2026 Kia Tasman S 4×2 review

As with most utes, the 2026 Kia Tasman will first be seen around Australia in carefully curated, glossy lifestyle images of high-spec versions on billboards and in TV commercials.

For real working Aussies, fleets and small businesses alike, the real test of how good the Tasman is comes much further down the range. The Tasman S tested here, with two-wheel drive, is the entry point to the range.

It’s the vehicle Kia will be using to lure roadworks crews and rental car companies, but it’s also one that carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers around Australia should probably be paying attention to.

With the rise of well-equipped and increasingly capable utes from Chinese brands, Kia couldn't just lob a stripped-out base model and call it a day. Instead, the Tasman S needs to balance equipment and price, capability and versatility to make an impact.

As Kia’s first attempt at a ute, getting the basics right is as crucial as nailing the have-it-all equipment and pumped-up looks of the flagship models.

The Tasman 4x2 has slightly cheaper service costs over its life, and as with other Kia models, pricing is capped for the first seven years or 105,000km.

Unlike brands that keep prices the same across the first couple of years of ownership, the Tasman has a different price applied per scheduled service visit, starting at $361 for the first service and reaching as high as $803 for the fourth visit.

Service intervals are set every 12 months or 15,000km. Over the first seven years, service costs add up to $3971, or if you change your ute over more quickly, five years adds up to $2806.

A 4x2 Ranger costs $1596 over the same five years, if pre-paying for scheduled servicing. An Isuzu D-Max 4x2 would be $2345, though this varies for older versions.  

On the insurance side of things, a comprehensive insurance quote for the Tasman S 4x2 came to $2890 per year for private use. A D-Max SX dual-cab 1.9L 4x2 was quoted at 2655 per year, and a Ranger XL dual-cab 4x2 came to $3229.

All quotes used the same representative 35-year-old male driver from Chatswood, NSW. Driver age, location, driver history, and other factors may impact insurance quotes, and you should always check with your insurer.

The Kia Tasman comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded in 2025.

That provides peace of mind for private buyers, and means there are no restrictions from fleet purchasers who demand five-star safety to meet OH&S obligations.

Broken into individual section scores, the Tasman was rated 85 per cent for both adult and child occupant protection. Vulnerable road user protection received a 74 per cent rating, and safety assist systems were rated at 80 per cent against ANCAP’s assessment criteria.

Even the entry-level Tasman S comes with driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-keep assist with lane centring, and traffic sign recognition that goes beyond just speed signs, and includes alerts for traffic control signs, rail crossings, and school zones.

The autonomous emergency braking is able to detect pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles and offers intersection intervention with evasive steering assist. Rear cross-traffic alert and braking help reduce the risk of damage at the other end.

The Tasman S misses a couple of features found on more expensive versions, like a more advanced adaptive cruise-control system with lane-change assist, low-speed reverse collision avoidance, 360-degree cameras, and blind-spot view cameras, but still packs in plenty.

Better still, the included equipment works well in Aussie conditions. The lane assist will still let you move around within a lane, the cruise control feels a lot like a human driver (although it can get a little confused when passing irregularly shaped loads on the back of trucks on multi-lane roads), and the alert beeps and chimes don’t go too far.

Speed limit assist is present and will chime any time you cross the speed limit, but it’s easy to mute with a long press of the steering wheel mute button, and it proved quite accurate in our time with the car. Likewise, the driver monitoring camera really only pegs you in the situations where you probably have had your eyes off the road too long, and will let you check mirrors or look for crossing traffic without hassling you.

Passive safety equipment includes dual front airbags, front seat outboard side airbags, a centre airbag between front occupants, and curtain airbags that cover both rows of seats. The rear bench offers only two top-tether child seat mounts and two ISOFIX mounts, which is not unusual for the dual-cab ute segment.

The Kia Tasman’s 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine is left to do the hard lifting on its own, with no mild-hybrid system or engine start-stop tech to bring consumption down.

Fuel consumption for the 4x2 Tasman S is rated at 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres, which is 0.2L/100km lower than the equivalent 4x4 Tasman. On test, the Tasman was a little higher, but still turned in decent figures.

Over a week with a mix of heavy traffic and crawling peak-hour runs, mixed with some steady-speed freeway cruising and light-duty rural driving, mostly lightly loaded but occasionally with a couple of hundred kilos of ballast, I returned 7.9L/100km.

With an 80-litre fuel tank, that works out to around 1012km of potential driving range. Of course, more load in the tub, or towing, would likely drive that consumption figure up and limit driving range, and more open-road work would see it able to cover a greater distance – it all depends on what you have in store for your Tasman.

The Kia Tasman surprises somewhat with its refinement, but anyone hoping for a bold new take on the diesel-powered dual-cab ute may not find it here.

With 154kW and 440Nm from a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, the Tasman meets the expectations of the market, or ever so slightly ahead, for fleet-spec variants like this one.

A basic Isuzu D-Max with the brand’s new 2.2-litre engine offers 120kW/400Nm, and a 2.4-litre HiLux makes 110kW/400Nm, but step up to the 3.0-litre D-Max or 2.8-litre HiLux, with 150kW/450Nm and 150kW/500Nm respectively, and the gap narrows.

The upside to that little extra power means that, unlike fleet-friendly versions of other utes, the Tasman feels more confident from behind the wheel. It’s no racecar, but it has the grunt it needs to make freeway merges easily, and enough in reserve for overtaking.

Kia’s powertrain is impressive for its smoothness and isolation from noise. Whereas both the Isuzu and Toyota can feel a bit gruff at times, the Tasman felt more like what you’d expect in a family SUV, not a work ute.

The engine starts quietly, and while there is a little vibration and some diesel rattle under hard acceleration, it’s a pretty impressive package in daily use.

The eight-speed automatic comes from within the Hyundai-Kia group portfolio, and shifts gears smoothly. Without a load on it’s not too busy, but through hilly conditions or with some weight in the back, the transmission starts to hunt for gears.

It’s quick to shuffle down a gear or two to keep momentum, which is handy, but then just as quick to shift up to maintain efficiency, which can make it feel busy in some situations.

The steering manages to feel light enough to be user-friendly, without being vague or loose, nor too light.

Ride quality isn't typically a strength for utes designed with load-carrying in mind, but the Tasman manages a decent balance here too.

Without a load in the back, the rear suspension can tend to feel a little firm at times, but over most surfaces it remains settled and is never crazy or uncomfortable. The front is a little more forgiving.

With a bit of weight in the back, the Tasman feels more settled and calmer over choppy surfaces. We didn't get to run a heavyweight load this time, but you can check out Drive’s other Tasman reviews for more on how it handles different situations.

The biggest takeaway from time behind the wheel of the entry-level Tasman S is that it doesn't feel like a base-model ute at all, with driver assistance tech and a level of refinement that make it feel much more premium than many base-model utes in the segment.

Once again, it feels like Kia may not have got the memo on what a base model should look and feel like. The interior of the Tasman is impressive and feels more like what you’d expect a few rungs up the price ladder.

That’s good news for buyers or drivers who will be spending their time behind the wheel.

As is fairly typical of the segment, the front seats are manually adjusted and cloth-trimmed. The steering wheel and gear lever are trimmed in faux leather that looks and feels like the real deal, and the park brake is electric.

The seats are sized right for broad-shouldered occupants, offer support in the right places, but aren’t too grippy to get in and out of. The floor covering is carpet, not vinyl though, and that might be the one error Kia has made.

Then again, with padded armrests and a range of soft surfaces, and high-quality finishes like knurled door handles, it feels like Kia always had higher trims in mind. Something the base model gets to benefit from by default.

The cabin offers decent storage up front with a big open space ahead of the gear lever, and a pair of cupholders that work well for cans and bottles, but failed the square-shaped 'Big M' tests. Huge door pockets, a big console, and a decent amount of glovebox space are all handy.

I’m not sure the engine start/stop button on the console is a great idea. If you travel with a four-legged friend who jumps in and out of the cabin, it's just asking to be inadvertently pressed, potentially leading to a flat battery… Or maybe I’m just being too cautious here.

A pair of 12.3-inch screens handle infotainment and instruments, separated by a 5.0-inch screen in between for the dual-zone climate control. Screens of this size are a fantastic inclusion for an entry-level ute, as is dual-zone climate control, whereas rivals like Toyota and Isuzu stick with manual fan controls.

The infotainment system lets you access AM, FM, and digital radio, over-the-air updates, connection to the Kia Connect app, and wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s no wireless charger, though, so the two USB-C ports up front will get a workout.

In the rear seats, leg room is generous enough for adults. The backrest has a few degrees of angle, which helps it to feel a bit more relaxed on longer trips.

The rear seats lack a centre armrest and face-level ventilation, but the rear bench flips up to reveal a pair of plastic tubs with heaps of easy-to-access in-cabin storage.

The tub is mostly bare. No liner, just a couple of tie-down points, and no standard covering or tonneau cover. The tailgate does lock with the central locking, and it's damped, making it easy to open and close.

A pair of 12.3-inch screens handle infotainment and instruments, separated by a 5.0-inch screen in between for the dual-zone climate control. Screens of this size are a fantastic inclusion for an entry-level ute, as is dual-zone climate control, whereas rivals like Toyota and Isuzu stick with manual fan controls.

The infotainment system lets you access AM, FM, and digital radio, over-the-air updates, connection to the Kia Connect app, and wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s no wireless charger, though, so the two USB-C ports up front will get a workout.

The system has a simple operating interface, and it is bright enough to remain visible even on sunny days. A row of shortcut buttons under the screen makes it easy to jump between functions, and a central volume roller is easy for both the driver and front passenger to operate.

The placement of the climate screen essentially puts it behind the steering wheel. It can be hard to see at a glance, but there is a button to transfer the small climate display into a larger, easier-to-access one on the main screen – plus physical buttons for temp and fan adjustments.

Kia Connect access is included for seven years, allowing in-car services like emergency call in an accident, and vehicle status monitoring, plus remote locking and vehicle location info via the Kia app.

The Kia Tasman launched with a price starting from $42,990 plus on-road costs, and switched to drive-away pricing of $46,490 soon after, or $47,490 in WA. The Tasman S 4x2 is the cheapest way into a dual-cab Tasman, with the S cab-chassis only available as a 4x4, from $48,240 plus on-road costs.

If you want to move from a Tasman S 4x2 to a Tasman S 4x4, the price rises to $49,990 plus on-road costs, or $53,890 drive-away.

At $46,490 drive-away, the Tasman struggles against Chinese utes.

At the time of writing, a GWM Cannon Ultra 4x4 is priced from $45,490, the LDV T60 Plus costs $45,490 for ABN holders, and fellow Korean ute, the KGM Musso, starts from $46,500 – all drive-away.

Among more established rivals, the Tasman S 4x2 faces off against the Isuzu D-Max SX 2.2L 4x2 from $44,200, the Mitsubishi Triton GLX from $44,090, and the Toyota HiLux Workmate 2.4L Double Cab from $44,820 – all before on-road costs.

The Tasman squeezes somewhere in the middle. It offers better engine outputs than the D-Max or Triton, and better standard equipment than all three Japanese brands, but it does look underfeatured compared to the well-presented Chinese brands.

Kia’s seven-year warranty beats the five-year Toyota and six-year Isuzu warranties, and matches the Musso, Cannon, and T60 at seven years, but the Triton offers up to 10 years, albeit with fairly tight eligibility conditions.

Kia’s current $46,490 drive-away pricing is the only offer on the Tasman 4x2 at present, but deals on utes tend to follow seasonal patterns, so keep an eye out for offers both at the end of the calendar year, and end of financial year.

While these may vary depending on the model, or what the offer comprises, you may get accessories, discounts, or servicing bundled in.

The Kia Tasman is an excellent entry-level ute. There are no two ways about it, and rivals that have been in the game for decades don’t offer base models that are as convincing.

The big problem Kia faces is those rivals that are new to the game, with plenty of convincing alternatives from budget brands that make the Tasman look a bit expensive by comparison.

Kia has been smart to equip the Tasman S 4x2 in a way that makes it appealing to private buyers, with comfort and features that speak to drivers making their own purchasing decisions. At the same time, the added equipment and cost may not speak to cost-conscious fleet managers.

If an entire model range is to be judged by the strength of its base model, then Kia has put its best foot forward with the Tasman. While it may only fit a narrow niche, for buyers who don’t want to sacrifice comfort in their workhorse, the Tasman S would be well worth checking out.

Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.

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