Kia Syros vs Mahindra XUV 3XO: what owners and experts say

Boot space

Syros: Strongly positiveXUV 3XO: Generally negative

Syros: “the Syros also trumps every single compact SUV... with a 465L boot once the seats are pushed all the way ahead... you can also fold down the rear seats for added room”

XUV 3XO: “the SUV has the smaller boot and it also has the higher loading lip so loading heavy items can be a bit of a challenge”

Touchscreen responsiveness

Syros: Generally positiveXUV 3XO: Strongly negative

Syros: “the screen quality, the touchscreen quality, the user interface, the graphics — really crisp and really really nice”

XUV 3XO: “when you turn on the car, it goes from reset to normal. Then you have to go here and enable all the modes... As soon as the vehicle is off, it goes back to normal... it has AC memory, but not infotainment memory”

Fit & finish

Syros: Generally positiveXUV 3XO: Generally negative

Syros: “even the doors are really nice, quality levels are very high, you have these soft touch padding for the armrest and on the door seal as well... the door handles again are very high quality”

XUV 3XO: “once or twice in the first [months] it happened, open the car and that rubber has detached... if you see towards the edges [it's] loose... and not just this but next to the door also”

Audio system

Syros: Generally positiveXUV 3XO: Mixed reviews

Syros: “eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system that has good audio quality”

XUV 3XO: “there are a lot of DSP modes, you can change the intensity, you can change the soundscapes, all of it which is still deactivated so none of them really make a difference audibly... it could do with a bit more refinement”

Highway stability

XUV 3XO: Strongly positiveSyros: Generally negative

XUV 3XO: “it's very steady even on long drives, I have driven it to Dehradun too, Chandigarh, Kasauli, it's driven on the hills also. It's a very stable car.”

Syros: “I feel Kia's cars are a little less stable on the highway”

Ride comfort

XUV 3XO: Strongly positiveSyros: Generally negative

XUV 3XO: “its ride and handling balance is spot on, what further enhances ride comfort are its high-profile tires with 16-in alloys which absorb road shocks better than its higher variants which get 17-in alloys”

Syros: “over a bad patch of road, this has that underlying firmness that we know. If you want a really supple ride, and if your driving is a lot on bad roads, then this might not be the best”

Handling

XUV 3XO: Generally positiveSyros: Mixed reviews

XUV 3XO: “The one thing that I really love about the SUV is its steering wheel's lightness, especially at low speeds -- at crawling speed when you want to park it is absolutely effort free.”

Syros: “the steering, it feels a bit heavy at lower speeds... it has a lot of slack in the center position, somehow”

Which is better, the Syros or the XUV 3XO?

Owners and experts rate the Syros better for boot space, touchscreen responsiveness and fit & finish, while the XUV 3XO comes out ahead on highway stability, ride comfort and handling. Go for the Syros if boot space and touchscreen responsiveness matter most to you. Pick the XUV 3XO if you care more about highway stability and ride comfort.

Which is cheaper, the Syros or the XUV 3XO?

The Syros starts at ₹8.41 lakh and the XUV 3XO at ₹7.79 lakh ex-showroom, so the XUV 3XO is about ₹0.62 lakh cheaper to start with.

How did CarDhoondo compare the Syros and XUV 3XO?

We went through 21 owner and expert video reviews of the two cars, tagged every statement by topic, such as mileage or rear seat space, and scored how positive it was. Nobody paid for this comparison and it is not sponsored.