Kia Tasman vs Ford Ranger

The headline is the price: $54,490 for the Kia Tasman SX 4x4 versus $67,190 for the Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 V6. That's a $12,700 gap before on-road costs, which is still a lot for two 4x4 dual-cabs that both tow 3.5 tonnes. On the road, the difference stretches past $13,000 in most states. That money buys a lot of fuel, accessories, or a deposit on something else.

Fuel costs favour the Kia. At 7.6L/100km the Tasman uses roughly $2,166 a year over 15,000km at $1.90/L, versus about $2,394 for the Ranger's 8.4L/100km. That is around $228 a year, or $1,140 over five years, in the Tasman's favour. Not huge against the purchase-price gap, but it compounds.

Warranty is where Kia presses hard: 7 years, unlimited kilometres against Ford's 5-year, unlimited-kilometre cover. For a work ute that racks up big distances, two extra years of factory backing is genuinely valuable. Both run 15,000km service intervals.

Then there's resale, and this is the Ranger's trump card. The Ranger has been Australia's best-selling vehicle, which creates a deep, confident used market and strong residual values. The Tasman is brand new, so its resale story is still being written. Over a 3–5 year hold the Ranger will likely give back a higher percentage of its (higher) purchase price; over a longer hold, the Tasman's lower entry cost and longer warranty start to win the total-cost argument.

Both utes carry a 5-star ANCAP rating, the Tasman dated 2024 and the Ranger 2022. Both come with the expected active-safety suite: autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert across these grades.

As a newer design, the Tasman benefits from being engineered against the latest ANCAP protocols, and Kia has tuned its driver-assistance systems for Australian conditions. The Ranger's 2022 rating is still current and its safety hardware is comprehensive and well-proven across hundreds of thousands of vehicles on Australian roads.

Both seat five with ISOFIX points in the rear, and both are heavy vehicles (2,225kg for the Tasman, 2,349kg for the Ranger) that carry their mass advantage in a multi-vehicle crash. For a dual-purpose work-and-family ute, neither gives anything away on safety.

The Tasman SX 4x4 lands in the heart of the range and comes generously equipped for the money, with a large touchscreen, digital instruments, dual-zone climate, and the kind of cabin tech you'd expect from a modern Kia. Its party trick is packaging: at 5,410mm long on a 3,270mm wheelbase, the Tasman has one of the roomiest dual-cab rear seats in the class, and a class-leading 1,025kg payload.

The Ranger XLT is the volume-selling sweet spot of Ford's range, and it shows. You get the big portrait touchscreen running Ford's slick SYNC 4 software, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the deepest accessory catalogue of any ute in the country, from canopies to bull bars to drawer systems. If you want to personalise or kit out a work truck, nothing matches the Ranger ecosystem.

Payload is the Tasman's clear win at 1,025kg versus 931kg, 94kg more useful load, which matters if you carry tools, stock or a slide-on. Both have a one-tonne-plus focus, both offer a full suite of tie-downs and tub options, and both can be optioned with tow packs and canopies.

The Ranger answers with capability hardware: 234mm of ground clearance versus the Tasman's 206mm, and a long-proven 4WD system with rear locker availability that off-road buyers trust. For touring and serious tracks, the Ford has the harder-earned reputation; for around-town and worksite duty with the occasional dirt road, the Kia is more than enough.

This is where the Ranger flexes. Its 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel makes 184kW and a muscular 600Nm, against the Tasman's 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with 154kW and 440Nm. That's 30kW and 160Nm in Ford's favour, and you feel every bit of it. The V6 is effortless when loaded or towing, surges up highway inclines with a trailer behind it, and turns a 0–100km/h sprint in about 10.5 seconds versus the Tasman's 12.5.

The Tasman's four-cylinder is no weakling, it's competitive with the four-cylinder HiLux and D-Max it really targets, and 440Nm is plenty for everyday work and towing within sensible limits. But hitch up close to 3,500kg and climb a long grade, and the Ranger V6's extra torque buys real overtaking and hill-climbing confidence that the Tasman can't quite match. Both drive through smooth multi-speed automatics and selectable 4WD.

On towing, both are rated to the full 3,500kg braked, but the way they get there differs. The Ranger's V6 makes towing feel easy; the Tasman does the job but works harder. As always with heavy towing, watch the gross combined mass, especially with the Tasman's higher payload tempting you to load both the tray and a heavy trailer at once.

Efficiency goes the other way. The Tasman's smaller engine sips a claimed 7.6L/100km against the thirstier V6's 8.4, so the Kia is cheaper to run day to day, especially unladen around town.