Kia Tasman 2026 review: X-Pro - Off-road test

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

7 / 10

The Kia Tasman is available in five grades: S, SX, SX+, X-Line and as per our test vehicle, the top-shelf X-Pro, which has a MSRP of $74,990 at the time of writing.

Standard features in the X-Pro include its 12-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), wireless charging, power-adjustable leather-accented heated front seats, as well as a suite of driver-assist tech, including drive modes ('Eco', 'Sport', 'Normal', MyDrive, Tow), off-road drive modes ('Snow', 'Mud', 'Sand', 'Rock'), X-Trek Mode (I’ll explain later), a dual-range transfer case and a rear diff lock.

It has Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme all-terrain tyres (265/70R17) on 17-inch black alloy wheels.

Exterior paint choices for the X-Pro include 'Clear White' (with body-coloured flares), 'Steel Grey', 'Interstellar Grey', 'Aurora Black Pearl', 'Tan Beige' (with body-coloured flares), 'Denim Blue', 'Cityscape Green' and 'Runway Red'. Some of these – including our text vehicle’s Tan Beige – cost $700.

Price-wise, the Tasman sits comfortably in the same realm as the Rogues and Wildtraks of this world, but while features lists are similar in depth across all three, the Tasman has it over the HiLux in terms of overall packaging and is level-pegging with the Wildtrak.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

If you’re still obsessed with appearances – as if you were still a teenager – then you need to take a good hard look at yourself.

There has been a lot of whinging about the Tasman’s looks ever since a Kia ute concept started doing the rounds all those years ago.

The actual Tasman definitely stands out from the cookie-cutter crowd of same-same utes on our roads at the moment.

The X-Pro is 5410mm long (with a 3270mm wheelbase), 1930mm wide and 1920mm high.

It does have variant-specific exterior design touches – including a squared-off grille and bumper, black front and rear emblems, matt-black side mirrors, B- and C-pillar garnishes as well as black wheel capsa nd a black badge – which differentiate it from its lower-spec stablemates.

The absence of side steps add to its mission-ready design.

Attention to detail inside the cabin is impressive, build quality is great and everything feels premium.

Overall, the Tasman occupies the same novelty realm as the BYD Shark 6, Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster and Jeep Gladiator. Good on Kia’s designers for having a crack at coming up with something different.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

8 / 10

This Tasman has a nice interior and it’s very roomy. Kia designers have maximised the space in this cabin. It's a comfortable and very functional area for driver and passengers.

As mentioned, there is great attention to detail, a real premium look and feel about everything and, more importantly, an ease of use to all controls, whether those are on-screen or off.

The front seats are heated, ventilated, power-adjustable and on the correct side of comfortable.

There are the usual storage places (glove box etc) plus a shallow space in front of the front passenger (dubbed “crash pad storage”), as well as cupholders aplenty and charging spots include a wireless charging pad, two USB-C ports and a 240V power outlet.

The centre console has a nifty table that unfolds over the top of that area to create a small work desk of sorts.

The rear doors open out to 80 degrees and the X-Pro’s rear seats slide and recline so the passengers back there can rearrange their seating posture. The outboard back seats are heated. There is under-seat storage and the seat bases lock in flush with the rear wall to create even more space.

The tub is 1512mm long, 1572mm wide (1186mm between the wheel arches, which is enough for an Aussie pallet) and 540mm deep. Volume is listed as 1173L.

It has a hard plastic lining, four fixed tie-down points, two moveable tie-down points, a 240V power outlet and cargo-area lighting.

A sealed 6.3-litre rear fender flare storage area, which locks via central locking, is available on X-Line and X-Pro grades, but it was not on our test vehicle because it is not available on Tan Beige and Clear White exterior colours.

In terms of general practicality, the Tasman is even steven with the Rogue and Wildtrak, but the Kia ute adds a layer of slick style the Toyota can't match while the Ford still manages to hold its own against the Korean newcomer.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?

8 / 10

The Kia Tasman has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 154kW and 440Nm.

It has an eight-speed automatic transmission and dual-range part-time 4WD (with an all-wheel drive setting (4A) that can be used on high-traction surfaces).

It also has a rear diff lock and drive modes including Eco, Sport, Normal, MyDrive, and Tow, as well as off-road drive modes that include Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock.

While in 4H, you can drive in Snow, Mud, or Sand; while in 4L you can drive in Mud, Sand, Rock and you can use 'X-Trek Mode' which is a form of low-speed cruise control.

The Toyota HiLux Rogue with 48-volt V-Active technology is offered with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (producing 150kW and 500Nm) and while its torque figure is 60Nm more than the Tasman's, the Kia powertrain yields a smoother effectiveness than the Rogue in all conditions.

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak is offered with two engine options – a 2.0L bi-turbo diesel (154kW and 500Nm) and a 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel (184kW and 600Nm) – both of which best the Kia Tasman in on-paper torque figures, but not necessarily always in real-world performance. The Tasman X-Pro and Wildtrak are pretty close, performance wise.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

8 / 10

This ute does not have any side steps so it’s a bit of a step up for someone of my stature.

Once underway, the Kia Tasman is impressive – smooth, quiet, refined and comfortable – and quite dynamic for a big ute.

The powertrain on this is damn good but let’s straight away address the vehicular elephant in the room. The 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine could do with some more power and torque on-board, however it does very well with what it has.

The same goes with its performance off-road.

The engine and auto remains a clever combination while you’re 4WDing, with the auto never hunting around for the sweet spot and it's never stressed, never working too hard.

The engine just ticks along and you keep moving, maintaining the safe controlled momentum that’s so crucial while off-roading.

And along with that powertrain, the X-Pro has off-road drive modes and also worth mentioning is its traction control system for four-wheel driving is well calibrated, nicely in touch with what's required of it and it's seamlessly effective.

If you need even more dirt-grabbing ability, the X-Pro has an electronic rear diff lock, while lower-spec Tasmans have mechanical diff locks.

The Tasman is a big 2237kg ute – wide and tall – and so it requires concentrated and considered driving. If you've done any four-wheel driving in a ute, you know what's expected of you and that’s no surprise.

In terms of off-road angles the X-Pro ticks all of the boxes with approach (32.2 ), ramp-over (25.8), and departure (26.2) angles better-than-standard measurements, especially for a ute with a long wheelbase.

It has 252mm of ground clearance and a listed wading depth of 800mm, which is plenty on both counts.

So all of those figures check out, as well. You have plenty of clearance, a decent amount of wheel travel and, again, straight out of the showroom as a four-wheel drive for light to moderate off-roading, the Tasman is impressive. It only needs a set of more-aggressive all terrain tyres or muddies if you want to tackle even tougher off-roading.

Of course, it would be better again with a front diff lock but with a rear diff lock it's pretty handy and capable of tackling most of the things you'd want to tackle on a weekend trip or even an extended off-road touring expedition.

So in terms of off-road capability, the Tasman is up there with the best of them, especially considering the fact it only has a rear diff lock and a well-calibrated off-road traction control system. I say “only” because other 4WDs have a front and rear diff lock and are better suited to hardcore four-wheel driving, perhaps straight out of the showroom.

But the Tasman isn't perfect. The squared-off steering wheel takes a bit of getting used to (I’m not sure you’ll ever get fully used to it). That’s not a deal-breaker for me but it can be a tad annoying when you are steering through the bush. It just feels awkward at times.

The shifter to cycle through 2H, 4A, 4H and 4L is a t-bar/paddle-style arrangement and not entirely to my liking.

I'm not a big fan of the transmission shifter either – a stalk to the right-hand side of the steering wheel – as it's not as an intuitive position in a vehicle that's going to be used in dynamic situations, where you're regularly getting in and out of the vehicle. Again, not a deal-breaker, it's just annoying.

The only other Tasman weakness, its tyres, can be easily addressed via a straight swap with a decent set of all-terrain or mud-terrain tyres.

If you're intending to use your Tasman for work or recreational purposes, the X-Pro has 1013kg of payload, which is pretty good for a dual-cab ute,

Unbraked towing capacity is 750kg and braked trailer towing capacity is 3500kg, so that's right up to par with the dual-cab ute standard.

Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3250kg, while gross combined mass (GCM) is 6200kg.

Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?

7 / 10

Official fuel consumption is 8.1L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle. On this test, I recorded 9.6L/100km.

The Tasman has an 80-litre fuel tank, so, going by out on-test averge you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 830km from a full tank.

However, as with any vehicle, once you’ve loaded the Tasman with real-world burdens (e.g kids, dogs, camping gear, etc) you’ll soon see fuel consumption increase.

The Tasman is about level for fuel consumption with two of its aforementioned rivals, except the V6 Wildtrak drinks a bit more.

The Toyota HiLux Rogue has a claimed fuel consumption of 7.8L/100km. On-test fuel consumption is 9.8L/100km.

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak has a claimed fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km (2.0L bi-turbo diesel) and 8.4L/100km (3.0L V6 diesel) on the combined cycle. On-test fuel consumption is 10L/100km in the bi-turbo, and 11.5L/100km in the V6.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

7 / 10

The first three Kia Tasman grades have a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2025 testing. However, the X-Line and this X-Pro grade aren't included in that result and are unrated.

As standard, it has seven airbags (driver and front passenger, front side, centre side and full-length curtain) and a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech including AEB, adaptive cruise control, tyre-pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, trailer stability assist control, blind spot monitoring, surround view and park assist.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

8 / 10

The Kia Tasman is covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and roadside assistance is included for 12 months (extended up to eight years if you regularly service the car at an authorised Kia dealer).

Kia offers a complimentary initial service at 3000km and capped price servicing applies for the first five years – starting at $361 and topping out at $821– with service intervals recommended at 12 months or 15,000km.

Seven years' capped price servicing is available with the X-Pro’s prepaid plan totaling $3929 over that period for an average of $561 over that period.

Kia Australia has about 150 dealers across the country with a decent spread across metro, rural and regional areas. Kias can be serviced at those dealers or at approved workshops.

Again, the Tasman is competitive here.

All new HiLuxes have a five-year/unlimited km warranty and capped price servicing is available. Service intervals are rather short at every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

The first six services will cost approximately $290 each, then step up to an average of $537 for the next four. Worth noting these numbers may vary by location.

Ford Rangers are covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Capped-price servicing applies for the first five years – with an online-calculated $405 per service (reasonable) – with service intervals recommended at 12 months or 15,000km.

Verdict