The Kia Tasman's interior is headlined by a rough-and-ready design that's appropriate for a workhouse and weekend warrior. There are hard-wearing materials in the right places, but elsewhere impresses with its premium touches, including a touchscreen multimedia system and a digital instrument cluster in certain variants.

The Kia Tasman is powered by the Korean brand's tried-but-true 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine. It produces 154kW of power and 441Nm of torque in the ute, to help it compete with the segment heavyweights. An eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission is fitted along with the option between 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains.

While not yet confirmed, the Kia Tasman is expected to have a long list of standard equipment, with more premium features added higher in the range.

Specificially, it's expected to come with a touchscreen multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Safety-wise, advanced driver-assist systems should include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control, among others.

The Kia Tasman is available in a dual-cab configuration with five seats split across two rows, with two buckets in the front and a three-seat bench in the rear. There's also a single-cab option with a single row of seating for two.

The Kia Tasman does not have an official 0-100km/h time or top speed. That said, it should mimic other utes with a circa 10-second triple-digit sprint.

While not yet confirmed, the Kia Tasman is expected to have a long driving range thanks to a large fuel tank and a relatively efficient diesel engine. Using its rivals as a guide, a 4x4 version should average about 8.0L/100km on the combined-cycle test.