Kia Tasman X-Pro: On-Road Drive Review

The launch of the Kia Tasman into New Zealand has been a polarising one. On one side, people cannot stand the appearance of the Tasman; on the other side, people love the futuristic, unique design. Purely on appearance alone, the four-wheel-drive community has split into two camps with the Kia Tasman. There’s plenty more to a ute though, and we wanted to get behind the wheel of the Tasman yet again, to see what it’s like to drive on the black-top. We were given strict orders to keep it out of the mud and gravel, so we can’t comment on that just yet — but it’ll happen.

If you saw our last story on the all-new Tasman, you would have seen that we drove it off-road, just north of Wellington at a proving ground designed and curated for Kia’s New Zealand launch. It was there that I initially realised Kia came out swinging with this ute, with an interior I’d say is almost best in class, and off-road features some Japanese competitors could only dream of. We got a good taste that day, but I was eager to see how this large ute handled on the road. That opportunity soon materialised, with Kia handing out the long-awaited press units for road testing.

Interior and Cabin

Right off the bat, when you jump into the Tasman you realise it’s a premium place to be. The materials used throughout are high-end for a ute at this price point. The leather is supple, the knurled machining on the switches is incredibly well done, and there are features galore in the cabin for both the driver and passengers.

The front seats are both ventilated and heated, with the rear seats having heating only — still, epic. The rear seats recline, which adds comfort and is a feature not often seen in the ute segment. For back-seat passengers, there’s a pencil-case-style storage compartment on the back of the front seats, with built-in USB-C chargers in the same location. Passenger comfort has clearly been a big priority with the Tasman, so if you’ve got tech-addicted teens, they’ll be stoked riding in the back of the Tasman on a long journey.

For the tech-addicted adults, there’s a near-30-inch panoramic screen up front displaying your main menus, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, climate control, and the main multi-faceted gauge display. It’s all customisable to suit your preferences. One gripe I had with this setup is that the mini-climate control display sits right behind the steering wheel, so you’ve got to cock your head to the left to see it when you’re hitting the physical climate-control switches on the dash. You can go into a dedicated climate-control screen for more visibility, but then you lose your Android Auto or CarPlay display.

On the Road

On-road performance isn’t something everyone worries about if you’re building a 4WD dedicated to being off the beaten track. But with so many tarmac miles to cover here in New Zealand before you reach those farm gates, it’s something that ranks high on the list.

After covering about 60 kilometres back to our hometown north of Auckland, I knew the tyre pressures on this press vehicle were set too high. The gauge cluster showed around 42 psi, and it felt every bit of it — simply too high for a factory ute on all-terrains with no load. After dropping them to around 34 psi, the ride improved considerably. The Hankook AT tyres fitted to the Tasman have a stiff sidewall, so there’s no need for excessive pressure.

It doesn’t feel as large as it looks, with a fairly quick steering rack that requires less input than you’d think in a ute this long. The transmission shifter stalk sits underneath the indicator stalk, which wasn’t my favourite design choice — I found myself bumping it often when indicating. The direction to engage Drive and Reverse also felt backward to me, though I did get used to it over the week. Overall, the Tasman cruises incredibly well at any speed and is an easy vehicle to clock up the miles in.

The Drivetrain

The Tasman is powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 154 kW and 440 Nm, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s a well-matched combo. Being a smaller-capacity diesel, it’s a higher-revving engine than some may be used to. Off-boost torque isn’t amazing, and to maintain highway speeds up hills it needs to drop down a gear or two. It needs RPM and boost pressure to produce those power and torque figures, so keep that in mind if you’re towing or building a heavy overlanding rig.

RPM plus boost means additional load on an engine — something that could affect long-term reliability, though time will tell. As a comparison, my 1HD-FTE engine in my Land Cruiser is a 4.2-litre six-cylinder producing 151 kW and 430 Nm. It’s an engine almost twice the size but running about half the boost pressure, with half the gears in the transmission. Off-boost torque is higher and comes in lower in the rev range, so it’s never working as hard.

Driving Dynamics and Ride

The Tasman rides on a ladder-frame chassis with coil-spring rear suspension — and it shows. On the road, the suspension tuning is firm but controlled, soaking up mid-corner bumps and corrugations better than most traditional utes in this class. The steering feels precise for its size, and while the long wheelbase means it’s not the tightest in carparks, body-roll is well managed through corners.

Highway noise suppression is impressive. Even at 110 km/h, the cabin stays quiet with minimal tyre roar and only a muted diesel note up front. Combined with supportive seats and strong air-con, it’s a genuinely comfortable long-distance cruiser.

Braking is progressive with solid pedal feel, and the suite of driver-assistance tech — including adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, and forward collision avoidance — works smoothly without the over-sensitivity that plagues some competitors.

While we didn’t tow during this drive, the Tasman’s 3,500 kg braked towing capacity and around 1,000 kg payload mean it’s well placed for touring or trade work.

Practicality

The tub measures 1,512 mm long, 1,572 mm wide (1,186 mm between wheel arches), and 540 mm deep, giving plenty of usable space for work gear, tools, or overlanding setups. Ground clearance for the X-Pro sits at roughly 252 mm, and the ute rides on Hankook all-terrain tyres. Gross vehicle mass is 3,250 kg, with a 6,200 kg gross combination mass.

Verdict

For an all-new vehicle type for Kia, they’ve done an incredible job entering the ute market with the Tasman. It feels well-sorted, high-end, and its distinctive appearance has made an impact. It drives very well, rides comfortably, and has been one of our favourite modern ute drives to date. Next time, we’ll take it off-road.