A new class of pickups has just been established in North America. Besides standard full-size trucks and smaller mid-size units, there is also a newly-formed segment of compact pickups that ride on a unibody platform. We already saw two of these models, Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick, and considering the interest in this segment, we have no doubt that other manufacturers will also have their players in this segment soon. Of course, Kia is no exception, especially if we consider the pickup from the sister company Hyundai.
At this point, we have no idea how this pickup would be called. So, for now, we will call it the 2023 Kia Pickup Truck. It is just a rumor for now, so we can only speculate about it. Naturally, the most logical thing would be to see a model that shares most of its parts with Santa Cruz, but keep in mind that there are also reports that suggest a little bit different scenario.
2023 Kia Pickup Truck Design
As we’ve just mentioned, the 2023 Kia Pickup Truck will most likely share most of its parts with the new Hyundai Santa Cruz. This pickup has just arrived at the market and it represents the approach of the Korean manufacturer to offer a small pickup that combines things like comfort and practicality. The pickup is heavily based on the new Tucson and that doesn’t refer to mechanics only, but to the styling as well, considering that the two models feature pretty much the same front end.
So, it’s easy to conclude that the 2023 Kia Pickup Truck would share most of its parts with Kia Sportage, which has just been redesigned. This means it would come with the same front-end design and same mechanics. We presume that the double cab layout would be the only body style on the offer, with a small 4-foot bed, just like in the case of Santa Cruz.
Interior
The tight connection with Sportage would continue on the inside as well. We would expect to see the same or very similar dashboard design, which means that the new pickup would look very attractive from the inside. Simply, the new crossover offers a lot of great things, starting from a nicely designed dash, massive touchscreen and digital instrument cluster etc. Of course, we presume that this pickup would also come with a full load of tech features.
As we’ve just mentioned, a double cab layout is the only one we expect to see. This means the new 2023 Kia Pickup Truck would come with two spacious pickups, which both accommodate adult passengers pretty easily. Also, the 4-foot bed would provide a decent level of practicality as well.
2023 Kia Pickup Truck Engines
Logically, the powertrain offer would mimic the one in Santa Cruz. So, base models would come with a 2.5-liter inline-four, which puts out around 190 horsepower, which seems pretty solid for a vehicle of this size. However, a more capable variant will definitely be offered, most likely with a turbo-four engine.
Also, we believe that there is a big chance to see hybrid versions of this pickup. Most likely, we would see two of them. The first one would be a classic hybrid, based on a 1.6-liter turbo-four and a combined output of around 220 horsepower. On the other hand, a plug-in hybrid version would feature the same engine but a more powerful electric motor, for a combined output of 265 horsepower. Also, this version should provide a decent all-electric range.
2023 Kia Pickup Truck Release Date and Price
Although it’s still early to talk about these things, we believe that the 2023 Kia Pickup Truck could arrive by the end of this year. When it comes to the price, we presume that base models would go around 25.000 dollars.
What About a Telluride-Based Pickup Truck?
Many believe that Kia could go in a little bit different direction than Hyundai. In other words, this would mean seeing a bigger and more capable pickup truck. If that’s the story, we have no doubt that the 2023 Kia Pickup Truck would be based on Kia Telluride, a mid-size SUV that has been around for a few years. If this happens, the new pickup would be notably bigger and its key competitor would be Honda Ridgeline, which is currently the only mid-size unibody pickup on the market.
This pickup would feature bigger dimensions and a more spacious cabin. Moreover, it would also come with a bigger and more capable engine. Of course, that would be a 3.8-liter V6, which puts out 291 horsepower and comes in pair with 8-speed automatic transmission.