Kia Tasman long-term review

It’s well known that dual-cab utes have become a popular lifestyle-vehicle choice for Australian families, regardless of whether there’s a tradie in the household or not.

And that’s how the Kia Tasman will be approached with our long-term-review coverage of the Korean brand’s first ever ute.

If you follow car news regularly, you’ll also be aware that the Tasman has struggled in showrooms, with sales falling considerably short of Kia’s annual target of 20,000 units.

It’s surely no coincidence that no other ute has arguably copped as much flak for its design.

Neither styling nor sales influence how we judge a vehicle at Chasing Cars, and the Tasman has beaten rivals in several of our comparison tests.

Not long after its launch in August 2025, a Tasman X-Line won our big ute comparison – beating the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, and the then outgoing Toyota Hilux.

At the start of the year, the one-up-from-base Tasman SX then saw off a challenge from the Isuzu D-Max X-Rider.

And in mid 2026, the Tasman received our judges’ votes for Best Dual-Cab Ute in our 2026 Chasing Cars Car of the Year awards.

Now it’s time for us to live with one. And our first spec is the X-Line that was victorious in that first comparison.

Sitting just below the flagship X-Pro, the X-Line is invariably equipped with a long list of standard features.

Above the mid-range SX+ Tasman, the X-Line exterior gains projector-style LED headlights, privacy glass, bridge-style roof rails. It matches the SX+’s 18-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, cloth is swapped for artificial leather upholstery, the front seats gain a heating function and the driver’s seat features electric adjustment.

The X-Line is also the first Tasman in the line-up to bring paddle-shift levers to the steering wheel, as well as switching from a conventional console-mounted gearlever to a transmission stalk (complete with engine on/off).

Tech additions include a surround-view camera, parking-collision avoidance aid, blind sport video monitor, and dual charging pads.

The back seat adopts a slide-recline function to offer rear passengers a more relaxed seating position, along with a centre armrest that will be particularly appreciated by the kids.

Not forgetting that crucial rearmost compartment, the Tasman’s tray features a bedliner and 240-volt socket from the SX+ up.

Pricing? Well, there was a major change not long after we took ‘ownership’ of our X-Line, with showroom stickers dropping across the range. Originally priced from $70,990 drive-away, the X-Line dropped to just under $60K at $59,990 drive-away – a huge $11,000 saving.

While there’s a caveat that these prices apply to MY25 builds, it would be worth a chat to your local Kia dealer if you’d rather a later build.

Our long-term Tasman isn’t exactly how I would personally spec the vehicle.

Firstly, I’d choose the Cityscape Green exterior paint over our test car’s Aurora Black.

Then I’d add two accessories that aren’t standard on any Tasman, not even the range-topping X-Pro, to make the ute more family-friendly.

Integrated side steps to make it easier to climb into the cabin. Not just for the kids (who have already complained about this) but for adults, where it can still be a bit awkward getting in, especially if the Tasman isn’t parked on a flat area.

The other would be an electronic roller cover to keep luggage secure for family trips away.

Kia Tasman Ownership: What We’re Enjoying So Far

There’s nothing controversial about the Tasman’s interior. There’s also no contest when it comes to determining the benchmark cabin in the dual-cab ute segment.

It’s a virtually perfect mix of stylishness, modernity, functionality, tech integration, and space.

The seats may not be covered in real leather, but the stitched pleather – with its seemingly Tetris-inspired patterns – add to the premium vibe, and they’re also plenty comfortable.

While the three-displays-in-one horizontal digital dash housing further blurs the line between Kia’s ute and SUV interiors, there’s no over-reliance on touchscreens; there are physical, knurled toggles for temperature and fan controls plus a knurled scroller for the volume controller.

Even the smallest digital display – the climate panel – is a helpful asset, including additional shortcuts so you don’t have to dig into touchscreen menus to find regularly needed functions such as windscreen/rear-window heaters and recirculation.

With the X-Line (and X-Pro) employing that stalk-style transmission switch, that frees up space on the centre console for the notable introduction of a console cubby lid that folds over to create a mini working table.

It also makes space for more 4×4 switches, while the two X- models have two smartphone charging pads rather than the single of other grades.

The electrically adjustable driver’s seat has also been welcome for when occupancy switches between Mr and Mrs Spinks

The kids have also been enjoying the generously room rear seat, along with its comfy bench and good view out. A car without a centre rear armrest is always a deal-breaker for them, but that’s another tick for the X-Line (but would rule out all grades below it!).

Wait till they learn the X-Line’s rear seat also features a slide-and-recline function as well as featuring hidden storage.

The Tasman’s tray – one of the biggest in the segment, with one of the highest payload ratings – has also been brilliant for chucking multiple bikes into the back. Beats fiddling around with roof-rack carriers

Kia Tasman Ownership: What We’re NOT Enjoying So Far

Diesel prices! A couple of early fuel bills have been eye-watering, especially when diesel prices were above $3 per litre.

While that’s not strictly the fault of the Tasman, there are no drivetrain alternatives to the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel. Initial signs are that the X-Line’s official 7.8 litres per 100km consumption won’t be achievable in the real world.

The Tasman is also yet another Kia where the driver – and passengers – are likely to be annoyed by the chimes of the Speed Limit warning system, which make themselves audible in school zones regardless of the time of day, or even if the speedo steps a single km/h over a posted limit.

You can switch it off – and we’ve set up the ‘star symbol’ shortcut button the steering wheel – but it defaults to on every time you fire the Tasman into life.

The lane-keep assist (LKA) system is also too sensitive, prompting another press of an ‘off’ button – which at least in this case is simply holding the LKA button on the steering wheel for a few seconds.

A more minor quibble is that while it’s great to have the power driver’s seat, you need the X-Pro model for memory settings.

There are some other not-quite-perfect aspects of the Tasman driving experience, but we’ll go into more detail in our next report – which will also include some off-road adventures.