The Kia Tasman Might Make A Run At The TRD And Raptor Crowd

Quietly revealed at the 2025 Seoul Mobility Show today, the Kia Tasman Weekender (or WKNDR) concept could presage a future production trim of the polarizing truck. Clearly designed for rugged adventures, the concept could be the automaker’s first attempt at dethroning the Ford Ranger Raptor, one of the most notable off-road pickups all over the world – including the Tasman’s intended markets in South Korea, Australia, and the Middle East. And if the midsize pickup ever comes to the US (fat chance), such a trim would also give overland-themed trucks like the Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison a run for their money.

The Tasman Is Getting Serious About The Truck Stuff

Despite its unconventional styling, Kia’s first mid-size truck is actually experiencing a rather promising start to life. However, customers in the truck segment prove to be remarkably loyal, especially in Australia where the Toyota Hilux has been a household name for five decades. The automaker, therefore, wants the Tasman to make a splash, which the Weekender concept does by eliminating the fussy, contrast-colored fenders of the regular truck and swapping in wider, body-colored flares.

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The concept also receives contrast-colored tie-downs and recovery hooks in lime green, which could become the brand’s signature off-road color – like deep red for the GMC AT4 lineup or orange for Jeep’s Mojave. The Kia PV5 Weekender concept from SEMA 2024 also got accents in the same tone, by the way. In fact, the color could just become Kia’s signature of high performance, given the EV6 GT makes use of electric yellow-green on its seat stitching, engine-start button, and brake calipers.

The Weekender also gets a roof basket attached to a tough-looking exoskeleton framework that extends down the A- and C-pillars and toward the bedsides, while its four-spoke wheels and 35-inch tires promise some proper off-road grip. The lifted suspension provides an unspecified improvement over the base Tasman’s impressive 8.8 inches of ground clearance or the Tasman X-Pro’s wild 9.9 inches. Even without the concept’s lift kit, the Tasman already nips at the global-market Ford Ranger’s heels in terms of clearance, and the Weekender just might put it on top.

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Raptor-Hunting In A Kia Pickup

The mechanicals of the Kia Tasman Weekender may not be quite as comprehensively updated as those of the Ranger Raptor compared to its kid sibling, but the Korean automaker may not be done adapting its truck for off-road duty. Speaking to Chasing Cars, an auto news outlet in Australia, design head Karim Habib said that if demand is there, Kia will consider producing a genuine rival to the Raptor. Habib called the Weekender concept’s impressive track and wheel-to-body ratio “essential” in designing a robust off-roader.

Although the regular Tasman is no shrinking violet when it comes to design, the Weekender is even bolder. An yet, we don’t find it nearly as divisive, with most of us finding its body-color wheel arches, chunky front end design, and exaggerated roof rack to be somehow more appealing than their vanilla derivatives. The Kia Tasman Weekender concept is the company’s pickup taken to its logical extreme, and while we’ll probably never drive one, we hope the company considers it for production immediately.

Source: Chasing Cars via Carscoops