The process of shocking automotive design reveals seems to follow a certain pattern.
After the initial knee-jerk response, the passage of time and an opportunity to see the offending product in person usually results in a softer and more considered take.
Remember how we all recoiled at the BMW iX? Nowadays when you see one on the roads those massive kidneys and large proportions are less triggering. The Ferrari Luce set us all into a frenzy but when it arrives in SA you are likely to look on without having an extreme meltdown.
The same is the case with the Kia Tasman, whose brutalist design becomes easier to understand when you contemplate the history of military defence vehicles built by the brand.
Ah, you thought they just did family friendly sport-utility vehicles and crossovers?
Some internet research on the Kia Defence arm will send you down a fascinating rabbit hole as the manufacturer has dabbled in everything from gargantuan 8x8 tank-carriers to armoured reconnaissance vehicles in the style of the Humvee.
So the severe looks of the Tasman, with its slab sides, stern upright profile and impression that it could drive through walls, is right on-brand.
Naturally, we would compare it from the outset to mainstream double-cab players like the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max.
But looking at its dimensions - then experiencing its road manners textures and noting the overall execution from behind the wheel - one realises the Tasman plays in a different league, pandering to a very different buyer.
Yes, they are all bakkies at the end of the day. Just like how cornflakes and bacon eggs Benedict are both breakfast foods. The former being a simpler, familiar option, with the latter tickling those more sophisticated parts of the palate.
The new Hilux double-cab has a length of 5,320mm; width of 1,855mm and height of 1,865mm.
The Tasman is 90mm longer (5,410mm); 75mm wider (1,930mm) and 65mm taller (height is also 1,930mm).
Price-wise, the Tasman range is more or less on par with the spread of its peers, kicking off at R679,995 for the 4x2 LX; R879,995 for the 4x4 SX and R999,995 for the range-topping X Pro X4.
The warranty is of a five-year/unlimited mileage duration and the service plan is six years or 90,000km.
Strangely, the brand will charge you R5,000 more if you want colour-coded bumpers, but you should rather spend that money on biltong. Colour-coding a Tasman is exactly like putting French tips on a warthog.
At the helm, the Tasman reveals its mink-and-manure persona. This is the most comfortable, well-appointed and upmarket double-cab you can buy today, a plaudit once reserved for the Ford Ranger.
Nothing in the cabin puts you in mind of a typically agricultural bakkie. It is more on the level of a plush sport-utility vehicle.
Within a few kilometres of setting off, the luxury-car levels of refinement make a strong impression: the Tasman feels insulated like a vault while the ride quality just about makes you wonder if this bakkie really uses a ladder-frame chassis. It does.
And even more surprising, the rear suspension is of the rudimentary leaf spring variety - they have not gone the coil route as Nissan did in striving (but not really succeeding) to be the comfort leader of the category.
Where the Ford Ranger has it pipped, however, is with its diversity of powertrains. The single available unit in the Tasman is a 2.2l turbocharged-diesel with four cylinders. This is a motor you may have already experienced in cars like the Carnival and Sorento.
But it seems to work well in this application, clearly fettled for the heavier duties of a 2,317kg kerb weight. The Tasman has a 1,008kg payload - no concerns there. Its unbraked and braked towing capacities are 750kg and 3,500kg respectively.
Ground clearance is 252mm and the wading depth is 800mm. Its claimed approach, ramp-over and departure angles are 32.2 degrees, 25.8 degrees and 26.2 degrees respectively, all par for the course if focused off-roading is on the agenda.
Which it most likely will be. Nice to know that even despite the cossetting interior ambience and polished tarmac manners, the Tasman is not soft when it comes to business.
My test of the vehicle included a decently paced stint up and down the Skeerpoort Pass dirt route between Gauteng and the North West.
Hardly a punishing test for a vehicle like the Tasman, which affirmed its brilliance at confident gravel travel. To be fair, 2H would have been fine but 4H was engaged just to be safe and even under heavier-footed progress over the uneven, rutted and dusty path, the hardy Kia showed no hints of breaks in traction.
The 154kW/440Nm motor pulls strongly, complemented by the eight-speed automatic gearbox. Average diesel economy over a week of driving was 11.9l/100km. Its tank size matches the 80l standard of rivals.
With the unfiltered winter UV rays baking outside and a fine jet stream of dust in the rearview, the Tasman soothed with its creature comforts that include cooled (and heated) seats, a heated steering wheel, leatherette upholstery on wide, padded chairs and chunky spots to rest both elbows.
It does the digitisation thing acceptably too, with a reasonable 12.3-inch screen, surround-view monitor, wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play as well as a dedicated off-road data display.
The Tasman is the new kid on the bakkie block but it comes with suitable pedigree, mindful of Kia’s military vehicle history.
As far as leisure double-cabs go, it is the most accomplished of the lot from a refinement perspective. It elevates expectations of the breed in the same way the Ranger did in 2022.
The Toyota, Ford and Isuzu are respected institutions and given that they are all produced locally, traditional buyers are likely to remain with what they know from durability and parts availability perspectives.
Still, the general perception around Kia in terms of reliability and aftersales is positive - the brand has been in SA since 1998. If you are going left-field in the bakkie market, the Tasman is probably not going to be as big a gamble as with certain Chinese alternatives.
