Ever since its advent, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire – earlier known as Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire – has been the undisputed leader in the compact sub-4m sedan space. While it wasn’t exactly less than 4m in length in its first generation, Maruti Suzuki quickly updated it to save on taxes and, thereby, pass along the savings to the consumers.
So, with the success of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, many mainstream manufacturers joined along with their contenders for space. Hyundai, for instance, brought an extended version of the Grand i10 to the mix, touting it as the Xcent. While the Hyundai Xcent did enjoy great sales numbers over the years, it somehow felt behind the Dzire, for its unexciting engines and lesser cabin space.
So, when Hyundai launched the all-new generation of the Grand i10, known as the Grand i10 Nios, it decided to make a few changes to its sedan counterpart and unlike before, not just slap a boot on the back. Therefore, the Hyundai Aura was born, which might essentially look like a Grand i10 Nios with a bigger boot, but it packs a lot more than its hatchback sibling.
Since Maruti Suzuki has decided to axe its diesel engines in lieu of the BS-VI compliance, we’ll only put our focus on the petrol iterations of these sub-4m sedans for the rest of the specification comparison. You can, however, pick up the Hyundai Aura, Honda Amaze, or the Ford Aspire, if diesel power is something that’s a must.
Going by the looks, both these compact sedans are very identical to their respective hatchback siblings. The Dzire gets its aggressive nose from the nose, and also the snazzy projector headlamps, combined with LED inserts for the DRLs. Maruti Suzuki has done its bit by giving the Dzire a different front bumper, a new set of alloy wheels, and a completely different rear section.
The Aura, too, follows the same protocol as it largely resembles the Grand i10 Nios from the front. However, you do get twin boomerang-shaped LED DRLs here, combined with a slightly reprofiled bumper, a new set of alloy wheels, and a different rear section. In the design department, however, the Aura’s rear end makes it look as it was designed by a caricature artist. The front end simply does not gel well with the rear. And, on top of that, the huge Z-shaped LED taillamps only make things worse for the Aura. But, then again, the design is a subjective matter, and both the cars feature similar exterior proportions and features.
Coming to the interiors, here, too, both the cars resemble their respective hatchback siblings. Starting with the Aura, it gets the same dashboard layout as the Grand i10 Nios. Hyundai has done its bit, however, by using different shades on the inside, which does not look well-executed, to be honest. Nevertheless, in typical Hyundai fashion, the Aura comes loaded with features such as an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay/Android Auto, a 5.3-inch MID, wireless smartphone charging pad, push-button start with keyless entry, and so on.
The Dzire, too, borrows its interior layout from the Swift. Where the Swift gets a full-black interior theme, the Dzire gets a black-and-beige dual-tone layout. However, unlike the Aura, the interior theme here very well suits the image of the Dzire, that of a small family car. Moving ahead, the Dzire also gets a nice and healthy equipment list including a 7.0-inch infotainment system with Apple Carplay/Android Auto, push-button start with keyless entry, automatic headlamps, cruise control, and a coloured MID display.
On the powertrain front, the Dzire comes with the brand’s 1.2-litre Dualjet engine, which makes 89bhp and 113Nm of torque. The Dzire also brings in idle start/stop tech to the mix. The Aura, on the other hand, gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 82bhp and 113Nm, which comes mated to a 5-speed manual or an AMT. Hyundai has further upped the ante with the Aura, as it also gets the company’s 1.0-litre T-GDI engine, which produces 99bhp and 172Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
So, there you have it folks, a detailed specification comparison of how the new Hyundai Aura stacks up with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, both of which are BS-VI compliant now. Stay tuned at autoX for more comparisons like these.
