Kia Syros Review: Good Thing. Small Package.

You’re probably wondering what’s the point of it all? Did Kia really need another product in the small SUV space? Why hasn’t this just booted the Sonet out of the lineup and taken its place? Most importantly, what the heck is this ‘thing’ to begin with? 

Purpose Built

The Syros has been made-in-India for India. That translates into a product that has a compact footprint, but maximises on value. Whether you choose to put on lenses of practicality, feel good features or just choice — the Syros does deliver. We’ll get to all of that one by one, but we’ve got to start with how it makes you feel the moment you lay eyes on it. 

I had a firmly skeptical expression when I saw the sketches. That later turned into a raised eyebrow and eventually some relief as I saw the car in person. Yes, it will look weird to some. It looks quirky to my eyes. In a good way. 

It’s rather refreshing to see a manufacturer just be slightly adventurous with the design they put into production. The boxy silhouette, the oversized glasshouse, the large 17-inch wheels, flush-fitting door handles and interesting full-LED lighting would’ve all been passed off as concept-car elements a few years ago. But it’s here, it’s now! 

This outlandish design also comes with a few practical questions. Take the lamps placed at extreme edges for example. How long before a casual nudge from a biker or rickshaw causes real damage? Similarly, the low placement of the indicators and lone reverse light at the centre of the bumper is super easy to miss especially if you’re following it in a parking lot. 

Details aside, what amazes us is how the Syros is maximising the Sonet’s K1 platform. With a wheelbase that’s stretched by a full 50mm, height increased by nearly 40mm and a wider track, Kia’s managed to seriously reinvent what a sub-4-metre-sized offering can be. 

Max Out

The dashboard design, quality of materials used, fit finish all feel like they’d be at home in a car that’s more expensive. Interesting textures and liberal use of horizontal design elements make the front half of the cabin feel wider than it actually is. 

Doors open nice and wide, and the driver’s seat can be adjusted electrically (4-way, height adjustment is manual). The new two spoke steering wheel looks and feels premium too. What is rather puzzling is the seating position — we felt the pedal box to be ever so slightly off set to the right, causing your lower body to be at a slight angle.

Things are much better at the rear where Kia’s focus seems to be rooted in modularity. We get to choose whether we want great rear space and usable boot space, or usable rear seat space and great boot space. This choice, by itself, seems quite liberating. In principle, it reminds us a lot of what Honda had pulled off with the erstwhile Jazz, but the Syros simply dials things up to 11. 

The rear seats have 75mm of travel, letting you alter the kneeroom to your liking. The seats also feature a generous recline. At its most laid back setting, a 6’5” tall person was very comfortably sat behind a 6’ tall driver. That you’ve got 390-litres of boot space after setting up the seats like this seems almost too good to be true. Choose to be unkind to the rear passengers, and you can eke out 465-litres of space. With the seats pushed ahead, it’s still perfectly usable by children or fun-sized adults. Footroom is acceptable and headroom is above average, even with the panoramic sunroof extending all the way back. 

Seats all round are largely comfortable. They’re not heavily contoured and generally accommodate plus-sized people too. What could be better? Well, as is the case with the Sonet, the Syros isn’t a particularly wide car. Seating three abreast at the rear is neither comfortable nor recommended. 

Space Age

The feature list on the Syros is quite expansive, on par with SUVs almost a full segment (or two) above. Highlights include a panoramic sunroof, configurable ambient lighting, front and rear (!) seat ventilation, and leatherette upholstery. 

There are two 12.3-inch displays, one each for the instrument cluster and touchscreen. The high definition display, the snappy response and the almost BMW-like UI makes these screens super engaging. You also get configurable themes for the instrument cluster paired with the drive modes. The touchscreen supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (finally!) and is paired with an 8-speaker Harman/Kardon audio setup that features a central speaker and a subwoofer. Audio, even at its flattest setting, is a little rich on bass. 

Other features include the staples of keyless go, push-button start, electronic parking brake, steering-mounted audio controls, climate control and rear-AC. You also get four type-C ports, a 12V socket and a wireless charger to charge your devices. 

Assisted by front and rear radars, and a front-facing camera, the Syros also offers L2 ADAS. This unlocks a host of functions including auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control. Save for a blind spot monitor (the usual red warning on the ORVM) — the suite is quite complete. That said, you do get the camera feed on your instrument cluster whenever you indicate, which is helpful. In our limited drive time with the Syros, ADAS calibration felt intuitive enough for Indian roads. Needless to say, do not rely on these systems entirely. The standard safety kit is quite thorough, with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, highline tyre pressure monitoring system and electronic stability control. Do note, there’s no crash test report yet. 

On the whole, there’s not much the Syros could do more on the features front. Some rivals have a heads up display, a powered co-driver’s seat and rain-sensing wipers. Are any of these dealbreakers? Not at all. 

The Sense

‘The 1.2 would’ve just felt too underpowered’, someone from Kia India quipped when asked about its absence. An extra 150kg to lug around and the expectation of the Syros being more of a family car than the Sonet seems to justify this omission too. What we get are a 120PS 1.0-litre turbo petrol (available with a 6-speed manual/7-speed DCT) and a 115PS 1.5-litre diesel (6-speed manual/6-speed automatic). 

Neither of the engines are particularly fun or outright exciting. They’re still on the commuter end of things, maybe with a little more polish and smoothness. At no point will either engine feel woefully slow, force you to rethink your overtakes or feel lazy or dull. But performance isn’t grin inducing either. Between the two, we find ourselves often tilting in favour of the diesel. The balance between performance and efficiency seems more favourable. Based on our experience with Hyundai-Kia’s 1.0-litre turbo motors, they can be quite inefficient if driven in heavy city traffic. Bear this in mind. Consider the diesel if usage exceeds 50km per day. Alternatively, you could wait for the Syros EV that’s due within a year. 

Noise, vibration and harshness levels are well controlled too. You hear less of the engine, the road and the wind compared to the Sonet. 

The Problem

We found ourselves quite puzzled as we exited our hotel towards the highway. With three passengers on board and a boot full of luggage, the ride of the Syros felt (for lack of a better word) unresolved. At lower speeds over smooth roads all seems perfectly normal. 

Then, came a seemingly harmless pothole. ‘Thwack!’ goes the suspension.. Wait, what? We weren’t expecting the Syros to crash through broken roads as much. If the roads disappear (which they eventually did at some point) there’s some side-to-side movement to deal with. As we meandered our way out onto the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, we noticed some vertical movement in the cabin at speeds in excess of 80kmph. This tendency only seems to amplify as the speeds go up. If the rebound was better controlled, and the car settled quicker, the ride would feel a lot better. 

Otherwise, the car’s quite easy to get used to, and very easy to drive. A light steering and high seating position will give new driver’s some added confidence. Braking performance too, feels adequate, if not exceptional. 

Buy One? 

Slightly iffy ride aside, there’s no real flaw in the Syros’ package. It’s forcing you to rethink what a small car is capable of in terms of quality, technology and space.

It’s not asking you to settle for less, just because you’re buying a small car. And that, right there, is the point of it all.