Should You Buy Kia Syros Diesel Variant in 2025? Check Its Pros & Cons
Recently, we drove the Kia Syros HTX + (O) diesel automatic variant for 600 km on the city and highways and tested its multiple parameters. Check out its pros and cons:
- Automobile News
- 5 min read
Pros and Cons of Syros: Kia India offers two sub-4m compact SUVs in the Indian market, the Sonet and the Syros. The latter has been recently launched in India, which is a feature-packed offering, has comfortable seating, and has scored a five-star safety rating in the Bharat NCAP. Regarding the feature list, it has a panoramic sunroof, rear ventilated seats, a wireless charger, driving modes, and more. You can choose the Kia Syros with a 1.0L turbo petrol engine and a 1.5L diesel engine, paired with a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox option.
Recently, we drove the Kia Syros HTX + (O) diesel automatic variant for 600 km on the city and highways and tested its fuel efficiency, rear seat comfort, features and other parameters. Checking out its main pros and cons can help buyers decide whether they should consider it or not:
Pros:
Fuel Efficiency
If you are planning to get a fuel-efficient SUV, you can check out the Kia Syros’s diesel variant. Since we tested out the diesel automatic variant, which is also present in the Seltos, Sonet, and other Kia cars, it is known for its great fuel efficiency. As per ARAI, Kia claims the 1.5L diesel automatic variant has a claimed fuel efficiency of 17.65 km/l. During our drive experience of more than 600 km, we got a fuel efficiency of 13.5 km/l, wherein our 80 per cent driving was in the city traffic conditions.
Comfort
The front and rear seats of the Syros are comfortable. Talking about the front seats, it has soft cushioning, and the HTX (O)+ variant comes with leatherette upholstery at the front and rear. The seats have decent thigh support, and you sit high enough, and the bonnet is visible. However, the front centre armrest is not adjustable, which barely keeps your elbow.
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The rear seats of the Syros are one of the prime highlights where the main work has been done. It is a comfortable space to be in, and despite being a sub-4m compact SUV, Kia has managed to make space in the second row. Additionally, with the rear-seat reclining and sliding function, it enhanced our comfort, and on long rides, there was ample boot space as well.
Features
Kia has equipped the Syros with a long list of convenience features. Some of the key features include a panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree parking camera, a wireless charger, 64 colours for ambient lighting, and more. However, some of the key features that we liked during our experience were that it has front and rear ventilated seats, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, has three driving modes, Eco, Normal, and Sport, and more. The camera quality of the 360-degree parking camera was decent, and it did get pixelated. Further, the 8-speaker Bose audio system did offer a great music experience during long drives.
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Safety Features
Regarding safety, the Kia Syros is the first car in the lineup to score a five-star safety rating in the Bharat NCAP. It further has Level-2 ADAS, which includes a blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and more, six airbags, ABS with EBD, highline direct TPMS, traction control, and more. The experience with the ADAS features was decent, and it was able to slow down with the adaptive cruise control, but when it gained speed, it went to more than 2000 RPM and made gear shifts, which hampered the fuel efficiency.
Cons
Ride and Handling
The first con which we felt in the Syros during our driving experience was its ride and handling. The suspensions are tuned on the softer side, and on bad roads and bumps, it glides smoothly. However, when we took it at triple-digit speeds, the ride became bouncy, and the feel and feedback from the steering wheel could have been better. Further, on taking bends on flyovers and curves, the body roll was quite evident due to its tallboy design.
Performance
The next con of the Kia Syros diesel automatic, which we felt is its performance. Though it is equipped with a 1.5L diesel engine, which makes 115 bhp and 253 Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. Since we drove the six-speed automatic gearbox variant, the shifts were decent, but it was done around 2,100-2,300 RPM when there was a sudden extra tap on the throttle. Keeping a light foot driving, the gear shifts were made under ₹2,000 RPM, but when in need of power, there was some lag, which we felt, and the engine noise was evident inside the cabin.
What is the price of the Kia Syros?
The price of the Kia Syros starts at ₹9.83 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base HTK 1.0 Turbo manual variant. However, the price of the HTX Plus (O) Diesel automatic variant is ₹18.68 lakh (on-road, Noida).
Should You Buy the Kia Syros?
Now the main question is, should you buy the Kia Syros diesel automatic? Our answer is Yes. If you want a car with good fuel efficiency, a comfortable cabin, and strong AC, then you can consider it. While the performance and the diesel engine clatter can be an issue to some users, it can be a good option if you prioritise fuel efficiency, space and features inside the cabin.