Kia has chosen the Syros to be its second mass market EV for the Indian market. Despite its superb packaging, oddball styling and high initial prices held back the original ICE version against traditional compact SUV rivals. However, EV customers are generally more accepting of avant-garde design, so can the Syros EV find success where the ICE version couldn’t? We drove it in Bengaluru to find out.

Kia Syros EV Exterior Design and Engineering – 7/10

A game of spot the difference between the Syros EV and the ICE version would prove challenging for the casual observer, so here is the cheatsheet. Up front, the bumper is ever so slightly different, with a slimmer cooling slot above the number plate and minor tweaks to the body-coloured triangular pods that house the LED fog lamps. Apart from the charging port on the front left fender and the shorter roof rails, the profile is unchanged. Crouch down, though, and you’ll notice the battery pack is visible, like it is on the Hyundai Creta Electric. Kia claims ground clearance is 197mm which is 7mm more than the ICE version. The tri-spoke 17-inch alloys are the same ones that debuted on the ICE car but were discontinued with the facelift. No differences round the back either, save for an EV badge on the tailgate.

If you didn’t like the way the Syros looked, the EV isn’t going to change your mind. It is distinctive, though – like a Japanese kei car only larger, and Korean. Its blanked-off fascia looks appropriate on an EV, and the vertically oriented headlights give it a unique look. The cladding lower down on the bumper carries on to the wheel arches, doors and the rear, adding some muscle. Breaking up the large greenhouse are the pronounced B-pillar and the upward kink in the C-pillar, both of which are neatly done. And while the tailgate looks a bit blank, the split lighting – with L-shaped elements framing the rear windscreen and larger units at the edge of the bumper – looks great when lit up.

Syros EV Interior Space and Comfort – 10/10

Step inside and you start to understand why the Syros EV looks the way it does. Space for passengers, their knick-knacks and luggage is in abundance. With the EV’s drive selector positioned on the steering column, Kia has re-engineered the centre console to liberate a lot more storage. It now has two levels: the top floating portion has a small cubby under the armrest, along with two cupholders with their own sliding cover, while the lower level has a large storage area for a bag or such, another cupholder and a wireless charger. The front door pockets are just as accommodating, with room for a couple of bottles and an umbrella.

The front seats are supportive and comfortable, with heating and ventilation along with 4-way power adjustment for the driver. While the dash layout is unchanged, the EV gets the Seltos’ three-spoke steering wheel, but adjustment is still limited to rake and not reach. The EV uses a slightly different colour palette inside: our HTX+ test car gets a smart-looking black-and-off-white theme, the X-Line features a darker black-and-green ambience, while all other trims get an airy light grey and pastel blue theme. While most surfaces are hard plastic, the quality of the materials, fit and finish is top notch.

The back seat remains a highlight, with plenty of room all around. The floor is slightly higher because of the battery pack, which means thigh support isn’t as good as in the ICE version. However, if you slide the bench back and stretch out, this isn’t much of an issue. A benefit of the raised floor is that it is now completely flat. Ventilation for the seat base carries over, but the backrest still misses out, as Kia says it would restrict its recline angle.

Boot space is identical to the ICE Syros at 390 litres with the seat all the way back, and 465 litres with it slid forward. The rear seats also split-fold – though not completely flat – to carry longer items. There is a 16-litre frunk too, though it is rather narrow.

Kia Syros EV Features and Safety – 9/10

Sitting proud on the dash is what Kia calls the Trinity Panoramic Display, comprising two 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and driver’s display, with a 5-inch screen in between for the HVAC controls. The driver’s display is logically laid out, easy to read and offers some customisation, while the infotainment is sharp, snappy and has a clean UI. The EV gets a dedicated tab that shows several parameters related to the battery, range and energy consumption. It can also help find the nearest charger, condition the battery before charging, as well as set up charging schedules.

The infotainment also offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and, on the top trims, powers a superb Harman Kardon audio system with eight speakers, including one on the dash and a subwoofer in the boot. Sunblinds and rear AC vents are standard, while the massive panoramic sunroof features on all but the bottom two trims. Our second-from-top HTX+ also gets an integrated dashcam.

Overall, the Syros EV is very well equipped, but some features are available only on the top X-Line variant, including Level 2 ADAS, ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera and a household-style three-pin socket in the back seat. Restricting features to the top trim isn’t unusual; however, the X-Line can only be had in Aurora Black Pearl or Matte Graphite, which might not be to all tastes.

The standard safety suite is robust, including six airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, tyre pressure monitoring and ISOFIX mounts. The ADAS suite is also comprehensive, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane keep assist, forward and rear collision avoidance, and a blind-spot camera. At the time of writing, the Syros EV does not yet have an official crash safety rating, but considering the ICE version has a five-star BNCAP rating, a similar result for the EV can be expected.

Kia Syros EV Performance and Refinement – 9/10

The Syros EV is available with the same 42kWh and 51.4kWh NMC battery packs as the Carens Clavis EV and the Hyundai Creta Electric. Here too, they power a single motor on the front axle producing 135hp with the smaller battery and 171hp with the extended-range version. Torque is identical on both at 255Nm.

Performance was brisk on our 51.4kWh test car, with the 0-100kph sprint claimed to take 8.1 seconds. There are three drive modes to choose from – Eco, Normal and Sport – with each sharpening throttle response a little more than the last. Initial response in all modes is linear so as not to overwhelm those who aren’t used to the instant torque, but there is a strong shove as you get further into the throttle. Overtaking, then, is quite effortless, even in Eco and Normal, almost never needing a switch to Sport for a quick pass.

The regen braking modes – selected via the paddle shifters – are also very well calibrated, with a noticeable increase in resistance in each mode and the ability to turn it off completely. Holding the left paddle engages one-pedal driving, which uses regen to bring the car to a full stop. It works quite seamlessly and can be very convenient once you get used to it.

Refinement is good too, with no noticeable motor whine making its way into the cabin. It’s so quiet, in fact, that Kia has added a virtual humming sound to warn pedestrians. Since there is no engine note inside the cabin, you do hear a bit more road noise, but at no point does it become intrusive.

Kia Syros EV Range and Efficiency – 8/10

Claimed MIDC range for the 51.4kWh battery is 526km, while the 42kWh unit claims 443km. Our short drive didn’t allow us to test these claims, but if the real-world range we achieved in the Clavis EV and Creta Electric is anything to go by, the Syros EV Extended Range should comfortably manage around 400km on a single charge. We will verify this when we have the car for longer.

Topping up a depleted battery from 10 to 80 percent is said to take 39 minutes on a 100kW DC fast charger. The same charge using the optional 11kW wallbox charger, is said to take almost five hours for the Extended Range and four hours for the Standard Range.

Kia Syros EV Ride Comfort and Handling – 8/10

The ride on the Syros EV is a touch more absorbent than on its ICE counterpart. Sharp bumps don’t come through to the cabin as abruptly, but there is still an underlying firmness to it. This firmness is there to help body control, but being a tall, narrow car, there is still a fair bit of body roll through the corners. It does feel stable though, and overall grip is strong.

Steering feel is also good, and it weighs up as speeds rise, which helps with high-speed stability. The four-wheel disc brakes are strong too, bringing the Syros to a confident halt when you drop the anchors. Overall, it isn’t the most entertaining car to drive, but it feels stable and secure at speed while being easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

Kia Syros EV Value for Money – 7/10

Introductory prices for the Syros EV start at Rs 13.5 lakh for the 42kWh version and Rs 17 lakh for the 51.4kWh Extended Range. If you want the fully loaded X-Line, that’ll be a cool Rs 20 lakh. To reduce the upfront purchase cost, a BaaS scheme is available with prices starting at Rs 7.99 lakh, and battery rental costing Rs 3.3 per kilometre. To sweeten the deal, Kia is offering a 15-year/unlimited-kilometre HV battery warranty for the first owner, along with an assured buyback value of up to 80 percent after three years.

Its pricing means the Syros EV rivals the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 3XO EV, as well as larger EVs like the MG Windsor and Maruti e Vitara. As such, the 42kWh Syros EV makes for a very compelling option, undercutting its rivals in the sub-four-metre EV space. It is easily the most spacious in this segment and is very well equipped even in the lower trims. However, its case weakens with the 51.4kWh Extended Range. It is significantly pricier than its immediate rivals, overlapping with the larger-battery versions of the Windsor and e Vitara. While the Syros EV has its merits and even outdoes them in some areas, buyers might find the allure of a bigger car for the same money too hard to resist.