There’s a new Korean compact sedan in town and it is called “Aura”. We put on our mystic glasses to see if we can suss out Hyundai’s shimmering new Aura
Story: Harket Suchde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
I’m not one to dabble in pseudoscience on the regular, unless you count the magical world of Harry Potter, but that’s magic — totally different. I did, however, take a cleansing breath, light up them incense sticks, and aligned my chakras (figuratively speaking, of course), because I found myself making a close examination of the new Hyundai Aura.
As soon as I laid eyes on it, it got my shaman senses tingling, informing me that this was indeed a compact sedan. And, yes, even though Hyundai have the Xcent to fill that gap (a car that will be sold concurrently as a CNG-only commercial vehicle option), the Aura slots in a rung higher on the ol’ sophistication ladder. This isn’t a new approach for the Korean car-maker either, because they walked down the same path with the recent launch of the Grand i10 Nios. And the similarities with the more premium compact hatch don’t end there.
In fact, the Aura has a distinct whiff of the Nios to it. The faces of both cars are nearly identical. That sharp headlamp design on the Aura is reminiscent of its hatch sibling and the cascading grille with the boomerang DRLs is a familiar sight, too, although there are a few chrome elements and a design tweak to the bumper to set it apart. The 15-inch alloy wheels are a completely fresh element, though, and add a bit of rakishness and suavity to the Aura’s profile.
The big visual change from the Nios comes, of course, with the addition of the boot. Hyundai have also chosen to black out both the B- and C-pillars which I wasn’t too taken in by when I first saw the sedan in images. When I saw it here in person, though, I was quite pleased with how it looked. There is a balance and elegance to the Aura that doesn’t quite translate into pictures. The C-shaped rear tail-lamp unit with a connecting chrome bar is a big contributor to the Aura’s visual appeal, as is the curvy rear bumper.
