Kia Tasman Touring Rig: Built for the Outback

Matt runs Beyond the Grille, a build blog he started after what he felt was the industry writing off the Kia Tasman on looks alone. He got his hands on a black 2026 Tasman and started building.

The result is a genuine outback touring rig, tested in the field, and documented as Matt goes. Here's how it's come together so far, piece by piece. 

Canopy and Storage

Every build needs a starting point, and for Matt that meant fitting the Utemaster Centurion Canopy, Cantilever Rack and Mule-Tek Front Wall Mounting Panel. this meant secure, lockable storage in the tub and a mounting platform inside and up top to start building everything else around.

Underbody and Rust Protection

Before loading it up, he got the underbody treated by Rust Free at Brendale, Brisbane, and picked up a Salt Shift Magnetic Chassis Flusher for easy post-tour clean-ups.

Planning the Interior

Matt mapped the interior out with cardboard cut-outs before committing to anything.

"My day job is all about iterations. I've applied the same approach to this."

He went with a Kings drawer and fridge freezer setup as his V1, with the plan to upgrade to a custom set with locking slides down the track. Instead of bolting anything to the tub, he built a floating floor from three pieces of 17mm SpecRite, cut down for weight, routed and painted for water protection, and fixed with M8 insert nuts. It lifts out and returns the tub to factory in about an hour, no drilling required.

Camp Setup: Roof Top Tent and Awning

On the advice of a couple of mates already running tourers, Matt chose the Escapade Campers V4 Skytop Plus for his rooftop tent and a 30 Second Wing Awning Stormchaser 270 for shade. The Skytop Plus is slimline at just over 65kg, with solid weather protection, built-in LED lighting and a 12V accessory switch panel. 

The only thing left to sort was power to run it all.

Power and Solar

Matt landed on KickAss Products for the electrical side of the build, going with the PowerBoss and a 230Ah slimline battery. The system is mounted to the Utemaster Mule-Tek Front Wall Mounting Panel inside the Centurion Canopy, giving him a clean, secure base for Anderson ports, sig sockets, 240V, solar input, USB charging and integrated lighting for the awning. 

He later added an Escapade Campers 250W Slimline Glass Solar Panel, integrated into the same PowerBoss and 230Ah battery system. That means the battery is topping up from the alternator while driving, and from the sun whether the Tasman is moving or parked.

He also swapped the factory 400W outlet that only works with the engine running, for a Ready For Manufacture 240V Tub Accessory Panel, giving him a cleaner run from the fridge freezer and the ability to run 12V cooking gear without extension cables trailing everywhere.

Gear Stash

The Tasman XPro's rear seats slide, recline and heat, and fold 60/40 to open up 45 litres of storage underneath. The jack takes up some of that space, but Matt uses the rest for the gear that needs to be on hand but doesn't need to live in the drawers: fire extinguisher, fire blanket, first aid and snake bite kits, a tow hitch recovery shackle, automatic tyre deflators, a 12V 1500A jump start pack, a fan for the RTT, Anderson cables, sig socket extensions and USB cables of every type.

The Essentials

For water, Matt picked up an Ontap Products portable shower, made from food-grade HDPE so it doubles as a water supply and a wash-down unit. He'd been considering a fixed 40L tank and separate pump built into the back wall of the canopy, but chose the more portable option instead. It runs off the KickAss 12V Control Box via a 50A Anderson connector and tucks in beside the fridge freezer.

The same power setup lets Matt run a Breville espresso machine off-grid too. Less gear comes along on a light weekend at Tamborine Mountain, with the full kit on a longer run like his recent Winton tour... but the coffee machine usually makes the cut.

GVM and Payload

Matt keeps a close eye on weight to stay legal and comfortable when fully loaded. He uses a public weighbridge at the Port of Brisbane with split pads to check front and rear axle weights separately, along with the combined total, which usually comes in around 3,000kg against the Tasman's 3,250kg GVM.

With the Utemaster kit (Canopy, Cantilever and Front Wall panel) weighing just over 100kg combined, against the Tasman's 1,013kg payload, that leaves over 900kg for everything else, drawers, fridge, water, camp gear and passengers, while still sitting safely within GVM.

Gear Fit

Inspired by Matt's Kia Tasman build? Explore the Centurion Canopy or start your build.