CAR: KIA TASMAN
THEY have moved away from the beehive at Kia South Africa with the launch of their first van, the Tasman, which they are looking to make a big profit from.
The result will be that they will bite them or they will end up with only honey in the cake.
The bees in this case are the dominant groups in the field of double cab vans namely Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, VW Amarok, GWM P-Series, Nissan Navara and Foton Tunland.
You can’t blame them for trying to get to the bottom since this market is salivating since last year more than 63,000 double cabs were sold.
The year 2026 is just beginning, which has already reached 10,000 customers.
If they do, they will be following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz with their X-Class van, which was based on the Nissan Navara that was so controversial that it was withdrawn.
However, the Tasman is not the same as the X-Class because it is not derived from anywhere, instead Kia built it from the ground up.
It appeared for the first time in the eyes of people in 2024 and there was a lot of talk about how it looks. Even now, that talk has not stopped, it still leaves people confused for different reasons.
I’m one of the naysayers but after experiencing it with my own hands for a few days in the Western Cape when it was launched, I finally have no problem with it.
Others may change their mind when they get used to it. If this car was a person, it would probably be given the name Buhlebuyeza.
There are currently 150 in the country and another 300 Tasman stocks are on the way. This clearly shows their determination to increase the number of cars they sell this year, according to the CEO of Kia South Africa, Paul Turnbull.
Last year they sold 18,843 cars which is a number that has increased from 14,103 in 2024.
By 2026, Turnbull said they want to sell 23,000 and up.
Besides the Tasman, there are five other brand new cars coming this year and two with names that are already in the country.
If we go back to the Tasman, it’s pretty straight forward, it’s bright when it’s moving.
It stands out as the length is 5.410 mm and the width is 1.930 mm.
LED headlights combined with daytime running lights are placed on the sides and at the bottom there are fog lights.
I’ve seen it put them at risk of injury, especially if you’re going through dense forest.
A side view reveals 17-inch rims mounted on all-terrain wheels and a tinted rear window. The bold black fenders stand out, and if you like, you can match the color of the car’s body.
In the case there is something to protect it from being scratched when you load the goods. I liked that the lid of the can is not heavy when you open or close it.
There are many other things that you can add as you like such as bull bar, styling bar, roller shutter on the roof and towbar. This towbar can pull up to 3,500kg.
The Tasman comes in three variants namely LX two-wheel drive, SX and X-Pro all-wheel drive.
“Wu-last number” X-Pro we were going with.
Inside you’d swear it’s an SUV. It has leather, heated and cooled front seats. Another heating element is the steering wheel.
Iphinde ibe ne-touchscreen infotainment system engu-12.3 inch ehlangene ne-digital instrument cluster.
In the middle of these screens there is a small one that shows you the temperature and where the air is coming from. We couldn’t see well from the driver’s side and I had to tilt my head to look.
In the infotainment you play music through the Harman Kardon speakers, it shows you the whole outside as it has cameras on both front and back, you connect your mobile phone via Apple CarPlay/Android Auto wirelessly and more.
I like that there are buttons that quickly take you to what you want to do without touching the touchscreen until it gets dirty. I count the volume up button, which will change the temperatures and so on.
There are two USB charging ports on the front, one for wireless charging and two more for charging on the back.
In the back, I found the space for the passengers to be good, only the feet are small.
The Tasman comes with the same 2.2 liter diesel engine that is also available in other Kia vehicles such as the Sorento.
It has a power of 154kW and a torque of 440Nm and the gearbox is an 8 speed automatic.
The route took us from the Waterfront to Lambert’s Bay, not far from the neighboring country of Namibia.
We went along the tarmac, into the dirt, and back to the tarmac.
I just removed it and felt that it likes to change gears but we ended up getting to know each other.
The power felt sufficient when it stood up and asked for a way if I wanted to pass other cars and trucks pulling wagons loaded with goods.
It has four drive modes which are Eco, Normal, Sport and Tow.
The interior is quiet and when the road starts to get rough it can be heard but not in a loud way. You won’t put it on the Ranger level though.
I was explained by the way it holds, which is helped a lot by the fact that it pulls with all the wheels and puts them where they are needed. If you like, you can change it to 4H or 4Low if you are in trouble.
I’ve left it in 4 Auto in the dirt and I’ve seen it grip but I can also feel the traction control intervene to keep me on the road.
In the dirt, it was not noisy at all, not very sensitive and it increased the speed beyond scaring you that it could throw you into the bushes.
At no point did we get stuck and had to use the diff lock since we weren’t hiking. I don’t see that it would hit the ground because the height left it at 252mm.
It can even move itself if you put it in the X-Trek which you can compare to the cruise control of the dirt.
We also equipped it in the sand, which is a place where it can walk without being disturbed. There are buttons on the steering wheel to tell you what kind of terrain you are driving on, such as sand, rocks and mud
It then adjusts itself in the right way, like holding a gear in the sand.
Kia claims that it consumes 7.8 liters per 100 km from an 80 liter tank. I looked and saw that it was consuming 8.9l/100km.
In my opinion, the Tasman is a quality van that can be picked up by customers.
The coming months are the ones that will draw a clear picture of whether South African drivers will go with it or continue to stick to their favorites Ranger, Hilux which is expected to be new soon and the improved D-Max which will be launched at any time.
Price:
Kia Tasman 2.2D AT 4×2 LX R 679,995
Kia Tasman 2.2D AT 4WD SX R 879,995
Kia Tasman 2.2D AT 4WD X-PRO R 999 995
They come with a six-year or 90,000km service plan, five-year roadside assistance with no mileage and a five-year warranty with no mileage.