The eagerly awaited Kia Tasman Ute has been snapped on film for the first time down under, revealing its interior to the world for the first time ever.
How the video leaked
A video popped up on social media last night. It looks like the Ute is stashed in a secure parking area of an industrial district in Sydney (you can spot NSW rego plates on nearby cars).
The Ute’s paint job is decked out in a flashy camo wrap, with extra fabric thrown to disguise the body’s shape – but it didn’t take long for the veil to be lifted! A tradie, donning a high-vis jacket, managed to get exclusive entry to the Ute and yanked off the interior covers – meant to shield the dashboard’s design during public road tests – after a mate popped the lock.
Oblivious to the fact they might be jeopardising their gigs by unveiling Kia’s highly confidential new beast – or the sheer scale of this leak for Kia worldwide – the bloke filming offers a blow-by-blow of what he’s laying eyes on.
The footage reveals the Ute is sporting a left-hand-drive setup (for foreign readers, Australia is right-hand-drive). It’s thought to be a hand-crafted prototype made from nearly-final production moulds.
Here’s what we know now
Leaked documents have confirmed those horizontal fender flares are there to stay. Inside, there are two whopper 12.3-inch screens (one for the gauges and one for the entertainment system) stretching over half the dash, give a modern cockpit feel.
The innards of the Kia Tasman Ute seem to take a leaf out of the Kia EV9 electric SUV’s book, flaunting a gutsy industrial design. The Tasman even looks to be rocking the same gear stick as the Kia EV9, which may be unsurprising given the Tasman will offer an electric option which heavily borrows from the EV9.
The clip also shows off toasty heated seats, an electronic handbrake, a hefty sunroof for the front duo, sizeable cup holders, generous door bins, and what look like solid interior door handles. A Tasman badge is resting on the back seat, likely for dealer sneak peeks.
The video also gives us a squiz at the sheer bulk of the Kia Tasman. It’s shaping up to be heftier than a Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger – it has been compared to a Jeep Gladiator ute in length – but not quite as massive as a Ford F-150. In fact, Kia will be releasing a second, larger ute to take-on the full-size pickup market in the US, as will Hyundai.
Kia’s ute is pegged for a mid-2025 launch in Oz, being dubbed the Tasman as a salute to Australia’s heavy inclusion in the design process.
As tipped earlier, the Kia Tasman is expected to pack a 2.2-litre turbo diesel four-banger, with a towing grunt of 3.5 tonnes and a payload of up to a tonne.
Don’t forget to join our Kia Tasman Facebook Group for more details!
