Новий Kia Tasman X-Pro вражає, але його головний недолік кидається в очі | Огляд

A decade ago, Kia’s range was filled mainly with uninspired models with boring, bland designs. Today, that same brand has reinvented itself with cars that make people stop and look, sometimes in admiration, sometimes in confusion.

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From the sharp-edged Sportage and Sorento to the futuristic EV9, K4, and EV4, Kia has clearly moved from playing catch-up to setting trends, often producing cars that, next to much of the competition, look more like concept studies than production models.

Being edgy inevitably means crossing a few lines, and few recent Kias have done it with as much misplaced confidence as the Tasman. Unveiled almost a year ago, it’s Kia’s long-awaited entry into the mid-size pickup segment, wading straight into territory ruled by the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Hilux, and Isuzu D-Max.

QUICK FACTS

From the moment the first camouflaged prototypes appeared, critics were merciless about the Tasman’s looks. And sure enough, the production version turned out every bit as awkward as those early glimpses suggested.

However, as we recently discovered while living with the Tasman, beneath the controversial bodywork, it has plenty going for it.

The Truck That Divides Opinions

I know car styling is highly subjective, but I haven’t met a single person who says the Tasman looks good, nor have I read many online comments defending its looks. If Kia tasked its designers with creating a pickup that looks unlike anything else on the market, they’ve done a stellar job of it.

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In a world where pickups in this segment are often rather uninspired to look at, there’s no denying the Tasman turns heads. Indeed, it turned more heads than any other truck I’ve driven like it.

But I think it looks incredibly ugly, and even recent AI images uncovered on a Kia website show that even computers can make it look better. What I will say is that it does look ‘better’ in person than in photos.

Under the Skin

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

While Kia can be criticized for the Tasman’s design, it cannot be accused of taking any shortcuts in developing it. Rather than borrowing a chassis from elsewhere in its range, the South Korean firm built it around an all-new dedicated ladder-frame chassis.

In Australia, the Tasman is available exclusively with Hyundai’s familiar 2.2-liter CRDi turbo-diesel four-cylinder. This engine is mostly the same as the one you’ll find in the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Carnival, and Kia Sorento, albeit adapted for rear-wheel drive.

It delivers 154 kW (206 hp) at 3,800 rpm and 441 Nm (325 lb-ft) of torque between 1,750 and 2,750 rpm. Mated to this engine is an eight-speed automatic, although a six-speed manual will soon be added to the range.

At the time of writing, the Tasman is offered in six different guises. The range starts with the S 4×2, kicking off from AU$46,490 ($30,300), including AU$4,880 ($3,200) in on-road costs, and tops out at AU$77,990 ($50,800) for the flagship X-Pro, which is the model we drove.

Kia Has Nailed The Interior

Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops

The cabin of the Tasman X-Pro is superb and feels much more premium than rivals from Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu. Indeed, alongside the BYD Shark 6, it has the most well-appointed interior of any mid-size pickup truck. This is enough to forgive it for its exterior design.

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Positioned in front of the driver is a rugged-looking steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 5.0-inch climate-control display, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Just like in the EV9, the climate display is sandwiched between the two other screens and is almost entirely blocked from view by the rim of the steering wheel, which is frankly annoying.

Fortunately, Kia appears to have been listening to critics lambasting carmakers ditching physical controls. As such, it’s added ergonomic switches to adjust the temperature and fan speed in the dash. There are also touch-sensitive buttons for various infotainment shortcuts, as well as a volume knob.

By adopting an electronic column shifter, Kia has been able to free up space in the center console. It comes with a pair of wireless smartphone charging pads, two cupholders, and switches for several drive modes and the four-wheel-drive system.

Other highlights found up front include the second glovebox incorporated into the dashboard, the unique knurled-metal door handles, a large center console storage area, and beautifully plush seats with ultra-spongey headrests. Put simply, the competition could learn a lot from what Kia has done with the Tasman’s interior.

There’s also loads of space for adults in the second row. The back rests can also tilt, and the seats can slide forward. Like many other mid-size pickups, the rear seat bases also flip upwards to reveal a large storage area.

How Does It Drive?

Photo Credits: Brad Anderson/Carscoops

After pulling away in the Tasman X-Pro for the first time, I was shocked at just how responsive and eager the diesel engine felt. Ordinarily, these engines are slow to respond and have truly terrible throttle response. However, that’s not the case with the Tasman. The throttle response is great, and it feels very eager to get going.

There’s also less of an unrefined truck feeling with the engine than some of the competition, no doubt because it’s been honed in SUVs for years. It remains relatively quiet, regardless of how much you rev it out, and pulls strongly despite having less power than some of the competition (60 Nm / 44 lb-ft less than the base Ford Ranger, for example).

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Efficiency is largely in line with the competition. Kia quotes 8.1 l/100 km (29 US mpg) over the combined cycle in the X-Pro, and while I averaged 10.6 l/100 km (22.1 US mpg), I spent most of my time driving in medium-speed urban areas. Out on the highway, it’s possible to sit at around 7.0 l/100 km (33.6 US mpg), if not slightly less.

Just like it’s hard to critique the Tasman’s engine, it’s also hard to write anything negative about the transmission. It operates smoothly at low and high speeds, shifting seamlessly through the gears, and working beautifully alongside the 2.2-liter mill.

How It Feels On and Off the Road

Like many other Kia models, the Tasman’s suspension setup has been calibrated specifically for Australian roads. It rides well over all kinds of different terrain, helped by the fact that it comes standard with Kia’s Sensitive Damper Control and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technologies, boosting ride comfort. It feels locked to the pavement.

However, the rear-end, complete with the obligatory leaf springs, is noticeably firmer than the Mitsubishi Triton when unladen, and only feels on par with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. The BYD Shark 6, with its independent rear coil suspension, remains the segment leader for all-around ride comfort.

For daily driving on the street, the Kia Tasman is excellent and feels more polished than some competitors. Of course, it’s not exactly fun to drive, and it doesn’t enjoy being thrown through corners, but other than a Ford Ranger Raptor, no pickup like this does.

For everyday driving, there’s a choice of rear-wheel drive, 4A, high-range 4WD, and low-range 4WD settings, with the Tasman defaulting to 4A on the road, unlike rear-wheel in some rivals. When the going gets tough, there are plenty of off-road goodies, too.

All Tasman models include a rear-differential lock, and the X-Pro has a particularly advanced selectable one. There are also Auto, Snow, Mud, Sand, and Rock modes, as well as Kia’s new X-Trek system. This is a five-stage off-road cruise control function that aims to make off-roading easier than ever.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to thoroughly test the Tasman along any treacherous off-road trails. The little off-roading we did do revealed it to be a superb companion on dirt, mud, and sand, performing just as well as the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, and far eclipsing what the Shark 6 is capable of.

Towing And Safety

As is standard for vehicles in this class, the Tasman has a braked towing capacity of 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) and 350 kg (772 lbs) towball downweight. We didn’t tow with it, so interested customers would be wise to try it for themselves. Significantly, the lack of a V6, as available in the Ford Ranger, detracts from its ability to comfortably tow larger loads, such as big caravans and boats.

The safety suite is excellent. The X-Pro comes standard with blind-spot monitoring, Kia’s superb Blind Spot View Monitor, autonomous emergency braking, and Kia’s Highway Driving Assist 2.

In addition to the HDA 2 system providing adaptive cruise control and active lane-centering, it also includes automatic lane changes. On well-marked roads, all you have to do is turn on the signal, and the Tasman will calmly move into the next lane – if it’s safe to do so, of course.

Verdict

The Kia Tasman may look odd, but this doesn’t detract from the fact that it is an excellent pickup to drive, both on the road and while off-roading. It has a classier interior than any other traditional competitor, giving it a bit of an upmarket, premium feel, so much so that it often feels like an SUV from behind the wheel.

The engine and transmission are great, the Tasman is priced competitively, and it will tick most of the boxes of buyers in this segment. If you can get over the looks, it’s definitely worth shortlisting.

Photo Credits: Brad Anderson/Carscoops