Hyundai Aura Review | Is it better than the Maruti Suzuki Dzire?

GoMechanic got its hands on the all-new 2020 Hyundai Aura for a full day. Without wasting any time, we got to work checking out all the features, engine specifications, safety equipment and then some. Ladies and gentlemen here is an in-depth and personal review of Hyundai’s answer to the Maruti Suzuki Dzire; the Aura.

Checkout: Hyundai Aura vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Honda Amaze: A Comparison

Too lazy to read? Here is our video review of the 2020 Hyundai Aura. Subscribe to the GoMechanic YouTube Channel for more fun and trendy automotive content!

The Aura is a sub-4-meter sedan competing against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze, Ford Figo Aspire, Volkswagen Ameo and the Tata Tigor in India. The Hyundai Aura was launched in India on 21st January 2020 with prices starting at Rs. 5.80 lakh to Rs. 9.22 lakh (Ex-Showroom, Delhi).

Read: Hyundai Aura: 5 things to know before you buy one

The Hyundai Aura is a direct replacement for the now ageing Hyundai Xcent (as was the Grand i10 Nios for the old Grand i10). But fret not! new Hyundai Aura will not be your next OLA or UBER ride as the Hyundai Xcent will still be on sale to cab and fleet drivers.

Hyundai Aura Variants

The Hyundai Aura comes in a total of 12 variant across Petrol, Diesel and CNG line-up:

Hyundai Aura Colour Options

The Hyundai Aura comes in 6 colours options:

• Vintage Brown
• Alpha Blue
• Fiery Red
• Titan Grey
• Typhoon Silver
• Polar White

Hyundai Aura Design and Dimensions

The Hyundai Aura is basically an extended Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. Like almost all cars in this segment are; The Dzire (Swift), Tigor(Tiago) or Aspire(Figo). The Aura follows the same philosophy of the older Grand i10 and the Xcent sedan. No rocket science here.

The car gets a decent boot space with a total capacity of 402 litres, against Maruti Dzire’s 378 litres. The Aura can very easily seat 5 passengers inside the cabin.

We found the leg space and thigh support in the rear to be adequate however, for anyone above 5’10” might find the headspace to be a tad bit cramped. The seat is fabric and offers a plush and comfortable ride.

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The Hyundai Aura get fixed headrests upfront whereas the Maruti Dzire offers adjustable ones.

You also get dedicated AC vents for the rear passenger and an armrest and headrests (may vary across variants) if seating 4 passengers.

The Hyundai Aura gets disc brakes up front with drum brakes doing duty at the back. The braking on the Aura is responsive and confident.

The Aura runs on with 175/60 R15 MRF ZVTS EcoTred tyres wrapped around diamond-cut polished 15-inch alloy wheels (same as the Maruti Suzuki Dzire).

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Hyundai Aura Exterior

On the face, the Aura gets a hexagonal grille and the twin set of LED “Boomerang” DRLs (as opposed to a single set on the Grand i10). The car also gets a projector-halogen setup, however, an LED unit would’ve worked great. On the bumper, you can find a pair of fog lamps or side lamps (halogen) neatly integrated within a triangular housing.

The Hyundai Aura gets an all-halogen projector setup, even on the top variant. The Maruti Dzire, on the contrary, offers a LED projector unit with automatic headlamp function.

The rear profile of the car is where things start to get interesting. Hyundai has tried to give the Aura a coupe-ish look with the black C-pillar. The design is purely subjective to one’s opinion but we found it a bit out-of-proportion.

Moving further, we get to see z-shaped LED wrap-around tail lamps with the 3D outer lens with a strip of chrome running across the boot lid. Here you can also observe the A U R A lettering, similar to that on the Hyundai Venue. The rear bumper is well-sculpted housing the number plate, rear camera and the two parking sensors.

Hyundai Aura Interior

The interior of the Hyundai Aura is the same as seen on the Grand i10 Nios. Starting from the driver side, the car gets a multi-function steering wheel with media and Bluetooth telephony along with Cruise Control. The car gets a hexagonal-shaped “crash pad” on the passenger side.

On the centre, you get an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Below the infotainment system is the automatic climate control and a load of new features such as two USB charging ports, wireless Qi charging for mobile phones and a rear-view camera. The rear-view camera is not adaptive and can be switched on even when the car is moving forward.

The Hyundai Aura also gets a Start/Stop button. Additional features include electrically adjustable and folding ORVMS (Outside Rear View Mirrors), keyless entry, high-speed alert, speed sensing door lock and impact sensing door unlock function.

The Hyundai Aura has got a nice soft-touch steering wheel with all the media controls neatly integrated to it. We especially like the Aura’s better fit and finish as compared to the Maruti Swift Dzire.

The Air conditioner on the Hyundai Aura is at par with the Dzire and cools in no time. However, the month being January with the mercury at 11-degree celsius, it’s not a fair test.

Hyundai Aura Engine

This is where the Hyundai Aura trumps the Maruti Dzire. The Aura gets a total of 3 engine options. All these engines are BS6 compliant.

It is to be noted that the 1.0-litre Petrol Turbocharged GDI engine in the Hyundai Aura only comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

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Hyundai Aura Drivability

In terms of ride quality, there is no such difference between the Hyundai Aura and the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The Aura offers a plush and comfortable ride quality. The suspension is tuned to sit on a softer side especially during high-speed highway runs.

The steering on the Hyundai Aura is extremely light and is a boon to use during choc-a-bloc city traffic. Though, we would have appreciated better feedback from the very-numb steering The car also performs brilliantly during hard and sudden braking.

Hyundai Aura Safety Features

For safety, Hyundai has equipped the Aura with dual airbags, with ABS and EBD, with seatbelt reminder and ISOFIX child seat mounts from the base variant. You also get a rear-view camera with 2 sensors on higher variants.

Hyundai Aura Review | Is it better than the Maruti Swift?

In more than one ways… Yes, the Hyundai Aura is better than the Maruti Suzuki Dzire.

The Hyundai Aura offers multiple engine options, which are all BS6 compliant. From the 1.2 Kappa Petrol, 1.2 UR CRDi and the 1.0 Turbo GDI are BS6 compliant. The 1.0-litre TGDI petrol engine is the same as found on the Hyundai Venue, just in a milder state of tune.

Maruti offers the Dzire with two engine options; 1.2 litre BS6 compliant K-Series petrol engine and a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litres DDiS BS4 diesel engine. Maruti has officially confirmed the discontinuation of the 1,3-litre diesel unit.

Hyundai also offers a company fitted CNG unit on the Hyundai Aura S variant only which you don’t get on the Maruti Dzire.

In terms of quality, the Hyundai Aura surpasses the Maruti Suzuki Dzire with more premium and rich elements. Whereas on the Dzire, you will find a few cost-cutting bits here and there.

The touchscreen on the Hyundai Aura also feels more upmarket with a nice UI and responsive touch. The one on the Dzire though looks like an aftermarket afterthought. Maruti has updated almost all its existing cars with SmartPlay Studio, however, the Dzire has not been updated and still uses the now-defunct SmartPlay system.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a utilitarian and refined diesel sedan car, you can go for the Hyundai Aura Diesel.

If performance is the thing for you, we highly suggest the 1.0-litre turbocharged Hyundai Aura as your next car.

For petrol buyers, you should definitely go for the Maruti Dzire, as the K-Series engine is miles ahead in terms of fuel efficiency and refinement that the Aura’s Kappa Petrol Engine.

For CNG lovers, Hyundai offers the Aura S as the only model with a factory-fitted CNG kit. Maruti lags behind in this department.