Kia Tasman S 4x4 2025 Review

The 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 pick-up is the second-cheapest complete Tasman variant you can buy (at the time of writing), priced from $49,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs).

If you want a cheaper one, you’ll have to forgo 4x4, but you’ll save $7000 in the process. Fancy a cab-chassis version? That’ll set you back $51,637 if you spec a tray through Kia or $48,240 for those wanting to go down the DIY route.

Back to the vehicle at hand, the dual-cab Tasman S 4x4 pick-up compares well with its contemporaries in terms of outright value, undercutting the comparable Isuzu D-MAX SX 3.0L 4x4, Ford Ranger XL Bi-Turbo 4x4 and Toyota HiLux SR 4x4 by more than $4200, $4600 and $5100 respectively.

The boggo Tasman pick-up even undercuts the equivalent Mitsubishi Triton (GLX 4x4), traditionally the big-name value king, by almost $1000.

Not only is it cheaper than all its major rivals, the 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 also offers more equipment and tech than most other entry-grade work utes – Chinese offerings excluded.

Headline gear here includes dual-zone climate control, a six-speaker sound system, cloth upholstery, a leather steering wheel, remote tailgate release and engine start, a damped tailgate, 17-inch steel wheels, a full-size spare, keyless entry and push-button start.

Manual seats, rearview mirror and a traditional gear selector all predictably feature, as does a 60/40-split folding and tip-up second row, below which you’ll find 45 litres of storage.

The whole package is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty (again bettering all key rivals) while the powertrain needs to be serviced every 12 months/15,000km at an average cost of $609 per visit over the seven-year capped-price service period, which puts it at the dearer end of the spectrum.

Very. The 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 is covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating issued this year, a rating it shares with the more expensive SX and SX+ thanks in part to its polarising front apron.

Helping signal its position on the road are automatic LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights, with driver’s reminded of the speed limit by a combination of traffic-sign recognition and Kia’s incessant but never-truly-reliable intelligent speed-limit assist system – which can mercifully be silenced with a long hold of the mute button.

If or when skid comes to crunch, occupants are protected by seven airbags, but attempting to prevent a crash is an armada of active safety systems and driver aids. They include autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse), blind spot monitoring and collision avoidance assist, rear cross traffic alert and collision avoidance assist, safe exit warning, driver monitoring, lane keeping and following assist, lane departure warning, a reversing camera with dynamic lines, front and rear parking sensors as well as highway driving assist.

One nice touch included on the Tasman S, given it’s a base spec, is tyre pressure monitoring.

The 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 is a rare beast in its class because it offers the sort of technology you’d ordinarily expect to see further up the pecking order. It gains a configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 5.5-inch climate control interface, 12.3-inch infotainment system, wireless smartphone mirroring, connected services, speed dependant volume control, over-the-air (OTA) updates and digital radio.

During our week with the car, the vast majority of these features worked flawlessly in the usual Kia fashion… save for the wireless CarPlay which decided it didn’t want to play ball the one time we genuinely needed it to.

All three of the screens are easy on the eye and simple to use, and the six-speaker audio system sounds reasonable with some careful tuning.

Hiding under the 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4’s enormous bonnet is a comparatively compact 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine pinched out of the Sorento family SUV.

Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard, the once private-duty mill has been optimised – with a heavily upgraded cooling system and remapped accordingly – for its utilitarian deployment and now outputs a handy 154kW.

However, it’s 440Nm torque figure lags behind its competitor set. Although Kia Australia insists the Tasman offsets its smaller number with a wider, and therefore more useable, torque band (more on that later).

Unusually for a lower spec, the Tasman S comes with a full-time 4x4 system offering 2H, 4A, 4H and 4L running, with 4A being the default setting.

A two-speed transfer case provides low-range gearing for those technical off-road jaunts while the obligatory rear locker is an unconventional automatic unit – compared to the usual selectable set-up.

Kia claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 7.6L/100km for the cheapest off-road-capable Tasman, but we saw a number closer to 8.0L/100km at the end of our week with the rig, which mostly consisted of highway miles, errand-running and an afternoon’s off-roading.

Still, it wasn’t a million miles off the official claim, which is already very competitive for the segment, as is the 80-litre fuel tank.

Given the amount of noise Kia Australia made about its hefty involvement in the Tasman’s development and how it was gunning for the Ford Ranger – plus the fact it’s now the only brand to locally tune every one of its models – the bar of expectation was set pretty high.

In terms of general road manners, the 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 does very well in that it’s comfortable, stable, surprisingly dynamic (for a ute) and offers decent performance for the segment.

The unladen ride quality is better than most of its rivals, though we can’t vouch for how well it does with a decent load in the back this time around, and we particularly like the accuracy of the steering – even if it is a little numb.

Riding on 17-inch steel wheels, the Tasman S sits surprisingly flat in the corners and offers an impressive amount of grip thanks to that full-time 4x4 system and its frequency-selective dampers, though the latter also proves to be its biggest foible.

As comfortable as the rear suspension is, the front lacks rebound control in that the nose will bob a couple of times after a decent impact and bounce up and down almost consistently over smaller ones. It isn’t uncomfortable or wallowy per se, but the movement is noticeable and not a trait exhibited by many of its rivals. It could also become an issue with an 80kg bull bar on the front.

The Sorento-sourced engine is more than a proven unit at this point (in SUV-land) and we can confirm it does rather well under the bonnet of the Tasman in combination with the eight-speed automatic. Although, as mentioned above, we didn’t tow or carry anything noteworthy during our time with the Taman S.

Kia was right when it said the Tasman’s real-world performance would be defined by its broad and usable torque band, which the transmission exploits almost flawlessly in most day-to-day scenarios. However, you can notice the lack of engine size when climbing – the turbo has to be blowing, which means you can expect some indecisive downshifts.

Little wonder, too, given how big the body is for a comparatively small engine. That size can be both a blessing and a hindrance. The Tasman is stable in blustery conditions, there’s heaps of room to get and stay comfortable, the tub’s huge and nobody bothers you on the freeway.

Conversely, shopping-centre and inner-city carparks can be tiresome, contraflow roadworks can feel claustrophobic, the huge bonnet isn’t great for visibility and we’d be impressed to see one of these fit in a modern garage.

On the freeway, the base Tasman is a quiet and comfortable cruiser with very little in the way of engine or road noise, though being so big and boxy, there is predictably a bit of wind noise from around the A-pillars and arguably too small wing mirrors.

Reasonable, is the short answer to this question.

Compared to its base model competition, the 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 is hamstrung off-road primarily by its lack of front clearance; an unfortunate penalty of its ANCAP-satisfying front apron.

We dragged the nose some half a dozen times negotiating what many would consider mild tracks and fire trails (no need for low range) in the S, where other utes like the Nissan Navara, GWM Cannon and Isuzu D-MAX have had no issues.

A bull bar would undoubtedly improve things, but then you’d likely run into some suspension issues given the previously mentioned bouncing from the front-end and the fact the Tasman seems to dollop into holes and ruts rather than simply drive in.

It feels big and heavy, which it ultimately is, but its wide tracks and long wheelbase prove useful when things get more technical thanks to the sheer stability they provide and the resulting way the Tasman can straddle features smaller vehicles can’t.

The eight-speed transmission provides usefully low gearing in both high- and low-range off-road, the suspension has decent reach and articulation, while the full-time 4x4 system is as versatile as they come. The off-road drive modes tailor the traction control and powertrain to the conditions at hand nicely and the auto rear locker is always on standby should you need it.

Obviously, Kia offers the hugely more expensive Tasman X-Line and X-Pro for those wanting more capability out of the box, but the base model does reasonably well on the sort of terrain a fleet-spec ute would typically be expected to perform on.

As far as base models go, the 2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 easily has one of the best cabins in the segment.

On top of being genuinely vast, there’s almost no indication you’re in the fleet special of the line-up, save perhaps for the missing rear air vents and centre armrest.

Yes, there are the obligatory hard and scratchy – read tough – plastics on the dash and doors, but they’re no worse or apparent than in any other ute of virtually any price point.

Everything feels solid and well put together, the leather steering wheel, switch gear and door pulls all feel quality items and there aren’t any rattles from the dash or seats.

That said, Kia has missed a trick by only fitting one glovebox instead of the segment-standard two. Or, at the very least, some sort of additional storage shelf. There’s undeniably room there, but we wonder if designers prioritised the aesthetic over practicality this time around – not a good call for a workhorse.

If you’re after a genuinely good value new workhorse or entry-level 4x4 ute, the 2025 Kia Tasman S is well worth a look depending on your priorities.

Tradie buyers are getting class-leading value among the legacy automakers, all the obligatory capabilities (3500kg towing, 1025kg payload), diesel power as well as the safety and versatility of full-time 4x4.

Private buyers benefit from most of the same, plus a largely comfortable ride, secure handling and exuberant amounts of cabin space for the family. There’s also a big tray for all the toys, but its overall size could prove challenging for some.

Those with a penchant for four-wheel driving might want to look elsewhere given the issues that arise from the Tasman’s front apron. The bumper clearance simply isn’t good enough and we have reservations over the suspension’s performance once a bull bar is fitted – Kia, we’re happy to be proven wrong on this one.

The question for fleet buyers, largely whom the Tasman S is aimed at, is; does the Tasman do anything the Ranger, HiLux, D-MAX, BT-50, Triton, Navara or Amarok can’t?

In the context of boggos, the big Kia is nicer to drive than most, better value, safer (technically), near enough as capable and backed by a superior aftersales program.

So, on paper then, it should be a winner.

2025 Kia Tasman S 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $49,990 plus on-road costs
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 154kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 200g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2025)

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