New details about the Kia Syros compact SUV are surfacing in the run up to its global unveil on December 19. With the Syros – which will rival the Hyundai Venue, Skoda Kylaq, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon and the other five compact SUVs – Kia is aiming to offer a better rear seat experience than its current offering in the segment, the Sonet. One of the ways the Korean brand will ensure that is by offering reclining rear seats on the Syros.
- Kia Syros expected with more rear seat space than Sonet
- Syros will also be more feature-rich than the Sonet
- Syros’ price range, powertrains to provide some distinction
Kia Syros rear seat comfort
When the Kia Syros arrives in the Indian market – prices are expected to be announced in January at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo – it’ll be the second compact SUV with reclining rear seats, after the Hyundai Venue. However, a major drawback of the Hyundai is its rear seat space, which is where Kia aims to excel with the Syros.
As seen in teasers and spy shots, the Syros has been designed as a tall-boy, like the brand’s Soul on sale in international markets or the home-grown Maruti Wagon R, and uses vertical space to maximise room inside the cabin. In fact, the brand claims that not only will rear seat space be better than what’s available in the Sonet, but also when compared to the larger Seltos.
Kia Syros features
The most recent round of teasers and test mules spied previously have confirmed a number of features we’ll see on range-topping variants of the Syros. Over the Sonet’s features list, the new compact SUV is expected with a 360-degree camera, front parking sensors, a more advanced ADAS suite and a panoramic sunroof, along with the aforementioned reclining rear seats.
Kia Syros price estimate
Considering the Syros will only be available with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options – and not the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit seen on entry-level Sonets – prices will start higher. As the Sonet 1.0-litre turbo-petrol range starts at Rs 9.63 lakh, we expect Syros prices to start at around Rs 10 lakh, and top out at around Rs 16 lakh.
All prices, ex-showroom, India
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
