2025 Kia Tasman - Design Review
with a desire to move Kia into the mainstream. Now with Mohave entering its 2nd generation (3rd design) and the pickup market heating up worldwide. It just seemed like a better time to finally give the SUV its much-deserved pickup sibling. We are truly glad that this project is finally coming to light after two (2) decades, but could they at least have given us a truck counterpart to the amazing SUV they released back in 2008. As you may have noticed by our tone, that the all-new pickup from Kia is nothing to be amazed by. Sure, it has its quirks which set it apart from the crowd, but all around, this new truck is nothing short of lunch bag letdown. Most of us were hoping for a Mohave source pickup, but in turn found ourselves wondering how we wound up with this. Guess someone in the design department at Kia, just wanted to give us something as odd as the original Mohave pickup concept from 2005. Up front this all-new truck sports a face which only a mother could love. Whereas the Borrego/Mohave gave us a toaster on wheels with a simple yet brutish appeal, the Tasman gives us that odd Military vehicle appeal. Sure, this could work to its favour in the army, but on the public roads, this is sure to be a face which will turn heads in all the wrong ways. From the bottom up, it seems that everything just doesn’t make any sense. Well, except for the bumper, that is one part which makes this truck seem like a truck. The rest just adds to the military effect, but that could be because Kia’s start in trucks did come from its military presence. Originally Kia was South Korea’s military product producer and with this background it just seemed like a matter of time before it would enter the truck and SUV market. It did hit the SUV market, but without a truck by its side, its product lineup was not complete. Now they have one and its seems that they forgot that they were making a product for consumer consumption, not the military. Military’s only care about how a product performs, not how it looks. Seems this was lost in translation when the designers set out to create a truck. Sure, its better than the original Mohave concept, as it does have truck appeal. But it is still missing a proper flow through in its design language. The bumper gives the front end its powerful truck look, but that is where things stop. Higher up the grille is inset with a body colour accent. This takes away from the power appeal which makes others trucks, trucks. Chrome or blacked out grilles can make a truck, but with a small size and limited appeal, the grille on the Tasman is in dire need of change. Growing its space and adding on some black flashing, could help this front look more aggressive. Higher up the hood is at a loss when it comes to its power image. Now proper cowl makes this truck limited on aggression. A flat flowing hood is what killed the F-150 in the mid 90’s. Sure, it was good for the SVT Lightning, but not for a truck. This followed onto the new Ranger, which was quickly changed to add more aggression on. More cowl on the hood is what makes most new mid-size trucks aggressive, but the Tasman is at a loss when it comes to this aspect.  Rolling over the front wheel you find yourself in awe as Kia did manage to hide the headlights of the Tasman. This may seem like a great idea, but when your wheel wells are cladded over, its not. Borrowing the extra cladding left over from GM’s failed Aztec and Avalanche, Kia has decided to bring back this trend on its first truck. Maybe this is something which should have stayed in the early 2000’s, as plastic cladding is not something trending now. Of course, if we change the colour of the truck, this may look good, but not in every colour. This is a trend in the aftermarket world as oversized plastic wheel well covers are a great fit, but only when they go with oversized tires. Not when it’s a base model truck. This trend continues along the bottom and top of the Tasman, as Kia has added on more of this cheap plastic cladding to the rocker panels, window edges and the roof rails. We all need to keep the lower portion of our trucks safe from the outdoors, but when they don’t blend with the wheel wells or even come with step rails, then we start to run into problems. Some clear flow through from the rocker panels to the wheel wells can improve the overall flow and appeal of a vehicle. But it seems Kia has decided to run with a multiple time zone layout instead. Time zones are great for our transportation network, but not for our designs. Having multiple time zones when it comes to our accents, makes any vehicle look incomplete. Flow is what is required to make a vehicle look whole. Without this, all we have is a set of multiple time zones working against each other. Kia did mange to give us an active looking tire and rim combo, but only on select models. On our base, we get the same old, boring, bland, rims from Kia’s CUV lineup. A set of rims may look good on a grocery getting CUV, but trucks need to be the leader of the pack when it comes to all aspects, and when you add on aspects from your other products, then all you have is a follower, not a leader.  Out back is where Kia put on their big boy pants and took a look at the truck market. Here is where they added the only aspects which gave this truck any decent points when it came to its rating. Adding on an oversized inset logo to the rear gives the appeal that this truck means business. Add to this an oversized Tasman name, and you won’t wonder what this is and who makes it. Kia managed to make their mark on the rear, but can it keep going from there? They almost did, when it came to the bumper and lights, but they may still have some issues to work out. The bumper runs with the time zone theme, as it comes in three parts. Two (2) sides break off from the side body moldings, which does show us where the bumper is and one of the best features on this truck. Using a page from GM, Kia has added on bumper steps to make it easy to get product out of the box. Great, but when the main bumper has been cut off from the sides, we may have a few issues setting in. Without a proper flow from the edge of the steps, down to the bumper another time zone is created. We get it that this was needed to keep a clear spacing for the tailgate, but without a proper flow through, its overall image is at a loss. Higher up the lights do add on some aggression to the rear, but with its 3D appeal and odd layout, these lights are a far cry from making a proper statement. We can say that they do run with the theme of the Tasman and nearly run the same layout as the well cladding. Two parts which Kia could have made some minor adjustments too, are the tailgate top and rear window. The window is a nice touch with a wraparound look, but this could pose a problem for those who don’t add a back rack to the box. And it would be cause for an oversized repair bill if it was damaged. Ever wonder why most trucks have simple flat windows! As for the top of the tailgate, the addition of a half-sized spoiler was not a good fit for this or any truck. Who really cares about aerodynamics when you’re towing or hauling. Sure, we all love to save on fuel, but when you sacrifice the appeal of a truck for this, then you’re not making a truck, you’re making a CUT (crossover utility truck).  Overall, the Tasman is a worthwhile truck from a manufacture who has been at the forefront of change over the last decade. But without any proper follow through and some borrowed appeal from the Jeep Gladiator and Kia Mohave, this new truck may find a place in the market. And if it is like the rest of Kia’s lineup, its price will sway consumers minds away from its obscure design and appeal. We do look forward to the aftermarket worlds take on this, as we wait for the GT and GT Line along with any great features from SEMA. Everett J. #autolooks COMPETITION: Fiat Titano - 52.56% Byd Shark - 63.40% Mazda BT-50 - 63.09% Nissan Frontier - 52.24%
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