Checked out the new Kia Syros: How it impressed me as an i20 owner

Overall I’m happy with Kia and their ability to read the market very well.

BHPian Tony2298 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Kia Syros initial impressions(without TD)

I personally have a soft spot for the South Koreans, I’ve been a long time user of Hyundai cars, LG home appliances and Samsung mobile phones(in fact my first personal cellphone was a Samsung Metro or something like that back in the day!), Kia too impressed me with their Seltos only because the product itself was so sorted and offered everything one expects from a relatively affordable CSUV.

Therefore, obviously there was a lot of hype when Kia announced yet another CSUV, the Syros. At first, everybody was kinda confused as to why Kia was launching a car in a segment which they themselves offer rather attractive cars and then came the looks, or the lack thereof. While the Seltos and even the Sonet to an extent appealed to mass majority of audience at the first sight, Syros is quite the opposite. The looks are rather polarising and kinda reminded me about all the negativity people had spread about the design when Kia launched their Carens MPV back in 2022 but we all know how much of a success the MPV turned out to be. Will the history repeat with the Syros or is it gonna be different, let’s proceed with the review, shall we?

Exteriors

The Syros is polarising, no doubt about that and yes even I’m not very much attracted to its design . The narrow width and tall height gives it kei car(car segment created by Japan and includes cars like the WagonR) vibes, plus the lights are pushed towards the corners of the bumpers giving it a very oddball appearance, although more than the design mishmash I’m worried about the lights being smashed a bit too frequently by our friendly traffic which often show love to your cars by kissing it a bit too frequently and leaving love bites in the form of what we call dents, scratches, dings etc. Better take a zero dip policy right out of the showroom IMO!

The front end definitely is polarising and would divide opinions for sure

The rear end continues the split lamp design element as the front

The side profile of the car is typical breadbox, for the lack of better words. The diamond cut alloys do help to an extent but it’s a boxy and disproportionate design, that’s the truth. Good thing though, even the base model doesn’t feel barebones at all, it comes with diamond cut alloys, turn indicators on ORVMs and even a sunroof!, however Kia skipped an all-important rear wash wipe on the base trims, which is sad IMO. If I’m getting a hatch, MPV, crossover or SUV a rear wash wipe is very essential given the rear windscreen of these cars get so grimy during those highway trips.

The 16" diamond cut alloys look cool and offered even with base variants!

Other highlights of design include all LED headlights and taillights from the mid variant onwards, diamond cut alloys on all trims(the base&mid variants get 16″ alloys and top trims get 17″ alloys”, sadly however Kia has skipped rear discs for the Syros which is offered in the Seltos and considering the Syros gets the same 1.5CRDi option as its elder sibling). Kia, however haven’t delved into some petty cost cutting measures and has provided insulation material at the wheel arches, firewalls and a proper underbody engine cover. Good job Kia!

The wheel arch gets full cladding

The bonnet lacks insulation material

Interiors
The biggest advantage of a breadbox shaped car is the sheer amount of real estate it opens up inside and forget Sonet, it even beats Seltos in terms of space! There is ample space for two basketball players to sit one behind other, there’s more than ample headroom, legroom and knee room, also the quality of materials used in the Syros is first grade. Everything you touch and feel is premium feeling. The steering was wrapped in soft quality leather and switchgear quality too was fantastic almost out of a luxury car and credit where it’s due Kia has truly worked hard to provide a nice ambience to the interiors and if it’s the interiors you all care about you will really appreciate the Syros.

The interior feels premium

The panoramic sunroof gives special vibes to the cabin!

Even the base variants get a regular single pane sunroof!

The rear bench is IMHO the best place to be in a Syros. The reclining seats are very comfy and you even get a unblind for rear windows which is a boon during summers, also apart from usual rear air-con vents, Syros offers a segment first rear seat ventilation too, IIRC only cars like Safari offer this feature though the first car to offer it for mainstream cars was the 2012 Hyundai Sonata! Plus the passengers do get the view from large panoramic sunroof if you opt for the trim offering it. Kia knows many of the cars are chauffeur driven and owners would like to spend more time in the back seat and Kia has emphasised their focus and its a job done well.

The rear windows get useful blinds

The rear A/C vents are offered as standard

The boot space is adequate and adjustable as rear bench slides and 60:40 split for backrests

Features&ICE
Now, it is taken for granted almost that if you’re buying a Hyundai or a Kia, the car will be absolutely brimming with gizmos and the Syros is no different. Apart from usual stuff, I really liked the ICE of the Syros. The UX is updated, the icons, the font and graphics are spot on and helps uplifting the overall ambience, the touch response was really slick and I had no issues to run android auto wirelessly via my Samsung Galaxy ZFold5, The reverse camera too was crisp and I think the top end model with surround view camera would’ve no issues with resolution of the screen. The sound quality, however wasn’t too my liking, I was experiencing the Arkamys setup of the mid variant and the sound was pretty flat IMO, the top end variants with Harman-Kardon might sound better but the SA himself said he likes the output of the BOSE system more, so I don’t know why Kia compromised with the audio experience with the Syros given the fact that the rest of the ICE is so damn good.

The digital screens enhance the ambience of interior, definitely!

The digital instrument console even though similar to outgoing Hyundai/Kia models has updated colour themes and looked good for a digital screen though the readouts and menus remain more or less the same.

The air-conditioning switches are very innovative type too and even though mid-variants get a manual A/C you don’t get the usual knobs and instead get buttons which somewhat resembles a FATC system, Neat!

Kia has made sure the base variants too are decently equipped and not the usual bare bones type we usually expect of. It gets stuff like diamond cut alloys, regular single pane sunroof, touchscreen, digital instruments etc. The keyfob even though a jack-knife type doesn’t look bad and in fact one of the nicer keyfob design I’ve seen, I really hope Hyundai updates the keyfob of their cars too since it looks a bit too boring now.

The keyfob feels premium

Powertrains
This is where Kia has hit a home run IMO and hold BIG advantage over the zillion other cars it competes with. Kia decided to skip the 1.2NA engine which IMO was a rather good move since that engine is basically the same Kappa unit introduced by Hyundai with their 1st gen i10 back in 2007 and is rather anaemic on such a boxy car.

Thus the powertrain choices include a 3cylinder 1.0 TGDi engine with a 6MT/7DCT and the 1.5CRDi with 6MT or a proper TC 6AT!; the latter is the biggest ace up the sleeve of the Syros since with people having high running find diesel cars to be super useful even in today’s day&age, plus the 6AT box is one of the smoothest transmission and when you pair it with a torquey CRDi, you get an optimum blend of power, efficiency and convenience. Kia knows the diesel has still a good demand and continues to offer it with the Syros.

The fantastic 1.5CRDi is offered in Syros with 6MT/6AT

The shifts felt smooth, the clutch was light but had a longer travel, typical of Hyundais

Conclusion

Even though its hard to derive into a conclusion given the fact that I didn’t do any TD and prices aren’t announced too, still after experiencing the car, I’m rather impressed and I’m very sure of an aggressive price tag and expect the Syros to be a hit since we’ve seen how people bashed cars like 2nd gen Creta or the Kia Carens based on their disproportionate designs in the recent past but due to the other aspects of the car being spot on, these cars became a runaway success and I expect it to be the same with the Syros. Yes, the design, even I don’t like it but given the fact it has that fantastic 1.5CRDi with an option of an AT too I wouldn’t hesitate from buying the car, given the fact that Kia manages a good crashworthiness.

Overall I’m happy with Kia and their ability to read the market very well and irrespective of whatever people say, the Syros is made according to market demands and one which will definitely fare well in the market even if it means cannibalising its siblings, which is bound to happen.

Workshop experience

Apart from the car I would like to add something about the service centre, since the showroom was a 3s facility I decided to visit the workshop area too and I must say I was rather impressed. The area was very large and had multiple bays ensuring the workshop ain’t choked even with heavy load. The bodyshop area was very good too and I found all parts of a car disassembled in a place which I really loved to see.

Large service area with multiple bays

Bodyshop area

Disassembled car parts

Kia uses Servo oils only

The reception area was large too and I felt a good vibe at the ASC and expect the experience to be very similar to Hyundais which is to say fuss-free.

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