Kia Tasman X-Pro 2025 Tow Test

The 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel-powered X-Pro sits at the top of a five-strong 4x4 line-up, and retails for a not-inconsiderable $74,990 before on-road costs. The Cityscape Green duco of our review car is $700 on top of that, while the towbar kit is an extra $1123.

This puts it above Toyota’s top-spec HiLux GR Sport at $74,310 and about five grand more than the 2.0-litre diesel Ford Ranger Wildtrak dual cab at $69,620 before on-roads.

As the top of the pile, the X-Pro gets all the toys, including a bespoke front bar for better ground clearance, nice alloys, PU leather interior, dual-pad wireless charger up front, underbody protection for the fuel tank and more off-road driving modes.

Crucially, it does not come with a tow bar as standard, instantly putting it on the back foot against rivals including the aforementioned Ranger and Hilux, which both come with a tow bar, tongue and ball as standard fitment.

There is a nice feature on the Kia webpage that quickly allows you to reference your own tow package and see if it’s something the Tasman can potentially manage. However, with its 3500kg top line number, it should be good to go for most things this side of a tri-axle slideout van or 10m-long pleasure craft - on paper, at least.

However, there’s more to towing than figures on a laptop, and given our experience with a relatively modest payload, it really is a matter of looking past the marketing bumf and taking a measured look at your requirements.

Our load on review comprised a 1045kg Toyota Corolla racecar, packed with 110kg of bits and pieces and 60kg of fuel, loaded onto a 480kg tare dual-axle trailer with an inertia brake, giving us a tow mass of 1695kg. (Before the pitchforks are raised, I’ve yet to find an affordable dual-axle car trailer that doesn’t use such a system, and I’ve towed with no dramas for many years now.)

Kia says the X-Pro, sans all accessories save the 45kg tow bar kit, weighs 2237kg, which us a combined mass (trailer, load and tow car) of 3932kg, against a limit of 6200kg. According to Kia’s maths, we would be left with 303kg of payload capacity on our modest car/trailer combo after everything – including spares, tools, two people and luggage – is considered.

For reference, we replaced the car trailer with a 3200kg ‘camper trailer’ in the calculator (interestingly, ‘caravan’ isn’t an option), which instantly put us 117kg over that 6200kg combined figure. Puts that 3500kg towing rating in perspective, right?

Hitching up is no drama, with a securely mounted flat-pin plug and a pair of easy-access D-shackle holes making for quick and secure tethering. A splendid hi-res image of the trailer coupling via the reverse camera is a great help, as are the on-screen markings that make for a quick, easy roll-back.

A relatively soft suspension tune in the Tasman results in a slightly surprising 55mm dip on the rear axle, given the estimated downball weight of just 170kg.

Once aboard the Tasman, there are a few cool features that can be accessed to aid towing, but they only apply if your trailer relies on electronic brakes.

For example, it’s possible to set the weight distribution via a switch on the dash, but in all honesty, it feels like a pro-level feature that us part-time tow jockeys could potentially have set to the wrong value without even knowing. There is a lot of info in the manual, but be warned, you’ll need internet access to read it, as it’s only viewable via Kia’s interwebs.

Once underway, the trailer – a known quantity that has done a lot of miles behind various rigs – sat nicely and gave no hint of sway or porpoising. The 2.2-litre diesel and eight-speed auto combo plays very well together, with the Tasman never being caught in the wrong gear ratio and maintaining a decent road speed.

In fact, there is a tow setting in the drive select menu that only activates once a trailer is detected, which forces the powertrain into something akin to a Sport mode, holding gears longer and shifting down earlier as required. Be aware, though, that this mode can’t be changed once activated.

The Tasman and its trailer fared well through our multiple two-hour tows across NSW’s southern highlands, though artificially low tyre pressures of around 32psi on the first outward leg and the presence of strong headwinds blunted progress and impacted fuel economy.

Speaking of, though, the Tasman returned a decent average over almost 600km of 15.4L/100km (against its combined claimed figure of 7.6L/100km), improving quite significantly with 37psi in the ute’s Hankook all-terrain tyres (measured hot) at the expense of a little ride comfort.

There’s been a lot of publicity about the Tasman conquering dirt climbs with aplomb, but when there’s a decent load on the towbar, it’s a different story.

Our test loop includes the equally notorious Mount Ousley, a climb over the escarpment that backs onto Wollongong in NSW which extends for more than 14km and features grades more than 10-15 per cent over a couple of short sections.

While the Tasman – just – maintained the speed limit of 80km/h up Ousley’s steepest pitches, it had absolutely no more to give at any stage, which was a first for this reviewer. Oil and coolant temperatures (viewable on the dash) didn’t rise, but neither did the speed, leaving us to jockey with loaded semi-trailers in the designated tow lane.

The Tasman’s ride, too, tilts towards comfort at the expense of stability, especially in roll. In regular people speak, this means the Tasman moves about a bit under cornering, braking and acceleration, which can upset some people’s equilibrium and making them a bit nauseous.

The usual limitations of dual-cab utes apply equally to the Tasman as they do to other brands and models; the thick tray liner robs valuable space from an already-limited load area, while the Tasman’s electric tailgate required the key fob to be on one’s person, even if the vehicle was unlocked.

And while the Tasman has easily the most contemporary interior treatment of any of its rivals, it almost feels too overdone when it comes to functionality.

There are so many screens and menus to navigate for various functions like dimming dashboard lights, and in fact I’m offering a bounty of $50 to your favourite charity if someone can tell me how to dim the LED ambient lights in the cabin. I tried for 20 minutes before giving up.

If you’re waiting for me to comment on the Tasman’s physical appearance , suffice to say it’s not something I would choose, but style and design are subjective. However, many, many people were only too willing to express their (usually very strong) opinions to me, even if I didn’t know them…

This is tough to answer.

Our pro tow tester Phillip Lord will take the Tasman out with a larger load on board in the not-too distant future, and I will be interested to see how it fares.

A 1695kg loaded trailer is a long way underneath the Tasman’s claimed capability, yet it tested the vehicle more sternly than one might expect. It did the job, returning a very decent fuel economy figure along the way, but there wasn’t much meat left on the bone.

In terms of price, the lack of a fitted towbar cruels the equation in favour of the Tasman’s biggest potential rivals, not to mention the raft of dual-cab competitors coming down the pipe.

If the Tasman is on your radar to tow, it’s best to ensure that you are aware of your mass figures – and crucially, your extra bits and bobs that will add valuable kilograms to that overall number.

For example, a single-hoop bulbar is more than 90kg, a sports bar for the tub is another 20kg and side-steps (a must in our eyes, given the height of the Tasman) are 60kg. The more you add, the more it weighs, and the more it will blunt the ability of the Tasman (or any other car, for that matter) to tow successfully.

2025 Kia Tasman X-Pro at a glance:
Price: $74,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 154kW/440Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 15.4L/100km as tested (7.6L/100km combined, claimed)
CO2: 214g/km
Safety rating: 5-star (ANCAP 2025)

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