What if... Kia's Tasman became a Prado-rivalling SUV?

It's the obvious next step: where a ute goes, an SUV variant must follow.

It's not a universal rule, of course.

While models like the Ford Everest, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner all sprang from the underpinnings of their ute siblings, other utes like the Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok and Nissan Navara no longer have direct descendants in the local SUV space.

Kia's newly revealed Tasman ute has quickly become the subject of speculation on that front, however, with the company still lacking a proper ladder-chassis 4x4 SUV in its global line-up.

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For now, the brand would like to focus on the fact that it finally has a ute of its own, but can we expect an Everest-rivalling SUV to follow somewhere down the line? Kia dealers are sure to be asking.

To that end, our mate Theottle has rendered his own speculative take on how a Tasman-based SUV might look.

You'd be forgiven for thinking the result looks more than a little like the new Prado, although any side-by-side comparison will quickly dispel that notion.

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Theo's solution for the rear door handle is clever, too, positioned as it is within the leading edge of the Tasman's polarising rectangular cladding.

What do you think of the Tasman SUV's look? What would you name it? The Kia Abel is probably reaching a little...

Tell us in the comments below!