Confirmed: Kia Syros Crossover heading to South Africa
In February, CAR Mag reported that, while the Kia Syros remained unconfirmed for South Africa at the time, the Seltos' smaller sibling is likely to make its way to our shores, considering the India-built crossover/SUV is already available in right-hand drive and our market's ever-increasing preference towards vehicles of this ilk.
Now, at the recent local launch of the facelifted fourth-generation Sorento, the local arm of the South Korean carmaker confirmed that the Syros will, indeed, make its way to South Africa. So, what do we know so far about the upcoming crossover/SUV?
Well, for starters, the Syros will be positioned between the popular Sonet and Seltos in Kia South Africa's crossover/SUV model portfolio. The Syros is based on a reinforced version of the Hyundai-Kia K1 platform, which currently underpins the Hyundai Exter and Grand i10.
However, the Syros' 3 995mm-long frame is 115mm shorter, front to rear, compared to the Sonet's. Though, contributing to its purposeful stance, the Syros' sheet metal is 10mm wider (1 800 vs 1 790mm) than the Sonet and stands 55mm taller (1 665 vs 1 610mm) than the latter compact crossover/SUV. The Syros' 2 550mm wheelbase is also 50mm longer (at 2 550mm) than the Sonet's.
The Syros was unveiled with the choice of two engine options: an 88kW/172N.m, 1l, three-cylinder turbopetrol and an 85kW/250N.m, 1.5l, four-cylinder turbocharged oil-burner, both of which available with a six-speed manual transmission. Though, the petrol and diesel can also be had with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and six-speed self-shifter, respectively.
The South Korean automaker's local arm has yet to confirm which powertrain will be employed by the local Syros lineup, but we expect it will be the 1l turbo-triple, the latter probably available with both the six-speed manual in entry-level models and seven-speed dual-clutch in higher-spec derivatives.
Seen here, the Syros sports a 12.3-inch, touch-enabled infotainment display, digital instrumentation, wireless smartphone charging and a 360-degree surround-view camera system. However, local specifications have yet to be confirmed.
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