Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts (or don’t, because the car will yell at you until you do). The Kia Syros is here, and it’s ready to take over Indian roads like a Bollywood blockbuster with an extended director’s cut.
First things first, this isn’t just a car—it’s a “compact SUV” that stands tall, wide, and boxier than your last online shopping delivery. Kia has dug deep into Greek mythology for the name, calling it Syros, after a picturesque Greek island. But let’s be honest, this SUV is more likely to be seen in Delhi’s traffic than by the Aegean Sea.
Looks: Squared Up and Ready to Rumble
Designed by Teck-koun Kim—a guy who has worked with Mercedes-Benz and Daihatsu—the Syros takes inspiration from the EV9, meaning you get a bold, boxy design that makes it look like a Korean Transformer that’s permanently stuck in SUV mode.
The “Opposites United” design philosophy is at play here, which probably means they combined futuristic styling with old-school SUV toughness. The digital tiger face grille is here to remind you it’s a Kia, and the ice cube LED headlights are so bright, they could guide lost ships back to the shore. Plus, the escort function ensures your Syros waves goodbye when you lock it, like a clingy ex who refuses to let go.
At 4 metres long, 1.8 metres wide, and 1.7 metres tall, the Syros is not exactly a behemoth, but it does have a 190 mm ground clearance, perfect for speed bumps that secretly want to wreck your car. With a kerb weight of 1400 kg, this isn’t a featherweight fighter, but it’s light enough to keep fuel efficiency in check.
And let’s talk wheels. Kia gives you a choice of 17-inch crystal cut alloys, 16-inch alloys, or if you’re feeling truly old-school, 15-inch steel wheels. The disc brakes at both ends ensure it stops when you tell it to (unless you have drum brakes on the manual variant, in which case, start praying a little earlier).
Features: Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Inside, it’s feature-packed enough to make luxury cars nervous.
- 30-inch Trinity panoramic display (which sounds more like a Marvel movie than a car feature)
- 64-colour ambient lighting (because why settle for one mood when you can have them all?)
- Dual-pane electric sunroof (so that pigeons can aim at you from two angles)
- Ventilated seats in the front and back (because Indian summers are brutal)
- Wireless charging (goodbye, tangled cables)
- Harman Kardon 8-speaker sound system (because you deserve to blast your road trip playlist with style)
- Fully automatic climate control with an air purifier and AQI display (because fresh air is optional on Indian roads)
- Key remote window control (so you can show off at traffic signals)
- Dashcam with dual cameras (to record your road rage in HD quality)
And then there’s the Kia Connect app, which lets you control 80+ features from your smartphone. Forget missing your car; now your car misses you.
Safety: You’d Have to Try Hard to Crash This
Kia has thrown in a Level 2 ADAS suite, which means your Syros is practically watching your back (and front, and sides). Some of the highlights:
- Front collision avoidance assist (saves you from your own bad decisions)
- 360-degree camera (so you can park without becoming a meme)
- Lane keep assist (prevents you from accidentally ending up in Nepal)
- Blind view monitor (because mirrors are so last decade)
- Reverse parking collision avoidance (so you don’t accidentally redesign your neighbor’s fence)
- 6 airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, TPMS, hill start assist, and more—basically, you’re wrapped in a safety bubble.
Engines & Performance: Small But Mighty
Under the hood, Kia offers two engine options:
- 1.0L, 3-cylinder, turbo-petrol
- 118 HP, 172 Nm torque
- Mileage: 18 kmpl (manual), 17 kmpl (automatic)
- Transmission: 7-speed DCT automatic or 6-speed manual
- 1.5L, 4-cylinder, turbo-diesel
- 114 HP, 250 Nm torque
- Mileage: 20 kmpl (manual), 17 kmpl (automatic)
- Transmission: 6-speed manual or automatic
For those of you who love drama, there are three drive modes (Eco, Normal, and Sport) and three traction modes (Sand, Mud, Snow). Not that you’ll be rock crawling in this, but hey, it’s nice to dream.
Pricing: Not Cheap, Not Crazy Either
- Base model starts at ₹9 lakh (ex-showroom)
- Top-end HTX+ Optional version costs ₹17 lakh
- Want ADAS? That’s another ₹80,000 because safety comes at a price
Verdict: Should You Buy One?
If you’re looking for a practical, tech-loaded, and feature-packed SUV that won’t make your wallet cry, the Kia Syros is a solid contender. It’s stylish, safe, and has enough gimmicks to keep you entertained in traffic jams. Sure, it’s not a Lamborghini, but at least your fuel bills won’t require a bank loan.
Would I buy one? If I needed a small SUV with big personality, why not? It’s got enough flair to stand out, enough power to keep things interesting, and enough features to make you feel like you’re in a spaceship.
Plus, it won’t ghost you—thanks to the Kia Connect app, this car will always be connected to you, even when you don’t want it to be.
So, Syros: The Greek island that became an SUV. Welcome to India, my friend. Let’s see how long you last on our pothole-ridden roads.
