Name: Hyundai Aura Diesel AMT Long Term Review – Final Report
Brand: MotorBeam
Rating: 4.9 (3498 reviews)

Hyundai Aura Long Term 42 — The Hyundai Aura just blends in even if the surrounding clearly stands out!

Hyundai Aura Diesel AMT Long Term Review

Car Tested: Hyundai Aura Diesel AMT
Kms Done: 10,926 kms
Test Started at: 3759 kms
Test Concluded at: 14,685 kms
Mileage: 21.7 km/l, 27 km/l (best), 16.5 km/l (worst)
Fuel Consumed: 475-litres
Total Fuel Cost: Rs. 38,475/-
Fuel Cost Per Km: Rs. 3.52/-

Efficiency and practicality go hand-in-hand with the Hyundai Aura, especially with the diesel AMT variant

Driving for over 10,000 km within a year’s time is something for a long term vehicle! This, the Hyundai Aura has been through the thick and thin of our shoots by being the most efficient support car for our MotorBeam team. Our long term test started out with Parth driving it, in and around the city for his daily commutes. But as already mentioned in the first article, it was returning astonishing fuel efficiency of over 20 km/l. Soon after, it was assigned to be parked in the office and to be used as a primary vehicle for local shoots and boy the camera team was happy.

Hyundai Aura Long Term 36 — The Aura diesel is peppy and frugal, which is a very good blend

It came to us right after the first lockdown had opened up and things started moving with quite a pace as there were shoots almost every single day. Manufacturers were letting out bikes and cars like crazy! And as the pandemic was still on a high-risk scale the vehicles started coming to our home/office locations rather than being on a launch/ride event. Quite a few things like the generous boot space of 402-litres helped carry all the shooting equipment without a fuss. The seating being ergonomic and spacious for 4 passengers made sure everyone was comfortable while we’d squeeze in one more person too at times.

Hyundai Aura Long Term 40 — The AMT gearbox felt laggy while trying to drive fast but for regular commutes it was good enough

It was not just the fuel efficiency that was impressive it was the AMT gearbox as well. This gearbox is definitely very convenient and it is rather smooth too! One of our DOPs liked the manual mode more, he would always drive by shifting the stick to the manual mode. Adding more fun was the excellent low-end torque that the 1.2-litre diesel motor would generate. It only produces 74 BHP of power but the 190 Nm of torque is very addictive. It starts pushing within the low-revs and we’d match the revs well so that it would shift precisely and still return a brilliant number.

Hyundai Aura Long Term 35 — The cabin felt very airy, despite it being a small car

Convenience from the AMT gearbox coupled with the torquey nature of the diesel engine, it is the best combination for current fuel prices

We started filling up from Rs. 70/- per litre of diesel and within a year’s time, the fuel prices went up by 30%. Averaging out at Rs. 82/- per litre, the running cost for the whole duration was a mere Rs. 3.52/- per km. With this number, one can say the Aura was definitely very cost-effective and hence I took it to a weekend escape too. I own a Tata Tiago manual diesel but even after being an AMT the Aura would return better numbers and the extra boot space was always welcome. The steering is very light which makes driving the Aura an easy affair. The Aura is a perfect family sedan but would never be just that, the inside-enthusiast would be happy too.

Hyundai Aura Long Term 26 — A quick wash and it was ready to go!

The premium interior with a satin copper colour finish in the centre and with a bright set of upholstery all around, it never felt claustrophobic in a small car. The only con is that it would get dirty very easily and one would have to take some extra efforts to maintain it. We used it to visit places around Mumbai and Pune and on those drives the best thing was the infotainment system. It had all the jazz of connectivity but what I liked the most was we could connect 2 phones at once with Bluetooth and shuffle between the music. Also the touchscreen felt smooth and worked really well.

Hyundai-Aura-Long-Term-10 — It always accompanied us on almost all of our shoots

We had the most loaded variant so it got wireless charging too with a separate USB fast charger plug as well. A few of our team members use phones with wireless charging and they developed a very bad habit. They would never charge their phones properly and would always rely on the wireless unit during shoot days. Luckily the Aura would have their back. And similarly for the camera guys, getting a shot as close to a Russian arm was also possible because the windows at the rear would roll down completely and they could shoot while hanging from the car without hurting themselves.

Hyundai Aura Long Term 37 — A little above 20 km/l was the mileage figure all the time

Very often it happens that we make a bond with a vehicle if we have been driving for longer durations. The Hyundai Aura was with us for a year and over 10,000 kms. The camera team from the MotorBeam office do quite miss it now as it has been replaced by a petrol car from a different brand and it has a 1.0-litre engine. The practicality, easiness to park, airy interior and many other things are being missed along with the hard-to-beat frugality. There are barely any sedan options in the market with a diesel automatic (except Amaze) at this price point and which is why the Aura does have an upper hand over its rivals.