Snap up this four-door ute that’s capable and comfortable

Motor writing’s biggest danger – leaving aside errant autobahn drivers at 200kmh, desert sand traps and righteous, jealous tyre kickers – is falling for the test machine.

Some temptations can be soothed with second-hand vehicles – such as used Range Rovers. But through the years, test affairs have led to a new Jeep XJ Cherokee, Nissan D40, Mazda BT50, Yamaha Wolverine side-by-side and a John Deere tractor.

The latest deep attraction and purchase? A Kia Tasman X-Pro.

The Korean ute, heralded by that marketing campaign with a paddock of Australian sports stars, has polarised some with its chunky style.

Spend time with the X-Pro, top of the tree, and the Kia’s engineering, ergonomics, refinement and treats swamp any argument about exterior design.

This is a very capable, very comfortable, four-door ute, on or off the road. And it sits right handsome in Cityscape Green.

A deal of work on Kia’s first ute was done in Australia.

That shows in the four-wheel drive Tasman’s ride, handling and off-road ability.

It shows in the cabin – a tad wider than rivals – with window sills big enough to rest an arm, knurled control knobs and door handles good enough for Euro sedans.

There’s premium comfort and convenience features galore – from weather forecasts to wireless phone chargers, heated and ventilated front  seats to Apple CarPlay to sensible  air-conditioning controls and 240-volt  power outlets.

Warning monitors for speed, lane drifting and driver attention are generally more polite than found elsewhere. A couple can be further turned down, or off, by steering wheel controls.

It’s not just the accoutrements (such as the Harman Kardon stereo). It’s the spacious and quiet cabin. To make the most of space, X-Pro and X-Line Tasmans use a wand on the steering wheel for starting and gear selection.

The Kia, with generous cargo tub, is that little wider, taller and longer than some mid-sized utes, yet an excellent turning circle, plus fantastic cameras, make town parking and tree dodging easy.

The 2.2-litre diesel engine pushes 154kW and 440Nm through an eight-speed transmission with a default 4-Auto starting point. This allows the driveline  to engage front wheels on sloppy- slippy surfaces. It can be switched back to two-wheel drive or through to 4L and 4H for serious tracks.

Some believe the engine-transmission combination is under-done, yet there are no complaints here (though, we don’t tow).

Early days see highway drives costing around 8.5 litres per 100km, running to 10 litres for town, country and paddock work.

It’s quick and smooth for open-road overtaking, plus a sophisticated performer in four-wheel-drive.

Helping with four-wheeling are good ground clearance, off-road cruise control, paddle shifters and four terrain modes. This technology is well packaged for confident back track work.

On highway and country roads, the  Kia turns in well (if not quite as sharply  as a Ford Ranger) and can be pushed along with confidence.

Ford’s low-speed ride composure’s probably a tad better, too. But overall,  the Kia – while there’s no disguising  this is a body-on-frame vehicle – feels and drives more like an upmarket tourer than the Ranger.

At up to $80,000 (with lots of deals around), Kia’s Tasman X-Pro isn’t the cheapest of utes.

It is, however, a very good one with a premium outlook.