to see a Tasman-based 4WD until at least 2025 at the absolute earliest, with the brand likely to focus on the successful launch of the ute – due next year – before adding variations.

Whenever it arrives, you can bet Kia would be aiming for top-of-the-segment status, after already telling CarsGuide it wants the Tasman to be considered a benchmark ute.

"We're definitely aiming for (the benchmark)," said Kia Australia's product planning chief, Roland Rivero.

"We're not mucking around when it comes to the ute. We want to make sure that the first attempt at a ute from our brand is one that's going to do well in our market."