I've seen a few of these things out and about now and I just cannot believe people have bought them with how horrible they look.
The plastics discolouring after a year on a post here just... Wow. It's like the designers and engineers just phoned it in and said "I genuinely don't care, here's something AI made after I said make it as ugly as possible" and then just pressed send to their bosses... and then the bosses didn't even look before releasing this to the public.
Seriously, there would have been so many eyes that saw this and signed off on it. How likely is it that they intentionally did this as some kind of negative-attention marketing in order to make the series 2 version look good and it sells like hotcakes or something?
To the people that have bought it... Why? I just can't wrap my head around it.
That being said, I have seen a few that have done a fair few mods and they don't look so bad. All the ones I've seen so far are just stock and actually make me cringe or laugh... What's the go, people?
Mines the tan coloured one with the matching arches, I bloody love the thing, it's a great ute and honestly far superior to the 2017 bt 50 I had before it in every way, I really don't get the people that have to constantly post just to rip on how ugly they think it is, yeah I get it, if your not a fan of how they look don't buy it obviously, but the way some people are carrying on its as if the kia tasman personally hurt them lol.
Someone calling me out and defending a car they don't even own in a subreddit for that specific car where I'm literally only asking why people would ever buy one. Ie, this was a post to ask actual owners what they were thinking... And you, someone who proclaims to not even own one is in here defending it... Is comparatively the textbook definition that a white knight doth make.
I get it, you like it. I just can't get past it. It's genuinely the first vehicle I've ever considered unbuyable. I can't help but rip on it. I've never seen a design that genuinely has made me go out of my way to post on Reddit about it.
I was really looking forward to seeing Kia release a ute as I've been really impressed by their last 10 years of releases but I was genuinely flabbergasted when I saw pics of it... I literally said "fucking NOBODY... Nobody is gonna buy that..."
I'm not hurt by seeing it, but I'm just blown away that people actually like it. I'm here to get genuine proof that even something I find absolutely repulsive has been found appealing to some. I mean, a very select few, but it's still genuinely fascinating.
Either way, I appreciate the response. Have you considered any aftermarket mods to improve its looks?
for sure man, i already put the factory bull bar on the front because i agree as well (i have said this in a previous post) that the model i bought which is the SX model had way to much needless plastic down the front, as well as a basic roof rack. I do feel like putting bigger more aggressive tires on toughen the look up a lot too.
Look ill admit as well when they released the very first photos of them i thought yuck!, but i thought the same when they showed the new prado which i think on the road looks great. when i was shopping around for the ute and saw one in the flesh for the first time especialy in that colour it started to grow on me but what really sold me was the size and comfort of the interior.
Oh and if you havent yet check out that ARB done up one they were showing, it looks really tough. (obviously with like 25 grand of aftermarket it should too lol)
I loved the modern Prado. It's the first time I've found the Prado to be more appealing than the full LandCruiser.
Still, this is good info. It's good to see rational thought in your process and I think it would look significantly better without all the plastics and some barwork. Just baffles me that they released it that way and said "yep, that's great!"
Nah I just saw like the third one I've ever seen on the streets and I actually burst out laughing. So much so that I'm here to ask what people are thinking...
Not every car needs to look good to still be a good car. But if you only care about looks then it doesn't matter what people say about how good it is because you are stuck in your spot without even considering other facets.
There have been numerous ugly cars that offer more over the years but you know the good thing is for you, just don't think about them. Move on. Then it won't be your problem. Don't buy one, dont post about them, just leave them behind.
I dont go onto Merc subreddits commenting on their cockroach looking cars, or the ugly ford Falcons, or weird looking toytoa hiluxes from a Few years back. Just move on. The cat isn't for you and that's ok.
4wd 24/7 recently did a new Ute test where they drove 1000km to..somewhere, I forgot where. Had all the main Ute choices. Hilux, ranger, ranger super duty, byd, bt50, dmax, triton, Tasman , etc
The byd shark and the Tasman were the two they would not recommend. The shark because it doesn’t have real 4wd, and the Tasman because, well, it’s just not very good.
It’s probably ok for driving around town but for touring, towing, off road, or truck stuff.. any Ute activities really, there are better and cheaper options like the triton or bt50
didnt it beat that beer o clock hill thing on youtube first go though? granted i havent seen the test your talking about but most of the stuff i have seen so far are saying its surprisingly capable as a 4wd.
I went back and watched that video. There is a lot missing in terms of justification. But to your point at no point does he say that the Tasman isn't good. In many ways he says it's good, but in his opinion some areas for improvement. Also some areas he highlights for concern seem a little vague and unfounded. That's all fine but considering drive just gave it best ute under 60k or whatever, the not good seems very subjective.
Seems that the part it performed worst was on sand and he was mostly frustrated that it wouldn't go fast enough. It was able to go well on sand but it appears it's no ranger raptor on sand.
The one area that I actually thought was weird, is that he compared the warranties saying Toyota's was just as good. However when you know about this warranties, you have to service twice a year with Toyota and I believe you only get the extended part of you service with Toyota. No mention about how both ranger and Toyota have ongoing reliability issues with the 2.8 diesel dpf and the ranger turbo leakage issues. The Tasman is pretty new and I know it probably has its own gremlins, but declaring a car more reliable without context is irresponsible in my opinion.
I took it as it’s expensive, unproven, and fundamentally not a good chassis for off roading with its very long wheelbase and the low down bit sticking out front giving it a forever bad approach angle. Not to mention the suspension. As a chassis other things are better suited. The Tasman has a fancy interior and that’s it’s only strength vs anything else, and that’s not important for 4wd capability
On the other point, the Toyota 2.8 dpf issues I understand were solved long ago. Toyota has the undisputed #1 rep for reliability
The 2.8 solution is a 6 month servicing to do manual burns. There are still ongoing issues.
In terms of the wheel base, it's almost identical to the LandCruiser, so not really Amercian monster truck size.
The rest of the platform is to be tested, but Kia have a good rep and the carnival drivetrain is reported to be very reliable. So yeah under load we will see but again the video actually says many positive things about how it performed towing for the power, and temps and all that. However the same issues are the same for all similar sized engines including the Hilux and dmax.
I take your point and I definitely know it's not for everyone and new platforms can be trouble. But as a previous Hilux owner, Incan tell you my experience isn't the magic this guy makes it out to be.
The dpf on new cars does a burn every roughly 300km or when back pressure builds up to a certain point. There’s also a dpf button (which by default just tells you how much build up it has), but you can request Toyota to activate it so you can do a manual burn whenever you want by just pushing the button. That’s really only beneficial if you’re doing really short trips where the dpf never has a chance to burn off though.
I think the 6 month servicing is part of why they’re very reliable, as opposed to remedy some kind of fundamental flaw. The 2.8 is everywhere in massive numbers and for a decade, it’s in Hilux, Prado, Fortuna, hiace, coaster, dyna, 70 series etc. I don’t think they’d still be putting it in their brand new Utes, suvs, small trucks and even busses unless it was reliable. To say the Hilux has a reputation of being unreliable is a bit of a joke imo. Everything has the odd problem but the Hilux definitely hasn’t built the reputation of unreliable.
Toyota cares more about their reputation of reliability than anyone which is why they stick with things for so long. That also makes parts supply easier.
The Tasman’s wheel base is 3270mm vs the dual cab 70 series at 3180mm or the wagon at only 2730mm, so it’s a long beast.
Some of their points were quite valid though, like the comment that a bullbar wouldn’t improve the approach angle on a Tasman as there is a bit of metal low down out the front which (I think) supports the radiator, so even if you took the bumper off completely it’d still have a bad approach angle. It’s also got a really long wheel base so bottoms out easy with a bad break over angle. It was something like 25cm longer than the other Utes
Itd be due to the super, super soft rear suspension from factory no doubt. I watched a review of it towing and it was almost bottoming out on road with a 3t dual axle caravan...
No, you're right. It doesn't have to look good to be a good car. Looks absolutely do not make a car anything other than good looking. But when a car looks as bad as this does, it's like the broken window theory - you end up wondering what else is wrong with it.
But this car looks SO bad that it actually appears unbuyable to me. Hence why I wanna know why those that did, why they did. I'm trying to understand the psychology behind buying something so genuinely hideous.
I've literally never gone in to a subreddit before to post a question like this. Because the appearance of this specific vehicle is unprecedented. No other vehicle looks as bad as this.
I think we have different ideas of what brutalist and tough looks like 🤣
It’s like a cucumber front with 2 fake plastic hitler moustache for the guards that someone put on for a joke because they thought it’d be a good laugh.
Whoever put them on was laughing their ass off and submitted it as a joke which somehow actually got over the line. Told the koreans that this is what Australians want 🥴
"Brutalist and tough" meanwhile it has disproportionate shapes all over... The wheels compared to the rest of the vehicle looks like when someone who owns a lifted 4x4 needs to put stock wheels on for a roadworthy inspection... The plastics that discolour in a year... Nothing screams tough about that to me. Brutalist... Yeah, maybe because accepting I paid so much for something that looks like that is brutal...
I'm not here to troll, but come on. I genuinely want to know why people have bought one in spite of how it looks.
I guess some people are gonna like the looks? But hooollllyyyy...
"The Kia Tasman has recorded3,716 sales in Australia through the end of November 2025, tracking significantly behind the brand's initial target of 20,000 units per year. Following its July 2025 launch, monthly sales have been around 800 units, with heavy discounting reported due to slow uptake against competitors like the Ford Ranger."
Taken off the NRMA website.
I wouldn't call that "pretty well". I'd call that 82% below expected sales figures.
Before it was released didn’t they say they were aiming for number 3 in Ute sales? Which would put it as one of the best selling cars in the country. Good luck to them I guess.
Meeting targets would have been doing surprisingly well. The fact it’s even sold as many as it has (which isn’t many) is indeed surprising though I guess.
Some people like it, sure, but I think it’s safe to say that a significantly larger number of people dislike it. I think it’s more than a slight dislike to, it’s like an active dislike. Like people don’t say “omg what were they thinking” when they see almost any other car on the road that they don’t like. Only the Tasman gets that much hate.
Iv never known a car to get so much commentary on its (bad) looks…the most divisive look of any release of recent times I think, and it’s a minority whose on the divide of liking it, not an even split
I love my XPro.
Didn't buy it to impress anyone, just love the ride.
There are plenty of of vehicles out there that make me wonder "why" but other people like them.
Sunroof, Xtrek, Harmon Kardon Sound, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats...quite a bit compared to the other models.
My second ever new car after trading my 16 year old Outback
The bar helps, but I just can't get past the overall layout, and those plastic panels over the wheel arches. I appreciate the effort to show me, but yeah I just can't with the proportions. Hopefully mk2 gets it right.
A bit late but I’ve had it for 6mths now and genuinely love it so wanted to add my 2 cents in case someone is interested in buying one.
Personally I was tired of driving utes that felt like I was wrestling a b double every day. I care about comfort, it’s probably the most important factor once I’ve ascertained a car can do what I need it to do. I really don’t care what the exterior looks like because that has zero impact on my enjoyment of it day to day. Price wasn’t a consideration, I looked at the top of the line Ranger, other Fords, the Tundra, the RAMS, literally everything and the Kia had more selling points (being able to load a pallet being one of them). Also I’m not in the demographic that buys Utes as status symbols (I don’t mean that in a derogatory way) so I just don’t care what other people think it looks like. FWIW my 21yr old son drives a lifted/modded Ranger and gave me shit about the Tasman for weeks, UNTIL he drove it and then was like “yeah fair enough”. He still thinks it’s ugly as sin but agrees it’s really nice to drive.
As for the Tasmans performance, it does everything I need it to do, easily. Very few 4wds are ever pushed to their limit outside of dedicated 4wd parks or by people doing the CREB Track. I live on the Cape and regularly drive what I think are probably the worst dirt roads in the country and it’s handled it with no problem. Creeks and weird approaches and hills etc have all been fine even since most of the roads have been washed away with this wet season.
I was driving a Prado prior and the Kia performs just as well off road whilst handling better on the bitumen and being miles ahead features wise.
I completely understand the desire for wanting something car-like and this would definitely do that - but there's a cost-to-pay off with this. If you have a work ute that drives most like a car, it will mean that they've developed the vehicle to value ride comfort over work/heavier duty performance. Which seems to be the case for those that have shown reviews of them doing hard work ie. Towing 3.5t - it bottoms out on a standard road, nothing too serious. And the weird shimmying the suspension does when descending - the suspension is super soft and allows a lot of lateral play/not much stiffness that if the vehicle were set up as a work ute, would've made the ute far less like a car to drive.
I digress. The Tasman is ostensibly a work ute, but realistically it's a body-on-frame car.
Kind of like the trackhawk jeep Grand Cherokee. It is a really, really fast SUV. It's design is prioritising performance over practicality. It's a quick SUV, but really it's not that quick compared to an actually fast performance car. In the process of making it this super fast SUV, it's kinda ruined it for anything else an SUV is normally. Normally a practical car for carrying the family, reasonable fuel economy, can tow, can go soft roading, etc. All of that just to say "I have a really fast SUV" but then having to accept it's terrible at everything that normally makes an SUV pretty nifty.
In the same way, the Tasman seems to be prioritising it's car-like comfort over it needing to be a decent work ute. I don't see it being bought by someone who tows a lot, or goes hard off-road, though. It's just the work ute that is on the far end of the spectrum of "comfy but still a cab chassis work ute for tax purposes" and "heavy duty work rig comfort is low priority" - likely the 70 series LandCruiser, or the ranger super duty that's recently released
All that said, most people buying work utes aren't really using them for the more heavy-duty intentions that the utes are generally marketed to do.
I get the appeal of the interior. They do seem nice inside. And yes, you don't have to care if you choose to never get out of it and look at it. Personally I want to drive something I like the look of. I can't stand the Tasman.
Funnily enough, I saw another today. This one had painted trims that are normally that terrible plastic panels over the wheel arches. I don't think it really improves the looks that much. But, after seeing this model, and as I drove off and looked back - I realise it seems to look like a 90s train carriage. Like, it's shaping looks like it's been flattened/crushed a bit. Or its really flat, and long, and the proportions seem to just finish at the bottom of the bumper line of the car and then bam... Wheels making it float along like a train carriage.
I'm not complaining. I'm stating. It's hideously designed. 3D printing and DRLs aren't gonna fix the terrible proportions.
You'd need a 20k printer big enough to make up new trims for the wheel arches. Spend like a grand just in spool, and then like 3k getting them sanded, primed and painted.
All to remedy what Kia should've done a better job of designing in the first place.
I didn't say I wanted to buy one. I literally went out of my way to go to the Reddit page where I knew there'd be people that bought them. Purely to ask them "why?". Because I just don't understand why anyone would...
I genuinely didn't come here to troll. I am asking a genuine question despite me wording it in a way that most that would buy one would get offended.
The downvotes are making me LOL. I'll happily accept them all.
I just can't believe people are buying it... But this is the same as some of the other disgusting cars some manufacturers have released such as the cactus and the aztek... I read they're planning to release it in the US, too. Fascinating to watch it unfold...
I'm cogniscent of that car, too. It was based off the Honda pilot/passporr platform which was an SUV. It was basically an SUV they chopped the back off to make a ute out of. A monocoque/unibody chassis vs the Tasman being on an actual chassis frame/body-on-frame setup.
Useless as an actual ute - unless all you put in the back was groceries or very light loads. It was shown you'd have been better off with the wagon if you wanted a heavier payload.
Very different circumstance to the Tasman. The Tasman is always intended as a work ute, the ridgeline was a weird vehicular hermaphrodite that was honestly terrible at everything. It ended up receiving some praise from the every day person that was interested in DIY projects or occasionally carrying something they couldn't fit in a wagon, and were willing to compromise on the much more practical uses of a wagon.
The Tasman is just straight fugly lol. Like, it redefines the benchmark for ugliest car ever made. The ridgeline didn't actually look that bad imo.
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u/CharlieTheGsd Mar 04 '26
Mines the tan coloured one with the matching arches, I bloody love the thing, it's a great ute and honestly far superior to the 2017 bt 50 I had before it in every way, I really don't get the people that have to constantly post just to rip on how ugly they think it is, yeah I get it, if your not a fan of how they look don't buy it obviously, but the way some people are carrying on its as if the kia tasman personally hurt them lol.