Kia Tasman Pickup Truck Looks Like A Real-Deal Toyota Tacoma Rival

The Kia Tasman is a midsize pickup that is set to launch in 2025. Initially, it was expected to launch in only Australia, but Kia has since confirmed that it will also be available in Korea, Africa, and the Middle East. That makes it a global model, but as yet, it has not been confirmed for the US market.

Now, before you get too upset, just because they haven’t announced it for us yet doesn’t mean they won’t announce it for us ever. In fact, the Tasman has been spotted testing in the US out in Southern California. If the latest video from Kia is any indication, the Tasman will have some serious off-road chops when it does go on sale.

The Promise Of Off-Road Capability

The Tasman is a pickup, or ute as they call it in Australia, that will have a body-on-frame construction with four-wheel drive and genuine capability. It’ll be more off-road ready than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which has the same platform as the Tucson. This makes it competition for the likes of the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Frontier.

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It looks to be tackling some fairly challenging terrain in this video, even catching a little air in the process. Though it’s heavily camouflaged, we’ve seen plenty of teasers that show-off the Tasman’s rough and ready styling. It looks like it should be a capable off-road truck and with how heavily Kia is leaning into that angle, it will probably meet those expectations.

Tackling Everything From Dirt To Water To Rocks

In order to be sure that the Tasman won’t disappoint off-road enthusiasts when it arrives, Kia has been testing it out in the Australian landscape, which is a notoriously challenging environment. It’s also quite diverse, which gives the Kia engineering team plenty of opportunities to test out its creation in a wide range of scenarios. Powertrains for this new pickup will be limited to 4-cylinder engines, at least for the launch. Kia didn’t want the compromises on towing and payload that come with electrification, but hybrids or electric options could be a part of its future plans.

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Previous videos have shown the Tasman splashing through water, kicking up copious amounts of dirt and sand, and easily making its way up a steep desert hillside. This time the terrain was more technical, but it handled the challenge just as easily. Kia aims to make this a midsize pickup that can do anything and go anywhere. We’ll just have to wait and see if the US is one of the places on that list.