Hyundai Aura launched at Rs. 5.8 lakhs – Tigor, Dzire and Ford Aspire rival
For all you gearheads who love the sound of a good engine, here’s a piece of fresh news for you: The new Hyundai Aura which was showcased last month has officially been launched for the Indian market!
The Indian automobile market has observed some of the finest sedans, but the Aura has been developed to become the best in the compact-sedan category. On top of that, it is the sedan version of the Grand i10 Nios hatchback. Given that the Hyundai Aura started making a name even before it launched, bookings have been going around within a range of ₹10,000 – ₹20,000 depending on which dealership it’s being made at.
However, before we dig deeper into the brand new compact-sedan coming our way, let’s talk about the Hyundai Xcent and what the company has in store for this model. As is being speculated and considering that the Xcent is a well-performing compact-sedan amongst the others in the brand’s product portfolio for India, the company will continue to keep it flowing in the market with certain changes. The changes made being a “prime” tag and shifting it strictly for taxi/fleet sale.
Coming back to the Aura, let’s dig into the design and features of the model. Initially, the concept design of the Aura provided a different vibe to motorheads, but the final product did not live up to the hype, especially from the rear end. It’s true that the design was based on the company’s recent focus towards the “sports car” section of the industry, I don’t really think that it worked out well for the Aura especially when the sporty and sensuous design worked so well for the Grand i10, i10 Nios and other Hyundai models.
Although, if design isn’t primary to you but features are then, this is THE car to take a test drive in! Hyundai India has made claims that the model comes with over 10 segment-first features, giving it a significant edge over its respective rivals. To name a few: Infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen, wireless charging, premium audio by Arkamys and well, you get the vibe.
And wait! That’s not all. The Hyundai Aura May not look as we expected it to but, functionally it is impressive. The packaging and rigidity are looking to be just on-point.
To be honest, sedans developed for the Indian market are usually compact-sedans within a four-metre range. Not only will the Aura provide the feeling and smoothness of a sedan but it’s affordable too! Let’s take a look at the pricing which in typical Hyundai fashion, is as confusing as it gets. For some reason, Hyundai believes that diesel owners or AMT buyers don’t need the top-end variant. Hmm!
The Hyundai Aura comes with three engine choices and all are BS6 compliant. The 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine makes 82bhp and 114Nm while the 1.2-litre diesel motor tops at 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. The third and “interesting” option i.e. the 1.0-litre turbo petrol unit, is borrowed from the Hyundai Venue, but detuned to make 100bhp and 172Nm. Clearly, Hyundai want to challenge the best 1.0 liter engine globally i.e. the Ford’s 1.0 liter 100BHP motor. A 5-speed manual or an AMT avatar is available for all the transmission requirements. All petrol engine options deliver 20.5 kmpl mileage while diesel engine delivers 25.4 kmpl mileage.
Bonus: Considering the car parking situation in India, it won’t need a lot of parking space either!
