Hyundai Aura

Hyundai just unveiled the Aura which is the successor to the Xcent which has been a success in the market. The Aura is based on the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios which comes with fresh interiors and exteriors and new features. The new sub-4 metre sedan from Hyundai will come with new features, interiors and design language. Hyundai Aura will be available with 5 variants namely E, S, SX, SX(+) and SX(O). Hyundai is offering three engine options a petrol, diesel and turbo petrol to choose from. Hyundai Aura price in India starts from Rs. 5.8 lakh.

Hyundai Aura interiors are derived from the Grand i10 Nios which means the dashboard will be classy yet elegant due to the textured dashboard and satin bronze inserts in the cabin. The quality of the materials that Hyundai are very good when compared to the competition. The automatic climate control, bottle-holders, rear air conditioning vents and charging sockets are available to the passengers. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system comes with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity for the smartphone. Moreover, the infotainment system is connected to an Arkamys sound system and there is also a wireless charger for convenience. The infotainment system can be controlled via voice recognition and also comes with iBlue remote application support. The driver gets an adjustable seat, smart key with push-button to start/stop. multi-function leather steering wheel with adjustment for tilt. The circular AC vents look trendy and the light colour theme of the cabin adds to the airiness of the cabin. The instrument console comes with a 13.46 cm multi-information display that shows average fuel economy, distance to empty, average fuel consumption, elapsed time and much more to the driver. The rear-seat passengers get AC vents and an armrest with cupholders while all of the doors will have bottle-holders and even the centre console will also have cup holders. For an added touch of elegance, the parking lever tip and gear knob has been finished in chrome. Hyundai Aura boot space is 402-litres which is quite good for a compact sedan. The turbo-petrol variants get red inserts for the seats and dark grey finish for the dashboard for a more sporty appeal.

Braking duties are done by ventilated discs in the front and drum brakes at the rear. Safety equipment offered by Hyundai is Anti-lock braking system with Electronic Brake distribution and rear parking sensors with rear parking camera to easily park the car. The unique safety feature that currently only Hyundai is offering is the headlamp escort function and the Emergency Stop Signal that flashes the brake lights frequently so that the rear people can be warned. 

Hyundai Aura comes with fresh interiors and exteriors. Because of all this, the Aura stays planted in the competition. The compact sedan is aimed towards those people who are looking for a compact sedan for daily use. We expect that Aura will do well in the market considering that the value for money that the Aura offers.

Hyundai Aura exteriors get dual boomerang-shaped LED Daytime-running lights which will surround the Hyundai's cascading grille while the projector fog lamps will be placed in a vertically placed triangular fog lamp housing in the lower half of the bumper. The headlamps get projector set up and they are designed in sync with the dual Daytime Running Lamps. The side profile comes with 15-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, shark fin antenna and chrome door handles while the B and C-pillar have been blacked out for a coupe-like roofline. The lower variants will get a 15-inch styled steel wheel which also looks elegant. At the rear, Hyundai offers Z Shaped LED Taillamps as standard across all the variants. The tail lamps are connected via a chrome strip across the whole boot. Hyundai also features cruise control, leather steering wheel and leather gear knob on the top-end SX(O) variant.

Hyundai Aura specs offer 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.2-litre diesel engine which are currently doing duty on the current Xcent and Grand i10 Nios. The 1.2-litre petrol engine produces a max power output of 83PS and 113Nm of peak torque whereas the 1.2-litre diesel engine produces 75PS of max power and peak torque output of 190Nm. The main selling point of the Aura will be the turbo GDi petrol engine which is sourced from the Venue but the dual-clutch transmission will not make its way to the Aura to keep the costs low. The turbo-petrol has been detuned and produces 100bhp of max power and 172 Nm of peak torque. The 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed AMT while the turbo-petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission only. All of the engines are BS6 compliant. Hyundai will also be offering a BS6 compliant petrol engine with factory CNG. 

Hyundai Aura mileage is 20.50kmpl as per ARAI for the petrol variants. For the diesel engine, the sedan should return 25kmpl as per ARAI. However, in the real world conditions, the mileage of the Aura should be around 14kmpl. 

The performance from the turbo-petrol is peppy as it is the most powerful engine in the segment. While the performance from the 1.2-litre petrol and diesel is also quite good for daily use. The ride of the Aura is mature than the Xcent but it still soaks up the bumps of the Indian roads quite well. The handling of the compact sedan is quite good and it stays glued to the road.

Hyundai Aura will be competing with Maruti Suzuki DZire, Volkswagen Ameo, Ford Aspire and Tata Tigor.