Hyundai Imax vs Kia Tasman

What's the difference?

Hyundai’s contender in the under-$60,000 people mover segment boasts a heritage spanning a full decade. During that time it has built a loyal customer base that appreciates its spacious and airy eight-seater cabin, ease of driving, proven durability and five-year warranty.

Even so, the iMax and other well-established people movers are getting clobbered by Hyundai’s sister company Kia and its widely acclaimed Carnival, which with four model grades across a broad pricing spectrum currently boasts a dominant market share of more than 50 per cent.

There are numerous reasons for the Carnival’s popularity but that should not stop a potential buyer from also giving the iMax serious consideration. Its most recent upgrade to Series II specification in 2016 brought styling revisions and new features which made a good people mover even better.

Kia expects its all-new Tasman to be a key player in Australia’s highly competitive ute segment. And to its credit, the Korean manufacturer has created its contender from scratch, rather than taking the easier platform-sharing route favoured by some rivals.

However, judging by feedback from numerous locals during our test, the jury is out on whether Aussies will warm 'en masse' to its bold styling and confronting appearance, which tends to distract from the capable vehicle beneath.

So, given our tradie focus, we recently spent a week in the lowest-priced entry point for Tasman dual-cab ute ownership, to see how it measures up as a tool-of-trade for tradies, farmers or fleets wanting a back-to-basics workhorse.