Kia Syros EV First Drive Review: A Better Syros, But Is It Worth The Price?
- Comfortable ride quality
- Spacious rear seat
- Practical cabin layout
- Brakes need more bite
- Poor highway insulation
- The Kia Syros EV looks familiar, but it doesn't always drive like the regular Syros. After a day behind the wheel, a few things stood out for the right reasons, while a couple of others could still use some work.
Bengaluru isn't the easiest city to evaluate a new car. One moment you're crawling through traffic, the next you're gliding over a smooth flyover before being greeted by a stretch of broken road that tests every bit of the suspension. It's also the kind of place where an electric SUV has to prove itself. It needs to be comfortable in traffic, easy enough to park, practical for family duties and still capable of handling the occasional highway trip.
That's exactly where I spent a day with the Kia Syros EV. On paper, it doesn't seem all that different from the petrol and diesel Syros. The shape is familiar, the cabin layout is almost unchanged, and most of the features have simply been carried over. But after spending a full day driving it around Bengaluru, I realised the electric version feels more than just an engine swap. In a few important areas, it's actually a nicer car to live with than the regular Syros.
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Familiar Looks, And That's Perfectly Fine
You won't mistake the Syros EV for anything other than a Syros, and I don't think that's a bad thing. The slimmer front grille is the biggest visual change, while the new alloy wheels help separate it from the ICE version. Lower variants continue with the same 16-inch wheels, while the top-spec model gets larger ones. I've always thought the Syros looked slightly futuristic. Looking at the EV, it almost feels like this was the version the design was meant for all along.
A Cabin That Already Got Most Things Right
The moment you step inside, everything feels familiar. The dashboard is carried over from the ICE version, which means there's very little to learn if you've driven a Syros before. The twin 12.3-inch screens remain one of the cabin's highlights. They're sharp, responsive and easy to navigate. The smaller 5-inch climate control display, however, is still tucked away behind the steering wheel. It looks neat, but using it on the move isn't always straightforward because part of it disappears behind the rim.
Equipment levels are generous, especially in the top variant. You get ventilated and powered front seats, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, a 360-degree camera and plenty more. More importantly, everything feels familiar to use, which isn't something every new EV can claim.
The biggest change inside isn't immediately obvious. Kia has moved the drive selector behind the steering wheel. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but once you do, it makes perfect sense. More importantly, it frees up a lot of space on the centre console.
Instead of leaving that area empty, Kia has added a larger storage space, an easier-to-reach wireless charger and a wider armrest. Even the buttons for the parking sensors and rear camera are exactly where your hand naturally falls.
Rear Seat Comfort Is One Of Its Biggest Strengths
If I had to pick one thing the Syros EV does particularly well, it would be the rear seat. At 5'8", I had no trouble sitting behind my own driving position, with enough room left for both my knees and my head. The sliding rear bench gives you the flexibility to prioritise either passenger space or luggage, while the reclining backrest should make longer journeys a little more relaxing.
Rear passengers also get ventilated seats, sunshades, AC vents, USB Type-C ports and useful storage spaces. It's clear that someone spent time thinking about how this part of the cabin would actually be used. Three adults can sit abreast if needed, although like most SUVs of this size, it's much happier carrying two.
The sliding rear seats also make the boot more versatile. With the seats pushed back, you get 390 litres of luggage space. Slide them forward, and that increases to 465 litres. Fold the second row completely, and there's over 1,200 litres to work with.
The only thing I wasn't particularly fond of was the high loading lip. Combined with the small step created when the rear seats fold down, it means heavier bags need a little more effort to push all the way inside.
An Easy Car To Drive Every Day
One of my biggest complaints with the petrol Syros was its suspension. It never quite settled over rough roads and always seemed busy underneath you. The EV feels different. The extra weight from the battery seems to have worked in its favour because the suspension feels calmer and better controlled. Broken roads don't unsettle it as easily, and around the city it simply feels more relaxed to drive.
There is a trade-off. The softer setup means it doesn't feel quite as eager when the road starts to twist, but that's unlikely to bother the kind of buyer this car is aimed at. What I appreciated most about the Syros EV wasn't its acceleration or its range. It was just how easy it was to drive.
Visibility is excellent, which makes threading through traffic or squeezing into parking spaces surprisingly stress-free. The front seats are supportive, and even after spending a few hours behind the wheel, I never found myself wanting to stop because of discomfort.
There are three drive modes: Eco, Normal and Sport, but I spent most of my time in Normal. Eco is best saved for traffic, while Sport is useful for quick overtakes. Normal simply feels the most natural for everyday driving. The larger 51.4 kWh battery produces 171 PS and has a claimed ARAI range of 526 km. The smaller 42 kWh battery develops 135 PS with a claimed range of 443 km. Both produce 255 Nm of torque.
A Couple Of Things Still Need Work
The Syros EV isn't perfect. The brakes take a little getting used to because there's very little bite when you first press the pedal. After a while, increasing the regenerative braking helps make the response feel more predictable, but I'd still like a little more confidence from the brake pedal itself.
The other weak spot is refinement at highway speeds. Up to city speeds, the cabin is impressively quiet. Once you're doing around 70-80 kmph, though, tyre noise becomes more noticeable, and you can hear a fair amount of wind noise around the A-pillars. Neither of these issues is serious enough to spoil the experience, but they're noticeable because everything else feels so sorted.
Verdict
The Syros EV left me with a better impression than I expected. It doesn't try to reinvent the Syros. Instead, it fixes one of my biggest complaints with the petrol version by giving it a more comfortable ride, while keeping everything that already worked: the practical cabin, the flexible rear seat and the long equipment list.
The real question isn't whether the Syros EV is a good car. It is. The question is how you buy it. At its regular sticker price, especially in the higher variants, it starts to look expensive next to some of its rivals. But if you're comfortable opting for Kia's Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) programme, the numbers begin to make much more sense. The effective starting price drops to around ₹8 lakh, while even the top variant comes down to roughly ₹15 lakh. That's the version of the Syros EV I'd recommend. Because once the pricing starts making sense, the car itself is very easy to like.
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