Kia Tasman in the 50 million won range..It's a pickup truck, and I'm surprised by the comfort of a passenger SUV!
Apr 03, 2025
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You may think of the Kia Brisa pickup in the past, Hyundai Pony pickup, or Hyundai Santa Cruz in the United States, but all of these models are derivative pickups with modified passenger models.
Tasman is the first traditional pickup that separates truck beds based on frame bodies such as Ford F series and Chevrolet Colorado.
First means good, but it may mean that there is a lack of history or know-how. The biggest doubt was also the uncomfortable ride of the frame body, so I headed to Inje.
Dozens of Tasman are lined up at the Inje Icefish Festival. The test drive course also consists of a total of three courses: Gongdo, Imdo, and Off-road, and it is time to check the true value of Tasman.
The first vehicle to test drive is the Tasman four-wheel drive extreme specification. Except for the off-road specialized trim, X-Pro, it is the top model. It is a model that adds the luxury of a car rather than a pickup-down toughness. The wheel is also the only one of the four trims to have an 18-inch size and is stylish with diamond cutting.
I took a test drive and went on the first course, Gongdo. The most surprising thing is that when you pick up, it is generally a little burdensome to handle, such as a hard ride and a heavy steering wheel. But with little time to adjust, Tasman was as easy as driving a mid-size SUV like the Kia Sorento.
Because it is a body-on-frame type, the overall view, including seat points, was definitely high, but except for that part, the stereotypes I had in the pickup quickly ran away from the smooth acceleration, moderately soft steering wheel sense, and most of all, the amazing ride.
It was possible to guess that this is why Kia launched the slogan 'pick-up but not the pickup so far' in the advertisement.
Similar content was heard during a Q&A session with a Kia official in charge of development and marketing. Among customers operating existing mid-sized and large SUVs, there is considerable demand for a car that is similar to a passenger SUV and has a separate trunk space.
The key point is that customers operating SUVs have developed only TAS as another alternative. As such, the high-end and ride of the interior were differentiated with the same feeling as existing SUVs while keeping the original loading and off-road driving capabilities of pickup intact.
I finally changed my test drive to X-Pro specification for off-road forest road driving. The X-Pro is an off-road specialized trim, but it is the highest-end specification, so the interior feels different.
In particular, the color match of the Deep Green & Terra Cotta Brown model provided only by X-Pro is refined, and the material is also observed, reminiscent of a high-end SUV. The application of the air vent's honeycomb pattern and air conditioning physical button in a larger size than before is also a pickup truck-like design element.
In the case of the X-Pro, the lowest ground height is 252 mm, which is 28 mm higher than the normal trim. The tire also has a larger overall diameter than other trim, so it has a size 26570R 17 all-terrain tire. The wheel is also painted with black gloss, which is suitable for off-road driving.
In the case of the forest road course, it is a section that is not normally open, and it was a road that was specially permitted to operate for test-drive events. As such, there were many muddy sections and the height was so severe that it was difficult to take a course with a general passenger SUV.
The Tasman X-Pro was too simple to convert from 4A, or four-wheel auto to 2H, 4H, and 4L modes, with two-speed ATC applications. In particular, when he drove with 4L, or four-wheel low mode, he lightly broke through the fairly steep forest road section.This is the result of the combination of the X-Pro trim's high minimum ground height and all-terrain tire capacity.
On off-road driving, the 650mm descent course, the slope close to 45 degrees, and the bump course were rough. For each course, the features of the Tasman X-Pro were demonstrated without regret. The function I liked the most while driving the off-road section is the ground view function.
When driving on sections such as steep slopes or bumps, if the car often faces the sky, it is often impossible to properly grasp and the surrounding situation. In this case, the ground view function shows the situation under the body in real time, allowing even off-road beginners to run comfortably.
In addition, the function of E-LD was also powerful. The regular four-wheel trim has a mechanical differential gear lock and the X-Pro has an electronic differential gear lock. The crucial difference is that mechanical is when one wheel rises or slips occur.
The differential gear lock is only activated, but the electronic device can lock the differential gear in advance and drive when the driver wants it. When entering the actual bump section, the function was turned on in advance and it was easy to pass.
One experience was more important than a hundred-word theory. However, it was unfortunate that the off-road specialization function was too focused on X-Pro trim. It would be nice if you could provide an option to select even a little X-Pro function for regular four-wheel trim.
I returned to base camp and toured Tasman again. After experiencing both the off-road courses of Gongdo and Imdo, the overall impression, which was a little disappointing, seems reliable.
The cushion tip-up function that can be divided into two rows and six to four, storage, and sliding and reclining at the same time are differentiated points that are not even available in Ford and Chevrolet, which are medium-sized pickup assistance.It can be seen that it was sufficiently designed as an alternative vehicle for the owner of the existing medium and large SUV.
After the test drive, it is divided into a better car than the first impression and a slightly disappointing car. Tasman was the former. I was worried that there would be a lot of regrets because it was Kia's first pickup truck, but it was a rain.It was easy to drive because the overall ride and driving feeling were not very different from the general mid-sized SUV class.
In particular, the off-road capabilities of the X-Pro trim were powerful. The lack of convenience specifications that come to mind when you think of a pickup truck or the disappointment of the second row space could not be found in Tasman.After the test drive, an unexpected pickup truck was on the wish list for future car candidates.
a line review
Advantage: Is this a frame body? Really comfortable ride and luxury interior
Disadvantage: 2.5 Gasoline fuel efficiency is absurd! There's no hybrid..X-Pro or off-road features are not good
Editor Song Moon-cheol mc.song@carguy.kr
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
