Kia K4 Reviews

Hyundai looks increasingly likely to forge its own path when it comes to its now-confirmed mid-size ute, with the brand's Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival to ditch diesel in favour of petrol and electrification to secure sales both in Australia and the USA.

The Kia Tasman X-Pro 4x4 from $74,990, before on-road costs, is the off-road biased range-topper in the new ute series, chasing buyers who may otherwise go for a Ford Ranger Wildtrak or Isuzu D-Max Blade.

Where does the Kia Tasman go from here? Is having a conventional diesel engine as the sole choice enough to run with the best-sellers? Should the Tasman follow the lead of the Ranger Raptor by going down the off-road performance path, to create a halo model for the rest of the range to bask beneath? Or is going hybrid the answer? The answer may shock you!

Kia will stick with its present warranty in Australia for the foreseeable future. With three manufacturers – Mitsubishi, MG and most recently Nissan – introducing conditional, dealer-service-activated 10-year options on top of their existing standard five-year timeframes, the modern-era long-warranty standard setter reckons stretching from its long-running seven-year/unlimited-kilometre item isn’t actually what buyers want or need.

The Kia Tasman X-Line is the luxury-focused flagship in the South Korean brand’s first one-tonne ute range, and in some ways represents the sweet spot.

The Kia Tasman SX+ is the mid-grade version, and should appeal to buyers who want lots of features without paying too steep a price.

The Kia Tasman SX is the second-from-the-bottom model in the South Korean maker’s first-ever one-tonne utility of this size sold in Australia.

The Kia Tasman S is the base version of the South Korean brand’s first-ever one-tonne utility.

Kia Australia is currently recalling 9534 examples of its Cerato and Seltos due to a potential engine defect that increases the risk of vehicle fire.These BD-generation Kia Cerato and SP2-generation Seltos vehicles were produced between 2020 and 2022. They are also fitted with the non-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.“The piston rings fitted to the engines of certain vehicles may not meet manufacturing specifications, and could cause engine failure and vehicle stalling,” said the company in its recall notice.“A damaged engine may result in the vehicle stalling and/or engine oil leaking, increasing the risk of an accident or vehicle fire causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”9534 vehicles affectedVIN list is attached hereOriginal recall notice is attached hereOwners of an affected Kia Cerato or Seltos are being urged to content their preferred Kia dealer “immediately” to schedule an appointment to have the engine inspected and replaced if damaged, free of charge.An engine control unit (ECU) software update will also be applied during the inspection as an “additional data monitoring tool to detect early signs of engine failure”.For more information, call Kia Customer Service on 131 542.Ford Australia is also recalling 2039 examples of its Mustang sports car due to a manufacturing defect that may cause the fuel supply to become impaired.This recall affects Ford Mustang examples produced between 2021 and 2022.2039 vehicles affectedVIN list is attached hereOriginal recall notice is attached here"Due to a manufacturing defect, the fuel pump impeller may not operate as intended," said the company in its recall notice."If this occurs, it could impair the fuel supply to the engine and result in a loss of motive power whilst driving."If you own an affected vehicle, Ford Australia will contact you in writing, requesting you to contact an authorised Ford dealer to have the fix rectified, free of charge.For more information, you can contact any authorised Ford dealer or the Ford Customer Relationship Centre on 133 673.

The dust has not even settled on the Australian launch of the Kia Tasman, but attention is now already turning to what the next vehicle to be based on the one-tonne ute’s body-on-frame platform will be. With Kia revealing that the Tasman is the first of several, still-secret vehicles to be built on its unique TK platform, the front runner would surely be the much-speculated SUV version, which would take on the Ford Everest, Toyota Prado, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and GWM Tank 500 from about 2028.