Kia News

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that ever-so-slightly undermines the good work I and others do for this esteemed tome. But do keep it between us, ok?

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.

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.

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.

With dual cab ‘pick-up’ versions of its just-released Tasman ute now in local showrooms, Kia has confirmed pricing for cab chassis variants of the much-anticipated newcomer.

Australia’s peak motoring body has detailed its latest batch of data from real-world fuel use testing.

The hottest ute battle of 2025 looks like it will contain two new faces, with the battle between Ford and Toyota overshadowed by the race between two relative – and unexpected – newcomers.

The Kia Tasman ute has been awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on the current 2023-2025 testing protocols.It achieved 85 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 85 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 74 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 80 per cent for Safety Assist.It’s worth noting the Tasman’s five-star rating only applies to certain 4x4 dual-cab pick-up variants. The X-Line and X-Pro, as well as the entry-level S 4x2 dual-cab pick-up remain unrated.This also applies to the forthcoming single-cab and dual-cab chassis variants that are due to arrive later this year.ANCAP noted the Tasman “performed well” across the crash protection and collision avoidance tests.Specifically, high scores were achieved for the low risk of injury the adult and child dummy occupants received during the frontal offset crash test.The safety authority also noted the Tasman has a “moderately low” crash compatibility risk, which for its size and mass it did “very well”. This test assesses the risk the test vehicle has to potential crash partner vehicles and their occupants.A penalty was applied, however, in the full width frontal crash test when the pelvis of the driver dummy slipped beneath the lap section of the seatbelt.“Fleet buyers and potential Tasman customers across the country have been eagerly awaiting the Tasman’s safety rating, and this five-star result will be welcome news,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.“With such strong market presence and consumer demand, it’s pleasing to see manufacturers continuing to prioritise safety in this segment.“The dual-cab shopping list is already healthy, and we expect to see it grow further with other new contenders entering the market in the coming months.“Consumers and fleets should check the ANCAP website regularly to ensure they have all the information they need to make an informed, and safe, purchasing decision.”As standard the Kia Tasman receives safety features like seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit warning, adaptive cruise control, intelligent speed limit assist, driver attention monitoring, reversing camera, as well as front and rear parking sensors.All models also receive an emergency SOS calling function.Stepping up to the SX gets you Highway Drive Assist 2 which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centring. It also includes an assisted lane change function.Opting for the X-Line and above gets you additional features like reverse AEB, a surround-view camera and side parking sensors.The flagship X-Pro variant also gains a Ground View Monitor, which is helpful to see under the car when off-roading.It’s worth noting that all Tasman variants also have ISOFIX points and top-tether child seat anchorages on both outboard rear seats.There’s no top-tether point on the middle rear seat, so ANCAP doesn’t recommend installing child seats in this position.