New XUV 700: In India’s dynamic automotive landscape, the compact sedan segment represents a unique sweet spot – vehicles that deliver sedan practicality and status while remaining under four meters in length to qualify for favorable taxation.

Within this specialized category, the Hyundai Aura has established itself as a compelling proposition that transcends the perception of being merely a “truncated hatchback.”

Instead, it emerges as a thoughtfully designed, feature-rich offering that balances urban practicality with unexpected refinement.

New XUV 700: Evolution and Market Context

The Aura’s story begins with its predecessor, the Hyundai Xcent, which served as the Korean manufacturer’s initial entry into India’s compact sedan segment.

While commercially successful, particularly in fleet markets, the Xcent faced challenges in private ownership channels where competitors like the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze had established stronger emotional connections with consumers.

Recognizing the need for a more distinctive and aspirational offering, Hyundai developed the Aura as a comprehensive reimagining rather than a mere facelift. Launched in January 2020, the model was positioned to appeal more strongly to private buyers through enhanced styling, expanded feature content, and improved driving dynamics – all while maintaining the value proposition essential in this price-sensitive segment.

The naming strategy itself reflected this repositioning, with “Aura” suggesting a distinctive character or presence that surrounds something – in this case, wrapping practical transportation in a more emotionally appealing package.

This subtle shift in positioning signaled Hyundai’s understanding that compact sedan buyers increasingly expect their vehicles to deliver aspirational elements alongside fundamental functionality.

Design Language: Purposeful Sophistication

The Aura’s exterior design showcases Hyundai’s efforts to create a visually coherent sedan rather than the somewhat awkward proportions that sometimes characterize this segment.

Based on the Grand i10 Nios hatchback platform, the Aura nevertheless achieves visual distinctiveness through thoughtful styling elements and proportional balance.

The front fascia features Hyundai’s signature cascading grille, flanked by swept-back headlamps with projector units and LED daytime running lights on higher trims.

This arrangement creates a face that appears wider and more substantial than the vehicle’s compact dimensions might suggest. The bonnet incorporates subtle creases that add visual character while directing the eye along the vehicle’s flowing lines.

In profile, the Aura addresses the traditional challenge of compact sedans – integrating a trunk into a short wheelbase design without creating awkward proportions.

The roofline follows a coupe-like sweep toward the rear, transitioning smoothly into a trunk lid with an integrated spoiler element. This approach creates a more cohesive silhouette than the abrupt transitions often seen in this category, aided by character lines that visually connect the front and rear sections.

The rear design incorporates distinctive Z-shaped LED tail lamps connected by a gloss black strip that emphasizes the vehicle’s width.

The bumper design includes reflector elements and subtle contours that add visual interest while maintaining clean, uncluttered surfaces.

The overall effect successfully balances the need for visual distinctiveness with design restraint appropriate for a vehicle that will age gracefully through a typical ownership cycle.

Color options extend beyond the conservative palettes often associated with this segment, including vibrant choices like Fiery Red and Teal Blue alongside more traditional silver and white options.

These bolder colors particularly complement the Aura’s more youthful positioning compared to its Xcent predecessor.

Interior Environment: Premium Touches

Stepping inside reveals perhaps the Aura’s most significant advancement over both its predecessor and many competitors.

The dashboard adopts a horizontal layout with a two-tone color scheme that creates a sense of width and airiness within the compact cabin.

Material quality impresses for the segment, with textured surfaces and metallic accents creating a more premium ambiance than the hard plastics that typically dominate this price point.

The instrument cluster combines analog gauges with a 3.5-inch multi-information display providing essential vehicle data and trip information.

Higher trims feature a supervision cluster with improved graphics and expanded information display options.

The center stack houses an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system floating above the dashboard plane – a design approach typically seen in more premium vehicles that enhances both aesthetics and usability.

Seating comfort benefits from supportive cushioning and thoughtful contouring, with fabric quality that exceeds segment norms particularly in higher specifications.

The front seats offer good lateral support without restrictive bolstering that would compromise easy ingress and egress in urban usage scenarios.

Rear seating accommodates two adults comfortably with adequate headroom despite the sloping roofline, though three adults would find the space constrained for longer journeys – a common characteristic across this vehicle category.

Storage solutions abound throughout the cabin, with door pockets sized for 1-liter bottles, a cooled glovebox, front seatback pockets, and console cupholders all contributing to practical daily usability.

The trunk offers 402 liters of cargo capacity – impressive for a sub-four-meter sedan and sufficient for family weekend trips or airport runs with luggage for multiple passengers.

Thoughtful touches throughout the interior reveal Hyundai’s attention to customer experience: the gearshift is positioned slightly higher than conventional layouts for easier reach, power window switches include one-touch functionality often omitted at this price point, and the rear parcel shelf includes integrated hangers for shopping bags – small details that enhance daily living with the vehicle.

Technological Integration: Connected Convenience

Technology features prominently in the Aura’s value proposition, with Hyundai leveraging its substantial R&D investments to bring advanced features to this accessible segment.

The aforementioned 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system serves as the technological centerpiece, offering smartphone integration through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto alongside Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition capabilities.

The system operates with impressive responsiveness and graphical clarity for the segment, with an interface that balances functionality with ease of use – an important consideration for the diverse user base that characterizes this market segment.

Physical shortcut buttons complement the touchscreen interface, allowing quick access to frequently used functions without navigating menu structures.

Higher trim levels incorporate Hyundai’s BlueLink connected car technology, enabling features including remote engine start, climate control preconditioning, vehicle location services, and geofencing alerts through a dedicated smartphone application.

This connectivity suite – unusual at this price point – proves particularly valuable in India’s climate extremes and congested urban environments.

Audio quality from the four-speaker system exceeds expectations, with clear reproduction across different content types from spoken word to various music genres.

Steering-mounted controls allow manipulation of audio functions and connected phones without removing hands from the wheel – a safety-enhancing feature that also improves the overall user experience.

Safety technology includes dual front airbags, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, and rear parking sensors as standard equipment across the range.

Higher specifications add a rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines, projector fog lamps, and impact-sensing door unlock functionality that automatically opens doors following a collision to facilitate occupant exit.

Powertrain Options: Choice and Efficiency

The Aura stands apart from many competitors by offering three distinct engine options, allowing buyers to prioritize economy, performance, or alternative fuel capabilities according to individual requirements.

The standard powertrain features a 1.2-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine producing approximately 83 horsepower and 114 Nm of torque – figures that provide adequate performance for urban environments while delivering excellent fuel efficiency.

For those seeking more spirited performance, a 1.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine borrowed from Hyundai’s sportier models offers approximately 100 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque.

This powertrain transforms the driving character of the compact sedan, providing eager acceleration and significantly improved overtaking capability while maintaining reasonable efficiency once cruising.

The third option caters to the significant segment of Indian buyers concerned with operating costs: a 1.2-liter diesel engine delivering approximately 75 horsepower and 190 Nm of torque.

While modest in outright power, the substantial torque available from low engine speeds suits both urban traffic conditions and highway cruising, with fuel economy that can exceed 25 kilometers per liter under favorable conditions.

Additionally, the standard 1.2-liter petrol engine is available with factory-fitted CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) equipment in select markets, offering an alternative fuel option with significantly lower operating costs and reduced emissions compared to conventional petrol operation.

Transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox across all engines and an automated manual transmission (AMT) available with the standard petrol and diesel powerplants.

The manual offers precise shift action with well-chosen ratios suited to various driving conditions, while the AMT provides two-pedal convenience for urban environments despite occasional hesitation during gear changes – a characteristic common to this transmission type at this price point.

Ride and Handling: Urban Comfort

The Aura’s chassis tuning reflects a clear priority: comfortable urban transportation with sufficient composure for occasional highway journeys.

The suspension system – utilizing MacPherson struts at the front and a coupled torsion beam arrangement at the rear – delivers compliant ride quality that absorbs poor road surfaces effectively while maintaining adequate body control during directional changes.

Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) control receives particular attention, with additional sound-deadening materials and improved isolation compared to the previous Xcent model.

Wind and road noise remain well-suppressed at highway speeds, creating a cabin environment that feels more refined than many competitors and contributes to reduced driver fatigue during longer journeys.

The electrically assisted power steering offers light effort at parking speeds while providing progressive weighting as velocity increases.

While not delivering the feedback that enthusiast drivers might prefer, this calibration suits the vehicle’s primary mission as practical urban transportation, making it easy to maneuver through congested streets and tight parking situations.

Ground clearance of approximately 165mm proves adequate for navigating the urban obstacles commonly encountered in Indian cities, including speed breakers and inconsistent road surfaces.

The turning radius of just 4.9 meters enhances maneuverability in confined spaces – a crucial consideration for a vehicle that will frequently navigate crowded urban environments.

Ownership Experience: Value Beyond Purchase

The Aura’s value proposition extends beyond the initial purchase to encompass the entire ownership journey.

Hyundai’s comprehensive warranty package – typically including 3 years of coverage with unlimited mileage – provides peace of mind that resonates strongly with value-conscious buyers in this segment.

Extended warranty options allow this protection to be increased to 5 years for those planning longer ownership periods.

Maintenance requirements have been calibrated for the Indian operating environment, with 10,000-kilometer service intervals balancing convenience with proper vehicle care.

Transparent service pricing and menu-based maintenance packages allow owners to budget accurately for ongoing care, while Hyundai’s extensive service network ensures support is readily available even beyond major metropolitan areas.

The ownership experience benefits further from Hyundai’s digital initiatives, including a smartphone application that facilitates service scheduling, provides maintenance history, and enables communication with dealership personnel.

These conveniences acknowledge the increasingly digital lifestyle of target customers while streamlining the practical aspects of vehicle ownership.

Competitive Landscape and Market Position

The Aura competes in one of India’s most fiercely contested segments, facing established rivals including the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze, Ford Aspire, and Tata Tigor.

Within this competitive set, the Aura differentiates itself through its combination of distinctive styling, premium interior appointments, and technological offerings that often exceed category norms.

While not challenging the Dzire’s dominant market share, the Aura has established a stable position by appealing particularly to buyers who prioritize features, refinement, and design over absolute value or traditional brand allegiances.

Its multiple engine options provide flexibility that many competitors lack, allowing the model to address diverse customer requirements within a single product line.

The expanding availability of alternative fuel options, particularly factory-fitted CNG, positions the Aura well to address growing interest in reduced operating costs and environmental impact – considerations increasingly influencing purchasing decisions even in this value-conscious segment.

New XUV 700: Elevating Expectations

The Hyundai Aura represents a thoughtful approach to the compact sedan segment – one that acknowledges both the practical requirements and emotional aspects of vehicle ownership.

By delivering unexpected refinement, comprehensive feature content, and distinctive styling within the constraints of this specialized category, the model successfully transcends the perception of compact sedans as merely pragmatic transportation devices.

In a market segment where compromise often seems inevitable due to size and cost constraints, the Aura demonstrates that careful engineering and design can deliver a driving experience and ownership proposition that feels more complete and satisfying than its dimensions or price point might suggest.

This achievement reflects Hyundai’s evolving understanding of emerging market consumers – recognizing that even value-oriented buyers increasingly expect their vehicles to deliver experiences rather than merely fulfilling transportation needs.

As urban congestion increases and parking space becomes ever more precious across India’s growing cities, the compact sedan formula the Aura exemplifies is likely to maintain its relevance despite the broader industry shift toward SUV body styles.

For those who appreciate the efficiency, maneuverability, and security of a traditional sedan in a footprint optimized for urban environments, the Aura presents a compelling proposition that balances pragmatism with unexpected sophistication.