Before you ask us, yes, both cars are of different body types but carry the (almost) same sticker price. While the newly launched Swift CNG is in a hatchback avatar, the good old popular Hyundai Aura is longer and has a much needed boot. It is just Rs 12,000 more expensive than its hatchback rival and this made us come up with this interesting CNG battle of Swift ZXi CNG vs Aura SX CNG. Which one among these two should you pick and why? Read on...
Price & Engine
Both the cars are offered with CNG kits in various variants. For this comparison, we have picked the top end versions. As seen here, while the Swift ZXi CNG has an ex-showroom price of Rs 8.45 lakh (New Delhi), the Hyundai Aura SX CNG is just about Rs 12,000 more expensive at Rs 8.57 lakh. However quick calculations show this is a difference of just 1.4%!
Maruti has been promoting the Swift as India's most powerful CNG hatchback and why not. It generates 76.4 bhp of power which is about 12% more than the Aura's similar capacity engine. Even the peak torque stands at 98.5Nm, about 3.5% higher. We are sure this extra dose of punch will make a difference in daily driving conditions, specially with a load of passengers and air-con working overtime. Both the cars come with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Swift CNG also has an advantage when it comes to mileage, offering 30.9 km/kg as certified economy as compared to 28.0 km/kg that Aura offers.
Size matters
More than size, the addition of a boot at the rear can be a social status for a lot of people. And hence this important factor in this Swift ZXi CNG vs Aura SX CNG battle. Interestingly, while the Aura is longer than the Swift, the latter is wider as well as taller. Both the cars in the higher version trims come with 15-inch alloy wheels. However, the Swift offers slightly wider tyres that come with a size of 185/65 R15.
The addition of a boot on the Aura also means this sedan will offer some amount of luggage space over the Swift hatchback. A CNG tank usually eats up all the space that a hatchback's boot has to offer.
Features on offer
A lot of owners use their CNG cars for family runs as well. And you will be surprised to see few observations in this Swift ZXi CNG vs Aura SX CNG feature war. While both the cars offer climate control, push button start with true keyless entry and power folding outside mirrors, the Hyundai Aura SX CNG has a clear advantage with more features. It offers a bigger touchscreen interface, a rear camera for added safety, a full digital speedometer console and a cooled glovebox.
For the comfort of rear passengers, the Aura SX CNG also offers two key additions over the Swift ZXi CNG. These are the rear AC vents and a rear central armrest.
Verdict
The Swift ZXi CNG offers better performance and slightly lower running costs. It will also be (more) nimble in traffic and given its smaller dimensions, will be easier to park in congested residential areas. However, at a small premium, the Aura SX CNG will give you usable boot space, a lot more features and that important social status symbol. Which one would you pick? Let us know in our exclusive Telegram group!
Do you like this article?
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
