Kia Says Its New Truck Looks Better in Person

An internal study shows that people think the truck looks better in the metal.

Photo by: Kia

By: Adrian Padeanu

Dec 17, 2024 at 4:41am ET

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Even Kia's exterior design chief argued that the design of the new Tasman truck takes time to grow on you. John Buckingham said his team created something unique and clearly "not an accident." But you've read the comments and might have posted one of your own. The Korean brand says it has read the initial "commentary," but people are apparently beginning to change their opinions.

According to Dean Norbiato, Kia Australia's general manager of marketing, prospective customers who have seen the Tasman up close are changing their minds about the design: "A lot of people, the more time they see it and spend with it, we are seeing a separation in opinion from the initial launch." Seemingly, based on internal research, the new Ford Ranger rival looks better in real life than in press shots.

Photo by: Kia

"From what we've seen, people who have physically seen it in the flesh seem to have a different opinion from seeing one 2D image of the vehicle."

There's no beating around the bush; the Tasman is unlike any other truck in the midsize segment. The unorthodox styling helps the pickup stand out with its headlights so far apart and the nose sticking out. A "fix" for the "eyebrow" fenders is already planned. Kia previously said it had to make a big splash to attract customers' attention who would typically buy a Ranger, Amarok, or a Hilux. The new workhorse won't be sold in the United States, so we wouldn't necessarily count on the confirmed electric version coming here.

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Whether ugly, beautiful, or something in between, the Tasman has a mountain to climb, given the ferocious competition dominated by well-established players. The body-on-frame truck must battle giants in this segment without the V-6 power that its rivals offer. While the Ranger and Hilux have SUV equivalents, Kia won't have an answer to Everest and Fortuner.

2025 Kia Tasman

Source: Kia

The Tasman will be available in 2025 in single-cab, double-cab, and chassis-cab configurations. A work truck variant with steel wheels, a snorkel, and a bull bar is planned. Left- and right-hand drive layouts, 4x4 and 4x2 setups, manual and automatic transmissions, and four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines have been developed.