Kia Syros vs Skoda Kylaq Kia Sonet Tata Nexon Mahindra XUV 3XO, power, size compared

Kia Syros vs Skoda Kylaq Kia Sonet Tata Nexon Mahindra XUV 3XO, power, size compared

Syros will take on the recently launched Skoda Kylaq and seven other compact SUVs.

The Kia Syros, named for an island in the Mediterranean sea, has made its global debut, and the Korean brand has revealed nearly every detail of the new compact SUV, other than the price tag. While bookings for the Syros will commence from January 3, the price reveal and delivery details will be announced early in February. When it arrives, the Syros will not only take on Kia’s other compact SUV, the Sonet, but also the likes of the Skoda Kylaq, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite and Maruti Brezza. We put the nine compact SUVs together, on paper, to see if the Syros has an edge.

Kia Syros dimensions vs rivals

Kia Syros vs rivals: dimensions
Syros Kylaq Nexon Brezza XUV 3XO Venue Sonet Magnite Kiger
Length (mm) 3995 3995 3995 3995 3990 3995 3995 3994 3991
Width (mm) 1805 1783 1804 1790 1821 1770 1790 1758 1750
Height (mm) 1680 1619 1620 1685 1647 1617 1642 1572 1605
Wheelbase (mm) 2550 2556 2498 2500 2600 2500 2500 2500 2500
Ground clearance (mm) 189 208 201 205 205
Boot space (litres) 465* 360 382 328 364 385 336 405*
Wheel size (inch) 17 17 16 16 17 16 16 16 16
Fuel tank (litres) 45 45 44 48 42 45 45 40 40

Like others in this segment, the Syros ducks under the four-metre mark in terms of length. Barring the Mahindra XUV 3XO with its 1,821mm width, the Syros is wider than the rest its competition, including the Nexon by a 1mm margin. The new Kia compact SUV’s tall-boy stance sees it stand taller than all its rivals by a decent margin, except for the Maruti Brezaa, which is 5mm taller. In terms of wheelbase length, the Syros has the third-longest one here, 50mm less than the Mahindra and 6mm less than Skoda’s Kylaq. As it stands, the Syros is among the larger compact SUVs here, which bodes well for the space on the inside.

Maruti Suzuki’s Brezza has the largest fuel tank among its compact SUV rivals, while the Syros, Kylaq and XUV 3XO are the only ones here with 17-inch alloy wheels, at least on their respective top-spec trims. It should be noted that while Kia quotes a 465-litre boot for the Syros, making it the largest one here, this figure (and the Kiger’s) is measured from boot floor to roof, while the other measure from boot floor to parcel tray. Still, the Syros’ boot capacity is larger than the Kylaq’s claimed 446-litre, from boot floor to roof, which translates to 360 litres from boot floor to parcel tray.

Kia Syros engine and gearbox vs rivals

Kia Syros vs rivals: petrol powertrain
Syros Kylaq Nexon Brezza XUV 3XO Venue Sonet Magnite Kiger
Type 3 cyls turbo 3 cyls turbo 3 cyls turbo 4 cyls NA 3 cyls turbo/3 cyls turbo 4 cyls NA/3 cyls turbo 4 cyls NA/3 cyls turbo 3 cyls NA/3 cyls turbo 3 cyls NA/3 cyls turbo
Displacement (cc) 998 999 1199 1462 1197/1197 (TGDi) 1197/998 1197/998 999/999 999/999
Power (hp) 120 115 120 103 111/131 83/120 83/120 72/100 72/100
Torque (Nm) 172 178 170 137 200/230 114/172 114/172 96/160 96/160
Manual gearbox 6MT 6MT 5MT/6MT 5MT 6MT 5MT/6MT 5MT/6iMT 5MT 5MT
Auto gearbox 7DCT 6AT 6AMT/7DCT 6AT 6AT 7DCT 7DCT 5AMT/CVT 5AMT/CVT

As we’ve reported before, the Syros shares its engine options with the Sonet, and, incidentally, the Hyundai Venue as well. However, the new Kia does not get the 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine, and the Syros range starts with the 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol. Compared to its turbo-petrol rivals, the Syros sits in the middle of the lot – above the Nexon and equal to the Venue and Sonet – with the XUV 3XO with the 131hp TDGi engine leading the pack. The Magnite and Kiger are the least powerful models here, whether one selects the naturally aspirated or turbo-petrol versions. Maruti’s Brezza is available with a 103hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is among the least powerful models in this comparison, but just above the Nissan and Renault.

All the models here get a manual transmission as standard, though the Sonet stands out for offering an iMT unit, which is essentially a clutchless manual gearbox. The Tata Nexon offers the largest number of gearbox options as, depending on the variant, there’s a 5- and 6-speed manual, and a 6-speed AMT and a 7-speed dual-clutch auto.

Kia Syros vs rivals: diesel powertrain
Syros Nexon XUV 3XO Venue Sonet
Type 4 cyls, turbo-diesel 4 cyls, turbo-diesel 4 cyls, turbo-diesel 4 cyls, turbo-diesel 4 cyls, turbo-diesel
Displacement (cc) 1493 1496 1497 1493 1493
Power (hp) 116 115 117 116 116
Torque (Nm) 250 260 300 250 250
Manual gearbox 6MT 6MT 6MT 6MT 6iMT
Auto gearbox 6AT 6AMT 6AMT 6AT

Kia is among the carmakers that continue to offer a small diesel engine, and, again, the Syros shares its 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit with the Venue and Sonet. The Korean’s diesel engine makes 1hp more, but 10Nm less than the Nexon, while the XUV 3XO is, again, the most powerful of the lot. Interestingly, the XUV 3XO is the only one here with an AMT gearbox option, while the Venue is the only one here to be manual only.

For a more definitive verdict, we’ll have to wait until February for Kia Syros prices to be announced; we expect it to be in the Rs 10 lakh-16 lakh, ex-showroom, region. For now, Kia’s new compact SUV seems to have what it takes to be at par with its competition, at least on paper.  

Also see:

Kia Syros walkaround video

Kia Syros: 5 features it gets over the Seltos

Kia Syros variant-wise features, colours explained

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