Hyundai India has just launched the Aura compact sedan, its second offering in the ultra competitive segment apart from the Xcent. The Aura will sell alongside the Xcent, which is likely to be relegated to the cab operator market, where it continues to have strong demand. The prices of the Hyundai Aura start from Rs. 5.79 lakh, making it slightly cheaper than the Xcent (which starts from Rs. 5.81 lakhs). The Aura is also cheaper than the best selling car in its segment – the Maruti Dzire, which starts from Rs. 5.82 lakhs.
The Hyundai Aura competes with the likes of the Maruti Dzire, Ford Aspire, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo and the Tata Tigor. The car shares its platform with the recently launched Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS hatchback.
While the Grand i10 NIOS is offered with a two engine options: a 1.2 liter-4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder turbo charged diesel, the Aura gets 3 engine options: 2 in petrol and 1 in diesel.
All engines offered with the Aura are BS6 compliant. The 1.2 liter-4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor makes 83 Bhp and 114 Nm, and is offered with two gearbox options: 5 speed manual and 5 speed AMT. Fuel efficiency is rated at 25 Kmpl. The naturally aspirated petrol motor also gets a CNG-Petrol dual fuel trim. The diesel motor is a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged unit with 74 Bhp-190 Nm on tap and is paired with 5 speed manual and AMT options, while the 1 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged petrol motor makes 100 Bhp-150 Nm, and gets a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard. The turbo diesel gets an ARAI certified mileage figure of 25.47 Kmpl while the turbo petrol manages 25 Kmpl.
There are 5 trims on offer: E, S, SX, SX(O) and SX+, spread across 12 variants. The 1.2 liter petrol engine with the 5 speed manual gearbox is offered in E, S, SX and SX(O) trims while the CNG trim of this engine is offered in S trim. The 1.2 liter petrol engine with the 5 speed AMT option is offered in S and SX+ trims. The 1.2 liter turbo diesel motor with the 5 speed manual gearbox is offered in S and SX(O) trims while the same motor with the AMT option is offered in S and SX+ trims. The 1 liter turbo petrol engined model of the Hyundai Aura is available only in the top-end SX+ trim.
Standard safety features on the car include twin airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors, seat belt reminder and speed warning. Higher variants offer a reverse parking camera and cruise control as well. The car gets a bunch of first-in-segment features: 1. Wireless charger 2. Driver rear view monitor 3. Outside door handles chrome 4. Leather wrapped gear knob 5. Eco coating 6. Emergency stop signal 7. Air curtain. An 8 inch floating, touchscreen infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is on offer with the higher variants.
There are many best-in-segment features as well: 1. 5.3 inch Digital Speedometer & Multi Information Display 2. 8.0 Touchscreen Infotainment with Smart phone Connectivity 3. Arkamys Premium Sound 4. Projector fog lamp 5. USB Charger. There are three warranty packages to choose from: 3 Years/100,000 kms or 4 Years /50,000 kms or 5 Years /40,000 kms along with Road-Side Assistance. Bookings are already open at all Hyundai dealerships in India, and the booking amount has been pegged at Rs. 10,000. Deliveries will begin from today.
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