Independent testing of the Tasman has shown that the rear bump-stops do get a mighty workout with a large load on the tow-hitch. This suggests that the rear springs are not adequate for really heavy trailers and caravans, regardless of what the brochure says about the 3500kg towing limit for this vehicle.

The traction control cutting in could well be another symptom of this. If the rear springs can’t compress any further (and they can’t when the bump stops are in play) then the rear axle is not suspended properly, and that could make the rear tyres skip and hop over bumps. Once the computer detects that the tyres are not firmly on the ground at all times, it will trigger the traction control.

There’s a bit of an arms race in dual-cab utes at the moment, as manufacturers all try to offer 3500kg towing limits. Some of them do this much more convincingly than others. It’s also true that, in the old days, the rule of thumb was that you didn’t tow any trailer heavier than the vehicle doing the towing. In the Tasman’s case, that would make the limit about 2200kg. Not as sexy as 3.5 tonnes, but more sensible in our opinion.

The Kia Tasman was named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, the man credited as the first European to 'discover' Tasmania, after who it is named.