The Kia pickup is unlike anything else, and that might be a good thing.

I watched Kia teasing their new Tasman pickup from afar, knowing full well that it most likely won’t sell here. I read something last week about its weird fenders and how Kia plans to sell different ones to people who don’t like the original design. “Interesting,” I thought. But when I saw Tasman fully expanded this morning, I was even more… intrigued? I want to put it nicely.

I’ll let you decide for yourself whether this is good or bad. What’s undeniable is that it’s a strange design, with headlights in the fenders and a rather large grille up front. The best word I’ve found to describe a face is convexwhich I think sums up this schnoz quite well.

Kia will sell the Tasman with two or four doors as a pick-up or chassis cab. That’s your clue: it’s intended for international markets like Australia, where tray beds are so popular, as well as Africa, the Middle East, and domestically in Korea. And although I was almost confused by a full-fledged four-door pickup, this is how it looks 10 times better:

That’s why I can’t decide how I feel about this. One picture makes my facial muscles twitch involuntarily, and the other makes me want to. Either way, it leaves the impression that was probably the intent.

The Tasman comes with two available engines: a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 277bhp and 311Nm of torque, and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel making 207bhp. and 325 Nm of torque. A six-speed manual transmission will be available in some markets, and an eight-speed automatic transmission is standard in others, with both two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.

According to Kia’s official specifications, it will tow up to 7,716 pounds and carry up to 2,635 pounds of payload. The Tasman has a double wishbone front suspension and at the rear you’ll find traditional leaf springs for heavy duty work. You know, the more I write about it, the more I like it.

But seeing it in full made me even more convinced that Kia didn’t build the Tasman to sell in the United States. It’s almost the exact opposite of our safer-looking pickup trucks that sell hundreds of thousands every year. People who are tired of it might welcome a more “authentic” look, but the market is against them, as well as a cheeky chicken tax that will hit the Tasman with a 25% tariff unless Kia decides to build it on its own terms. Plant in Georgia. I just don’t see that happening.

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