Kia's first proper one-tonne ute arrived with an enormous marketing campaign and a design that split opinion instantly. Underneath the noise is a seriously well-engineered vehicle, and the X-Pro is the version aimed squarely at people who actually leave the bitumen.
Australian engineering
Unlike many rivals adapted from overseas platforms, the Tasman had heavy Australian input from the start. Kia's local team worked on the suspension, power delivery and towing calibration for our conditions — hot highways, heavy trailers and corrugated dirt.
It shows. Reviewers consistently rate the Tasman among the most refined utes in the class, with impressively muted road noise and vibration and a quiet diesel by segment standards.
The X-Pro hardware
The flagship X-Pro sits at around $75,000 and adds the off-road gear: ground clearance rises to 252mm, wading depth is 800mm, and there is a locking rear differential plus Kia's X-Trek low-speed off-road mode. The four-wheel drive system offers 2WD-High, 4WD-High, 4WD-Low and a '4A' automatic mode that engages the front axle when needed — genuinely useful on wet roads.
Power comes from a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel producing 154kW and 440Nm through an eight-speed automatic. On paper it is down on the Ranger's V6, but it is smooth and quiet in use.
The cabin
This is where the Tasman quietly beats almost everything. The interior is one of the best in the ute class — well laid out, solidly built, and comfortable enough that testers have reported stepping out after seven-hour drives feeling fresh. In a segment first, the rear seat base slides forward to allow a more relaxed backrest angle.
The downsides
The styling is divisive, and that will matter at resale. Some detailing is odd — plastic-look front fenders and headlights mounted right at the extremities of the nose, which is prime territory for damage from branches or wildlife. And the X-Pro is priced at the expensive end of the segment.
Verdict
A remarkably assured first effort. If you can live with the looks, the Tasman X-Pro is one of the most comfortable, best-finished and most capable dual-cabs you can buy — and the Australian tuning is not just a press release.