The Kia Syros, named after an island in the Mediterranean Sea, was launched last week with prices starting from Rs 9 lakh, ex-showroom. Deliveries of the SUV are slated to begin in the coming few days. The Syros will take on Kia’s own Sonet and other compact SUVs like the Skoda Kylaq, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite and Maruti Brezza. We compare the nine compact SUVs, on paper, to see if the Syros has an edge.

Kia Syros prices vs rivals

The Syros is the most expensive when it comes to both range-starting and range-topping variants compared to its rivals. Sitting above the Sonet priced from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 14.85 lakh, the Syros is pricier by Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2.95 lakh, respectively. Note that unlike the Sonet which starts from HTE variant, the Kia Syros starts its range from HTK variant onwards. Further, the latest Kia offering does not get GTX and X-Line variants yet. The Renault Kiger continues to be the most affordable with its Rs 6 lakh price tag.

Kia Syros dimensions vs rivals

Like others in this segment, the Syros' length ducks under four metres. Barring the Mahindra XUV 3XO, which is 1,821mm wide, the Syros is wider than the rest its competition (just 1mm wider than the Nexon). Due to its tall-boy stance, the Syros is taller than all its rivals except the Maruti Brezza, which is 5mm taller. In terms of wheelbase length, the Syros' is the third-longest, 50mm less than the Mahindra and 6mm less than the Skoda Kylaq. As it stands, the Syros is among the larger compact SUVs here, which bodes well for the space on the inside.

While the Brezza has the largest fuel tank in this group, the Syros, Kylaq and XUV 3XO are the only ones here to offer 17-inch alloy wheels on their respective top-spec trims. Kia claims the Syros' boot measures 465 litres, making it the largest here. It should be noted that the Renault's figure is measured from boot floor to roof, while the others measure it from boot floor to parcel tray.

Kia Syros engine and gearbox vs rivals

As we’ve reported before, the Syros gets the same 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol as the Sonet and Hyundai Venue; it does not get the 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine. Compared to its turbo-petrol rivals, the Syros sits in the middle of the lot – above the Nexon, equal to the Venue and Sonet, and below the XUV 3XO with its 131hp TDGi engine leading the pack. The Magnite and Kiger are the least powerful models here, in both naturally aspirated and turbo-petrol forms. Maruti’s Brezza is available with a 103hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is just more than the Nissan and Renault.

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

Kia is among the carmakers that continues to offer a small diesel engine, and the Syros shares its 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit with the Venue and Sonet. The Korean’s diesel engine makes 1hp more and 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.

Also see:

Kia Syros review: Ace of Space

Kia Syros variant-wise price, features, transmissions explained

Kia Syros: 5 features it gets over the Seltos