The design will surprise you: Kia Tasman 2025 pickup truck is presented

After a long line of teasers, the South Korean car brand Kia has finally shown the first pickup truck in its history. And the car, called Tasman, impressed journalists and bloggers.

According to Motor1, the mid-size model will be available in several variants. Kia will sell the Tasman in single and double cab bodies, as well as a stripped-down cab chassis suitable for customization.

The experts were most surprised by the Tasman's appearance. It has a huge Kia logo on the rear door. And the strangest angle was called the profile with a body cladding in the form of a mustache.

The Tasman also stands out for its unconventional front end with vertical headlights offset to the sides. Here you can see another enlarged Kia logo and a convex hood that makes the truck look more muscular. In general, this is not a Telluride pickup, as some people assumed. It's a body-on-frame truck, not a one-piece design like the Maverick or Ridgeline.

Despite its rugged exterior, the Tasman has a more automotive interior with a triple screen. The cabin features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster connected to a 5-inch display in the middle and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. Despite the generous screen space, Kia has not abandoned the traditional switchgear. As before, there are several buttons and switches to access the most frequently used functions.

Depending on the market, the new truck will be available with a six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as in two- and four-wheel drive configurations. In Korea, the Tasman gets a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with 277 horsepower and 421 N-m of torque. Not that acceleration matters much in this segment, but it accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. The top speed of the model is 185 km/h.

In Australia, the Tasman will get a 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine with 207 hp and 440 Nm. It will have the same top speed but will accelerate to 100 km/h in 10.4 seconds. In the Middle East and Africa, customers can choose from these two gasoline and diesel engines. The payload varies from 1015 to 1200 kg, and the cargo compartment volume is 1172 liters.

Kia has designed the Tasman with a double wishbone front suspension and a rigid rear axle with leaf springs. The company claims that the truck can overcome water obstacles up to 80 cm deep at a speed of 7 km/h, and as a safety measure, waterproof connectors are provided for some interior parts. All-terrain tires with 17- and 18-inch wheels are available, as well as several driving modes to overcome different surfaces: desert, mud, snow, and rocks.

Kia claims best-in-class head, shoulder, and legroom in the second row, as well as the ability to recline the rear seats 22-30 degrees. When the rear seats are folded down, you can find two hidden compartments underneath for storing those valuable items. In addition, the Tasman has two wireless charging pads, a Harman Kardon sound system, a folding console table, and grab bars on the front pillars.

Korea will be the first market where the Tasman will appear in the first half of 2025, before the first Kia pickup truck arrives in Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. The company believes that Saudi Arabia will become one of the main markets for the truck, so the world premiere will take place at the Jeddah International Motor Show.

Tasman is not the only pickup truck Kia is working on. By 2027, an electric truck should also appear.

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