Kia Syros turbo petrol DCT mileage test: real-world efficiency figures

The Kia Syros is one of those cars that doesn’t really try to fit into a neat box. It looks a bit different, feels a bit different, and once you start using it daily, you realise it’s been built around practicality more than anything else. The cabin, especially, is where it really starts to make sense.

But let’s be honest, for most of you reading this, none of that matters if the mileage doesn’t add up. So I spent some time using the Syros the way an average owner would, just to see what fuel efficiency it actually returns in the real world.

The variant I had for this test was the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol with the 7-speed DCT. I followed a simple tank-to-tank routine, filled it up, reset the trip, and then just used it like I normally would for about a week.

That meant office runs, a bit of crawling traffic, and some open stretches when I could find them. Once I’d covered enough distance, I filled it up again to see how much fuel the Syros had consumed. But before getting into the numbers, here’s what stood out to me during that time.

Where the Syros really makes its case

Step inside, and the Syros immediately feels quite well thought through. The dashboard has that familiar Kia look, inspired by their high-end EVs, and it doesn’t take long to get comfortable with it.

The triple-screen setup sounds like overkill on paper, but in practice, it works. Everything is clear, responsive, and more importantly, not frustrating to use. I also liked that Kia hasn’t gone all-in on touch controls; you still get physical controls where you actually need them.

The triple-screen setup sounds like overkill on paper, but in practice, it works. Everything is clear, responsive, and more importantly, not frustrating to use.

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The triple-screen setup sounds like overkill on paper, but in practice, it works. Everything is clear, responsive, and more importantly, not frustrating to use.

There’s enough happening here to keep you happy, ventilated seats (front and rear), a panoramic sunroof, a Harman Kardon system, and plenty of device charging options. The rear seat, in particular, is quite flexible. You can slide it, recline it, and trade boot space for legroom depending on what you need that day.

That said, not everything is perfect. The steering wheel does get in the way of the screens at certain angles, and the button layout took me a couple of drives to get used to, as they are reverse of what you usually see on right-hand drive cars; it’s not what you instinctively expect.

Also, the cupholders, once you start using them regularly, you realise they get in the way of the gear lever more than they should.

Ride quality is a bit of a mixed bag. It deals with smaller bumps well enough, but on broken patches, you can feel the suspension working harder than you’d like. It never feels out of control, just slightly busy.

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Ride quality is a bit of a mixed bag. It deals with smaller bumps well enough, but on broken patches, you can feel the suspension working harder than you’d like. It never feels out of control, just slightly busy.

What is the turbo-petrol DCT combination like to drive?

Out on the road, the 1.0 turbo does what you expect it to. It’s not exciting, but it’s not struggling either. For daily use, it feels adequate.

In Eco and Normal modes, though, the DCT can feel a bit hesitant. There’s that familiar pause when you ask for quick acceleration, especially in traffic. You learn to drive around it after a while, but it’s still there.

Switch to Sport mode, and things tighten up. It feels more responsive, more willing, and just easier to drive when you’re in a bit of a hurry.

Ride quality is a bit of a mixed bag. It deals with smaller bumps well enough, but on broken patches, you can feel the suspension working harder than you’d like. It never feels out of control, just slightly busy.

Braking is fine, but I wouldn’t call it confidence-inspiring. The initial bite isn’t very strong, and you do have to press a bit harder than expected sometimes.

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Braking is fine, but I wouldn’t call it confidence-inspiring. The initial bite isn’t very strong, and you do have to press a bit harder than expected sometimes.

The steering is light, predictable, and easy, nothing you’ll think about too much, which is probably a good thing for a car like this. Braking is fine, but I wouldn’t call it confidence-inspiring. The initial bite isn’t very strong, and you do have to press a bit harder than expected sometimes. The test unit I had had already done close to 10,000 km, so that could be part of it.

The ADAS suite works quietly in the background. I tried the adaptive cruise and lane centring briefly, and it all behaved as expected, no surprises there.

Over roughly 190 km of mixed driving, the Syros used 16.7 litres of fuel. That works out to 11.8 km/l.

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Over roughly 190 km of mixed driving, the Syros used 16.7 litres of fuel. That works out to 11.8 km/l.

So, how much fuel efficiency does it actually return?

Now, coming to the number that really matters. Over roughly 190 km of mixed driving, the Syros used 16.7 litres of fuel. That works out to 11.8 km/l.

This was with about 80 per cent city driving and the rest on the highway, which, to be fair, is how most people are going to use it.

And honestly, that figure feels about right. It’s not disappointing, but it’s not something you’d brag about either. It’s just what you’d expect from a small turbo-petrol with a DCT in city conditions.

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