Sub 4 meter segment is unique to India. While the Sedan segment is losing all its popularity, only Sub 4 meter sedans are selling in good numbers. Reason can be anything from VFM proposition to boot that Hatchbacks do not have. But not all manufacturers are as lucky as Maruti Suzuki in selling sub-4-meter sedans. Dzire is the top-selling product in this segment and sometimes even becomes top-selling of all the cars in India but cars like Amaze, Aspire, Aura gets remaining sales in almost the same proportions. Aura is a new name and a new car but it’s manufacturer Hyundai was in the segment before with Xcent. So let's say Aura is one more fresh attempt from Hyundai to grab more sales from ever declining sedan space.
Exteriors:
When Aura was first unveiled, I wasn’t the part of the event and saw it just in photos like most of us did, It looked horrible to me from the rear and somewhat from the side, especially after the C pillar. But I kept Aura as my primary car during the entire lockdown and drove it a lot as I was covering news from the ground. During this time I somehow started liking almost everything apart from those rear taillights which Hyundai thought would look cool if they merge it. I absolutely have no complaints about the looks of the car from front and side now. Other things from exteriors that I didn’t like were the tires. What just 175mm? They do their job but I would love to see a 185mm on top trims at least.
There are 2 reverse parking sensors in the car and I urge you to go tweet Hyundai India asking to give 4 at least. Trust me it is better to have no parking sensors than just 2.
Interiors:
Name a brand in India that can match fit and finish that Hyundai offers in their budget cars. No one. Selection of materials, fitting, vibes all sorted. Okay I know VW Ameo is also having great build, but do try it yourself, Sit in year-old Ameo and a year old Xcent, you should feel the difference.
I would still say Xcent had some parts better but Aura has better look and feels in interiors. Few things like round AC vents, cubby space above Glovebox, honeycomb effect on Dashboard make it all good for the long run. I think the design will also age well.
Seat color is different and texture in it looks very neat and also gives you a feeling that it’s not cheap by any means. Waring: It will catch dirt easily, you will have to maintain it more often.
Hyundai Aura Features:
Hyundai is known for its features, but what many don’t know that Hyundai is also known for being weird in terms of awarding features to cars. For example, Grand i10 used to have a request sensor on the passenger door but a car thrice of its price, Creta, misses it. ::FacePalm::
Anyway, Aura gets loads of features like Wireless charging, Push start button, keyless entry, Cruise control (Only in Petrol Manual), Android Auto, Apple Carplay, etc. What I really felt missing was Driver's side One-touch Window roll up, Why Hyundai why? It can roll down on one touch though.
Throw from headlights is decent, try not to upgrade until or unless it is extremely required. Setting headlight level right and developing a habit of using correct beam is what we Indians require as of now. Auto Headlamps isn’t available and I really didn’t miss them as you can leave the headlamps on and once you lock they will get turned off within a few seconds. There is a very fine detail with DRLs, DRLs will always remain on if Engine is on. But let’s assume you want to keep the engine running for AC and car is parked on a residential street at night. You might want to keep all lights off, how do you do that? Well just pull the hand brake and DRLs will be turned off. COOL. I remember once ‘my Friend’ in his Father’s i20 was having some good conversation with his girlfriend and wanted to keep AC on but couldn’t as i20 will keep DRLs on if the engine is running. He kept the car engine off and ended up sweating amid the conversation, I and sure he will love Aura for this DRLs off feature.
Seats are comfortable for 4 adults and 1 kid. The driver side seat adjustment is very good. Rear seat space is good as well. Amaze, however, amaze us a lot with rear-seat space. Under thigh support in Aura is wow.
AC works all good until you are stuck in a very very slow bumper to bumper traffic. Still not as bad and my Father’s i20 in which it almost never cools in traffic. Ohh Co-incidentally both me and my friend’s father have got i20.
Boot space is practical and big enough. Though I have a theory, I think Hatchback with less boot space but foldable seats have more usable space. You can argue.
For full list of features variant by variant, please click here.
The sound quality from the stock system is pretty good. A regular family will not want anything more. But agar baby ko bass pasand hai toh you might want aftermarket setup. Still, in comparison with Amaze and DZire, this one is better.
Engines:
You see engines are also important, but we Indians count them last. Hyundai never had best in segment engine but they had sales as they would always put features first. But things are changing now, Hyundai is offering 3 engine options with Aura viz, 1.2 l Kappa Petrol, 1 l T-Gdi, and 1.2 Eco-torq. There is also a CNG variant based on 1.2 Kappa.
Unfortunately, I have only drive 1.2 NA petrol and 1.2 Diesel enough as of now to give my reviews. Will drive Turbo soon.
1.2 Kappa Dual VTVT Petrol:
This one in Aura is the oldest one that Hyundai has for this segment. It is now a BS6 compliant. It churns out 83 ps of power and roughly 114 nm of torque and delivers all the to wheels via a 5-speed manual and a 5 speed AMT. This Engine is ideal for many. For family, for short city commutes, for easy maintenance, for NVH this engine is perfect.
It lacks the punch that you will need on highways while overtaking a long body trailer, but some gearshifts will do it eventually. It lacks good Fuel efficiency figures as well. Expect this engine to deliver 13 kmpl in the city with 2 adults and AC on and easy throttle inputs. On the highway, it will return 20 kmpl if you maintain below 100kpmh.
1.2 Eco-Torq Diesel:
This engine with its 75 ps of power and 190 nm of torque claims a Fuel efficiency of 25.4kmpl. This makes it the most fuel-efficient diesel engine in Compact Sedans as 1.3 ddis from Maruti Suzuki is no more on sale.
Not just in claims but Aura diesel engine delivers close to 18 kmpl in city if you keep your right foot light, on the highway I got 23kmpl with speed not exceeding 100 kmph.
But this engine should be named on top in the list for worst NVH levels from a Hyundai. It always reminds you that it is a 3-cylinder unit by sending constant vibrations in the cabin. While Noise levels are still better than that of Ford or Honda’s diesel I still feel Hyundai should work more on this or simply give a 4 cylinder diesel.
This engine should be an ideal choice only when you will be driving Aura more than 1700-1800 km per month.
1 Liter T-Gdi:
100 ps of power and 171nm of torque, what else do you want in terms of performance from a sedan that weighs less than 1000 kgs. This is one amazing engine on paper and comes with only a manual gearbox but I haven’t driven it much. Will update this section once I drive it more.
Few words on AMT:
Both NA petrol and 1.2 Diesel are on offer with an AMT unit. I have never been a fan of AMT units and might never be. Amaze comes with an option of CVT in both petrol and diesel, how cool is that. But you can consider buying AMT if your running is 80% of the time in city traffic. Gear shifts are pretty evident in AMT and no sport mode on offer either. Yes, Manual mode is available but I would rather wait for iMT option that Hyundai has just started giving in Venue.
Handling:
A couple of years back we had no good handling car from Hyundai. Their customers hardly wanted one. Buy Hyundai has started improving it with cars like Venue, new Creta, Elantra, etc. Even in Aura, you will feel the difference if you compare with Xcent, but I would still rank it last if you ask about the confidence it gives at high speeds. It is phenomenal for city and parking but then Aspire and Ameo tell us that they offer the best of handling overall.
Stability:
Stability reflects engineering that has gone into the car. Aura is stable it High speed, maybe not as much as Aspire or Ameo but up to speeds like 120kmph which is the max allowed limit on Indian roads, Aura will have no issue.
Suspensions:
Suspensions are soft, they do their job of keeping feel on Indian roads away from cabin pretty well. Sharp or big bumps will definitely come in and strut tower will take a toll. Again Aspire and Tiago are top notch with their suspensions.
Braking:
Hyundai has worked on braking and it is now better than what we have seen in Xcent. I drove Aura for almost 4 months and clocked 7500+ km and never felt anything bad about braking.
But just by giving 185mm of tyre width, Aura will score one more point in Braking, Handling, and stability.
Hyundai Aura Review Verdict:
GaadiFy Rating: 4.5/5
Pros:
- Absolutely amazing fit and finish in this budget.
- Good spread of Engine & Gearbox options.
- Hyundai’s reliable image in terms of after-sales service.
- Wonder warranty from Hyundai.
Cons:
- Price, Top end Diesel AMT costs 9.22 ex-Showroom in Jaipur.
- Rear design is polarizing, Most of whom I met, hate it.
- High-Speed handling.
- Refinement of Diesel way below Hyundai standards.
BTW, did I mention that Hyundai Aura literally honks on lock and unlock? It is the most embarrassing thing about Aura, the rear design is second.
Note: Hyundai Motors India Limited provided car for review purposes. All the costs incurred like Fuel, Toll etc were borne by Gagan Choudhary and Gaadify.
