Kia Syros EV First Drive Review

The Syros EV is, for all means and purposes, a Syros with an electric powertrain. So now, you can have Kia's sub-four-metre 'large' hatch with a petrol, diesel, or electric powertrain. It goes up against the popular Tata Nexon EV and the MG Windsor, which makes its job doubly hard. Doubly, because first, there is the question of the low sales of the ICE version of the Syros to contend with. But stranger things have happened in our auto market, and therefore, to discount the Syros EV completely would be a mistake.

If you've seen the ICE Syros, you've already seen the EV. It looks exactly the same besides the charging port on the left front fender and the new set of alloy wheels. The vertically stacked lighting elements, flush door handles, shark-fin antenna, upright proportions, and boxy silhouette are all carried over unchanged.

It is a hate-it-or-love-it design. From the front, the Syros looks futuristic and distinctive. In fact, when viewed head-on or from the rear, it has presence. It's the side profile where it divides opinion. The unusually shaped wheel arches and slab-sided bodywork make it look unconventional. The 17-inch wheels do fill the arches well, but the overall design remains an acquired taste.

The interior is pretty much carried over from the ICE version of the car as well. You have a similarly large boot, easy ingress and egress, a lavish feeling of space, a handsome array of equipment, and generous storage all around. It offers large front door pockets with bottle holders, a usable glovebox, numerous cubbies, and storage behind the front seats, making it practical to travel with family.

The front seats continue to be roomy, supportive, and comfortable, which should bode well over long journeys. The second row, meanwhile, remains the Syros EV's biggest strength. Entry and exit are effortless thanks to the low floor and wide-opening doors. Once inside, the flat floor, reclining rear seats, and sliding bench create a genuinely versatile cabin. Rear passengers also get ventilation for the seat base but not the seat back, which is a big miss, in addition to AC vents and USB-C charging ports.

Visibility, as well as the feeling of space, is another highlight of the cabin thanks to the large glasshouse, big mirrors, and thin A-pillars, not to mention the panoramic sunroof.

There are some differences, nonetheless. The gear selector has moved to the steering column, freeing up valuable space on the centre console. Kia has used this intelligently by creating multiple storage areas, including a large open tray, adjustable cup holders, wireless phone charging, and a generously sized armrest storage bin. The only disappointment is that the large storage tray below is finished in hard plastic. Without rubber or felt lining, loose items like keys and phones tend to rattle around. And there is no cooled storage anywhere.

As mentioned earlier, the Syros EV is loaded with equipment. The twin-screen setup is crisp, responsive, and easy to use. Kia has wisely retained plenty of physical shortcut buttons, making operations simpler than relying entirely on touchscreen controls. The infotainment system itself is intuitive, supports configurable widgets, and includes connected services such as weather updates, calendar integration, vehicle diagnostics, and navigation.

Where it falls short is the driver's display. While clear and readable, it doesn't offer much customisation or EV-specific information. Given the size of the display, there was scope for far more interaction and visual engagement.

As for the feature list, here are the ones that matter. Ventilated front seats, a ventilated rear seat base, panoramic sunroof, wireless charger, Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) outlet to charge things like your laptop without needing a converter, over 95 connected car features, and a digital key. As for the EV-related functions, the Syros comes with battery pre-conditioning for faster charging while helping retain battery health for longer. There's remote AC operation as well, which can be activated through the Kia Connect 2.0 app. The top-spec variants also come with Level 2 ADAS.

The Syros EV comes with two battery pack options, each paired with a different motor output. The 42kWh battery is coupled with a 99kW or 135bhp motor, and together they offer a claimed range of a little over 440km on a full charge. The one we have here is the 51.4kWh version. Its motor produces 126kW or around 170bhp, and it has a claimed range of 526km. Batteries on both versions use NMC chemistry.

Now, on our drive, the car's indicated range on a full charge was around 450km in Normal mode. You also have Eco and Sport modes to choose from, with the former increasing the range substantially. As far as consumption goes, we saw close to 7km/kWh on our drive. Multiply that by the 51.4kWh battery pack, and it translates into a range of around 360km on a full charge.

Do note, however, our driving wasn't what you'd typically do. Ours involved lots of idling with the AC on as we shot static images and videos. Full-bore 0-100kmph acceleration runs as we tried to see how close we could get to the claimed times. And general heavy-footed driving because, well, that's the sort of thing we enjoy. For regular customers, expect the range to be better than what we achieved.

Now, let's talk performance. In Normal mode, the car's acceleration is brisk. It gets to 100kmph without trying too hard. It also has the tendency to lift its nose under full-bore acceleration, which takes a little over eight seconds from 0-100kmph. It offers three levels of regenerative braking, and all are of the i-Pedal or one-pedal variety. In the least restrictive setting, the Syros EV feels near identical to an ICE car in terms of its braking characteristic. So those popping their EV cherry with the Syros will find it easy to get used to. Experienced EV drivers can opt for Level 3. It does slow the car down quite aggressively, but it is not abrupt or erratic, which should make one-pedal driving easy to master.

Additionally, the EV is equipped to handle 100kW DC fast charging, which Kia claims takes the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in just 39 minutes.

Apart from its polarising design and relatively high cost of acquisition, the third factor that has led to poor demand for the Syros has been its suspension setup. And that has been carried over to the Syros EV as well.

The Syros EV's suspension is set up on the softer side. So, when travelling at slow speeds with one or two people on board, it feels plush and comfortable. At city speeds, the suspension feels soft, rounded, and extremely comfortable. Mildly broken roads, expansion joints, and everyday imperfections are absorbed with little fuss. But drive faster, show the car a badly broken section of road, or load it up with people and luggage, and the car feels squishy and nervous. The body movement—both roll and pitch—in these conditions feels disconcerting, as the car refuses to settle on its springs in a hurry.

We found it lacking dynamically as well. As speeds rise, the soft suspension begins to feel loose. Over undulating roads, the body moves around more than expected, and the lack of rebound control becomes noticeable. At highway speeds, particularly over dips and crests, the Syros doesn't inspire the same confidence as some of its rivals. It also doesn't enjoy quick direction changes. The steering, on the other hand, is well judged. It's light while parking, progressively weighs up with speed, and feels good to operate throughout.

As expected of an EV, refinement is one of the Syros' strengths. The powertrain is virtually silent, and overall cabin isolation is impressive. There's only a mild amount of road noise filtering into the cabin, but it's never intrusive. The only notable source of unwanted noise comes from loose items stored in the hard plastic trays on the centre console, something better lining could have eliminated.

As mentioned at the start, the Syros EV has an uphill task on its hands. It's not the prettiest, nor is it the most driver-focused. And we wouldn't term it brilliant value either. It does, however, sport one of the best electric powertrains in its class. It also has one of the best cabins—spacious, well put together, and feature-rich. And as a city car, it is easy to drive, easy to see out of, and easy to park.

But the question remains: would you buy it over the popular Nexon EV or the entry-level Windsor?

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi