Kia Tasman X-PRO+ Review: The Pickup That Thinks It’s a Genesis

Kia has spent two decades watching Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi treat the Middle East’s pickup market like reserved parking. The Tasman is Kia finally pulling up, hazard lights on, and refusing to be subtle about it. Twenty years of waiting have produced a full-size double-cab aimed squarely at desert-focused UAE buyers rather than European fleet operators.

Our test unit is the X-PRO+ — the halo trim in the UAE lineup — finished in two-tone silver and gunmetal with unpainted fender flares, a hood scoop, roof rails, and octagonal black alloys wrapped in 265/70 R17 Hankook Dynapro AT2 Xtreme all-terrains. The orange recovery-hook covers front and rear are the least subtle clue here: Kia did not build this thing to spend its life outside a mall.

Design that owns the space it occupies

In pictures, the Tasman starts arguments. In person, it mostly ends them by simply being enormous. The bonnet sits at chest height on an average adult, the grille is a slab of blacked-out slats broken up by a matt Kia badge, and the vertical LED headlights bracket the front like punctuation marks. Kia has resisted the temptation to soften the shape; every panel edge is deliberate, every crease sharp.

The proportions are the story. A 3,270mm wheelbase gives the double cab usable rear legroom by pickup standards, and the bed is long enough to swallow a full-size sand ladder without hanging over the tailgate. Ground clearance looks generous even before you engage the terrain modes, and the approach and departure angles are visibly better than a stock Hilux thanks to the plastic bumper corners cutting away sharply.

Small details reward a second look. The tailgate carries an embossed Kia logo, a “TASMAN” wordmark, and a discreet “X-Pro” badge on the rear quarter. A pop-out step drops down from the rear panel, rated at 6kg, giving you a foothold to reach into the bed. Open the door at night and a TASMAN wordmark projects onto the ground in a full ring — a puddle lamp that a Hilux driver would look at once and then never stop noticing.

Cabin tech that belongs in a Genesis, not a pickup

Step inside and the Tasman stops pretending to be a work truck. This is where it starts behaving like someone at Kia left the Genesis parts catalogue open. The dashboard is dominated by twin 12.3-inch panoramic displays — one instrument cluster, one infotainment — sitting behind a leather-wrapped steering wheel with dedicated Drive Mode and Terrain Mode buttons at the base.

The seats are finished in a two-tone tan and black quilted leather with square-pattern perforations. Front seats are ventilated and heated, the steering wheel is heated, and the ambient lighting is the standout: a single continuous LED strip runs from the dashboard vent surround, down through the door card, and onto the seat trim — the kind of uninterrupted line more common in a Genesis than a body-on-frame pickup. Colour is customisable, and it never feels tacky.

The centre console is a masterclass in physical controls. A rotary dial handles 2H, 4A, 4H and 4L on the left; a second dial handles DBC (Downhill Brake Control) and X-TREK crawl on the right; and a row of buttons between them covers Auto Hold, parking assist and the electronic rear differential lock. Below that sits a dual wireless charging pad, USB-C ports, and a hidden compartment under the centre armrest.

The infotainment platform is Kia’s ccNC Lite — the same next-generation software you’ll find in the EV9 — and the depth of customisation is unusual for a pickup. Four drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and an adaptive Smart), two independent steering weights, a cluster theme that changes gauge style and graphics with the drive mode, and a properly configurable custom button on the steering wheel that can be mapped to media, display, or Qibla direction.

Kia Connect telematics is enrolled from the factory with roughly three years of connected services included. There is also a pre-installed Qibla direction app on the home screen — a small but telling touch that shows Kia has done its homework on GCC customers. The Harman Kardon system supplies audio through an external amplifier and surround-sound processing, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Off-road hardware straight from the Kia Middle East playbook

Kia confirmed it tested the Tasman across the UAE’s Al Qudra desert during development, and the X-PRO+ spec sheet reads like it was assembled by someone who has actually been stuck in sand before. The Electronic Differential Locking (an e-locking rear diff), all-terrain tyres, and Terrain Modes for Sand, Rock, Mud and Snow are standard. Front and rear high-performance dampers, a Surround View Monitor, a ground-view camera, a Trailer Stability Assist system, and orange recovery hooks front and rear round out the off-road package.

The chassis architecture matters too. This is a body-on-frame pickup with a coil-sprung rear (rather than the leaf springs used on lower Tasman trims and most rivals), which promises better articulation off-road. We did not take our test unit into the desert this time, but the on-road behaviour hinted at a chassis tuned for compliance rather than pure load-lugging.

On the road, it drives smaller than it should

You sit high in the Tasman. Not Hilux-high; closer to Nissan Patrol-high, with a commanding view over the bonnet that shifts the character of the drive completely. You are looking down on almost everything else on Sheikh Zayed Road, and the mirrors are big enough that visibility outward is better than the truck’s exterior dimensions suggest.

The bigger surprise is how it moves. This is a 5.4-metre-long, 1.93-metre-wide truck, but the steering is direct enough that we found ourselves nosing into tighter turns and U-turns than we would have tried in a Ranger. There is real precision to the front end, and the turning circle feels tighter than the wheelbase implies.

Throttle response from the 2.5-litre turbo four is the other pleasant surprise. Pickup is sharper than expected for a petrol truck of this size — no obvious lag off the line, and the eight-speed E-Shift downshifts cleanly when you plant the throttle to overtake. You won’t out-drag a Tesla, but that isn’t the point; the Tasman gets out of its own way quickly enough that you never feel underpowered on Dubai’s inclines and overtaking lanes.

The ride is where the truck-ness reasserts itself. Cabin noise on the highway is present but not intrusive — you can hold a conversation without raising your voice, but nobody will mistake this for a luxury saloon. The suspension is firm and busy over expansion joints, and while it never feels crashy, our second-row passenger reported motion discomfort on a longer run. Those all-terrain tyres and a body-on-frame chassis make this more roller coaster than hot-air balloon, and if your family is sensitive to that kind of movement, take them for a test drive before you commit.

Two other small notes from the road. The blind-spot camera in the driver’s cluster — a circular feed from the corresponding side camera when you indicate — is a genuine safety win, though the A-pillars are chunky enough that you find yourself relying on it more than you might in a smaller vehicle. And parking is the other tax you pay for the exterior dimensions: even with the 360 Surround View Monitor and its configurable reference lines, tight mall bays needed a few more back-and-forths than a mid-size SUV would.

Air conditioning performance was strong, which matters in July. The cabin cooled down in a tolerable time from a heat-soaked start, and the ventilated seats did their part. That said, this is Dubai in summer — park in the shade regardless of what you’re driving.

Build quality earned no complaints. No rattles, no squeaks, no dashboard creaks over 120km of mixed driving. For a first pickup, the Tasman feels impressively free of first-pickup excuses.

Pricing that should make Toyota and Ford check their mirrors

The Tasman lineup starts at AED 132,930 including VAT. Our loaded X-PRO+ test unit was priced at AED 196,035 including VAT.

Compare that to a Toyota Hilux Adventure, which sits above AED 175,000 in comparable specification and lacks the Tasman’s dual 12.3-inch displays, Harman Kardon audio, dual wireless charging, and Surround View Monitor. A Ford Ranger Wildtrak with a similar kit list crosses AED 200,000. The BYD Shark 6 is closer on price but sells a different proposition — plug-in hybrid, less off-road-focused.

Kia has not undercut the market by a token amount. It has undercut it while offering more standard equipment than any rival at this price point. That is the argument that matters.

Should you buy the Kia Tasman X-PRO+?

The Tasman is the most confident first attempt at a new segment we have seen from Kia. The X-PRO+ trim is aggressively priced, comprehensively equipped, and visually distinctive in a class that has spent a decade playing it safe.

Here is the honest caveat, though. The traditional mid-size pickup buyer often wants a rough-and-tough workhorse, and cabin luxury is not always the top of their list. Kia is not chasing that buyer with the X-PRO+ — it is chasing the lifestyle-pickup buyer who cross-shops a Ranger Wildtrak and wants an actual desert-capable spec at the same price point. On that basis, the Tasman is a compelling first swing.

The remaining question is not whether Kia has built a good pickup — it clearly has — but whether it can hold its residuals against a Hilux badge that has spent generations earning its reputation.

FAQ

What is the price of the Kia Tasman X-PRO+ in the UAE?

The 2026 Kia Tasman lineup starts at AED 132,930 including VAT. The tested X-PRO+ specification came in at AED 196,035 including VAT.

What engine does the Kia Tasman have?

The UAE-spec Tasman uses a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 277hp at 5,800rpm and 421.7Nm of torque between 1,750 and 4,000rpm, paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive.

Is the Kia Tasman a good off-road vehicle?

On paper, yes. The X-PRO+ comes standard with an electronic locking rear differential, four-wheel drive with 2H/4A/4H/4L modes, Terrain Modes for Sand, Rock, Mud and Snow, all-terrain tyres, and a ground-view camera. Kia has confirmed development testing in the UAE’s Al Qudra desert.

How does the Kia Tasman compare to the Toyota Hilux?

The Tasman offers more standard cabin technology and off-road kit than a comparably priced Hilux Adventure, undercuts it on price, and produces more peak power. The Hilux retains an advantage on proven long-term reliability and resale value.

Is the Kia Tasman available with a diesel engine in the UAE?

No. The UAE-spec Tasman is petrol-only, using the 2.5-litre T-GDi turbocharged four-cylinder.

How is the ride quality of the Kia Tasman on Dubai roads?

Firm and busy over expansion joints, as expected of a body-on-frame pickup on all-terrain tyres. Cabin noise is present but not intrusive at highway speeds. Passengers sensitive to motion may find longer runs uncomfortable — a test drive is recommended.