Hyundai say that the design of the Aura is in line with their new approach: “sensuous sportiness”. While the name of the design approach is a little bit suspect, the approach itself is quite appealing. The similarities with the Nios can be found inside too. The dashboard is quite familiar if you’ve driven the hatch and even the overall layout of the cabin has been replicated. Now, this isn’t a criticism, for it all works; you have a roomy, spacious cabin with ample space to spread out — for a compact sedan. The “Crash Pad” running along the dash has the same stylized honeycomb theme and is made of the same soft-touch material, even if the actual colours may differ based on the variant you choose.
The eight-inch touchscreen comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. You also get iBlue compatibility which allows you to use a phone-based app to control your infotainment remotely. There’s a clean digital info cluster and you also get a first-in-its-class wireless smartphone charging. Typical of a Hyundai, features are never in short supply. You also get second-row air-vents and something Hyundai call Driver Rear-View Monitor. The latter, another first, is a feature that allows the feed from the reverse cam to be displayed constantly as you drive.
One big difference between the Aura and the Nios is that while the Nios only gets the 1.2 petrol and diesel engine options, the Aura gets one additional petrol power plant. That additional engine option is the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol from the Venue, producing 100 hp and 172 Nm of torque. Unlike the Venue, though, this configuration is only available with a five-speed manual in the Aura. This variant is referred to as the Turbo Pack and can be distinguished by its blacked-out grille with red turbo badging and blacked-out interior as well. The keen-eyed among you will have already noticed that it was this very variant that we drove for this story.
