A good value among compacts gets better.

Introduction

The Hyundai Accent was all new for 2012, roomier, more powerful, and modern in style than its predecessor. The 2013 Accent gets more standard equipment (albeit at a higher base price) and more options, including a power sunroof. 

Hyundai Accent comes in two body styles, a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan with a conventional trunk. A subcompact, Accent competes against the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Sonic, Mazda 2 and Nissan Versa. According to the government, however, the Accent's interior volume puts it in the larger compact class. 

Accent is longer in wheelbase and overall length than most of the competition, which means more room inside for people and cargo, and a smoother ride. 

We found the Accent very easy to drive. It's responsive but not quick, smooth by subcompact standards but not luxurious. Everything in the cabin is intuitive and easy to operate. It's an attractive design and the materials look nice. 

With flowing lines and highly sculpted sheetmetal the Accent looks like a smaller version of the Elantra. That's not a coincidence. Accent shares Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture design theme with the high-priced Sonata and Elantra models. 

Accent's body shape carries a low coefficient of drag, 0.30, which helps with wind noise and fuel mileage. The designers chose to go with body color everywhere, from bumpers to mirrors to handles, with black accents and design elements, so there is almost no chrome trim on the car beyond the grille bar. 

A 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine powers the Accent, a twin-cam, 16-valve design with direct fuel injection, a first for the class, and variable valve timing to give it low-rpm torque, high-rpm horsepower. The engine is rated at 138 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque. All new, like the rest of the car, for 2012, the engine is 40 pounds lighter than the one it replaced. Like the other cars in this class, the Accent uses front-wheel drive. 

The Accent comes with a choice of 6-speed manual gearbox or 6-speed automatic. On manual-transmission models, there is an EcoShift indicator between the instrument pods to indicate the proper gear for all driving conditions. We liked the with the 6-speed manual but didn't care for the indicator as we think we know the proper gear better than the car does. The clutch pedal was light and easy to operate. The automatic features a Shiftronic manual-shifting mode, allowing the driver more control over shifting. We preferred to just put it in Drive and go. 

Fuel economy is slightly better with the 6-speed manual gearbox, which gets an EPA-estimated 32 mpg Combined city and highway rating, compared with 31 mpg Combined for the 6-speed automatic. But it's close. Fuel economy is an EPA-rated 28/37 mpg City/Highway regardless of transmission choice. Regular gasoline is recommended for Hyundai Accent. 

Lineup

The 2013 Hyundai Accent comes in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles. 

Accent GLS sedan with 6-speed manual transmission ($14,545) comes with cloth upholstery, manual air conditioning, AM/FM/CD with six speakers, USB port and iPod auxiliary jack and adapter, XM Satellite Radio, 60/40 split folding rear seatback, power and heated body-colored side mirrors, tilt steering column, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry with panic button, and steel wheels with 175/70R14 tires. 

Accent GLS sedan with 6-speed automatic ($15,545) comes with the same equipment. A Premium Package ($1,200) upgrades it with rear disc brakes, premium cloth seats, upgraded interior trim, cruise control, fog lights,16-inch alloy wheels with 195/50R16 tires, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and Bluetooth with voice recognition. 

Accent GS five-door hatchback with the 6-speed manual ($14,795) comes equipped nearly the same as the manual-transmission GLS but adds a rear wiper and defroster. The GS 6-speed automatic ($15,995) adds cruise control. 

Accent SE five-door manual ($16,095) and automatic ($17,095) come with all GS equipment and the content of the Premium Package from the GLS; plus sport-tuned steering, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, side mirrors with turn signal indicators, and a rear spoiler. A power sunroof ($900) is available on the SE automatic only. 

(All prices are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices, which do not include destination charge and may change at any time without notice. Destination charge is $775.)

Safety equipment on the Hyundai Accent includes front, side and roof curtain air bags, active head restraints, ABS disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and Brake Assist, traction control, and electronic stability control. 

Walkaround

Hyundai Accent was all-new for 2012 and, aside from the equipment upgrades noted above, is little changed for 2013. Compared to 2011 and older models, however, this new-generation Accent looks like the product of a different car company. No longer a jelly-bean-shaped rental transport unit, the Hyundai Accent has grown up to be a real, modern car. 

It took a complete cosmetic makeover, with every panel on the 2011 model replaced by newer and flashier sheetmetal. And there's almost no chrome on the exterior other than the badges. 

We like the sedan, especially when compared to the nerdy outgoing car, but we like the hatchback a whole lot better when it comes to pure eye appeal. Hyundai claims a respectable 0.30 coefficient of drag for the sedan version, slightly higher for the five-door with the longer roof. 

Interior

The Hyundai Accent interior was totally redesigned for 2012. One additional change for 2013 is an upgrade to cloth-insert inside door trim for all models. 

The latest Accent has a far more modern interior than the previous model, with brushed metal accents on the doors, steering wheel and center console, white-on-black instrumentation with red needles, and a multi-function steering wheel. The elements have been redesigned for more room, more storage spaces. 

Sporty bucket seats feature superior cushions and bolsters. We found the seats comfortably supportive without being intrusive. Outward vision is excellent. The instrument panel, center stack, vents, switches and controls are all easy to look at and operate. The instrument package contains the usual two round gauges with digital readouts and indicators between the deeply tunneled clusters and is bathed in ice blue light at night. 

The three-spoke steering wheel has a thick rim and a thickly padded hub. Lower models have urethane-covered steering wheels, upper models have convenient switches for the sound system on the left, cruise control system on the right, and telephone on the lower left. Flagship SE models wrap the wheel in leather. 

As for storage, the rated cargo capacity of the hatchback models is 21.2 cubic feet behind the folding second-row bench seat, and 47.5 cubic feet with the second seat folded flat. Accent sedans provide a still-generous 13.7 cubic feet, which can also be expanded by folding the rear seatbacks. 

Door and console storage is generous, and upper-level models have a sliding console armrest, unusual in this class. 

In the center binnacle, there is a USB port, an AUX port, and the two combine to make a port for an iPod cable, a very clever arrangement. The interior components add up to a livable, easy-to-use whole with much higher quality materials, a minimum of brightwork, plenty of storage, and high functionality. 

Driving Impression

The 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine in the Hyundai Accent provides enough power and torque to provide good acceleration with either 6-speed transmission, partly because the car's power-to-weight ratio is the best in the class, according to Hyundai figures. The engine is smooth and quiet, and runs at about 2200 rpm at 70 mph in sixth gear, and about 4400 rpm at 100 mph. The thrifty, gutty little Gamma engine is surrounded by helpers like electric power steering, low-rolling-resistance tires, lighter elements throughout the engine bay and the rest of the vehicle. 

It all adds up to Accent's 28/37 mpg EPA mileage rating City/Highway. 

The 6-speed automatic transmission performed quickly and quietly. It features an Active Eco mode that modifies engine management and transmission shift points for up to 7 percent better fuel economy, presumably at the expense of throttle response. 

The 6-speed manual gearbox is easy to shift and the clutch pedal was light and easy to operate. Some models include an EcoShift indicator between the instrument pods to indicate the proper gear for all driving conditions. We did not care for this and generally find shift lights distracting. 

Going down the road, the Accent is far smoother and quieter than we were expecting it to be. A rigid chassis, high-strength steel, generous sound insulation and effective door seals show in the car's quiet highway behavior. 

We found the Accent responds relatively quickly, has good tracking, relatively quick response, and good feel on center. Bump, rut and pothole damping is very good. Roll control on twisty mountain and desert roads was very good, and the car stayed put pretty well in hard corners. It's one of the lightest cars in its class at less than 2500 pounds, so it responds quickly to inputs. 

The all-disc anti-lock braking system (ABS) is rare in the subcompact class, and the Accent's stopping performance was excellent. 

Summary

The Hyundai Accent is aggressively priced and offers a solid combination of value, utility and fuel economy. It's a complete package for an affordable price. 

Jim McCraw filed this NewCarTestDrive.com report from Las Vegas; Mitch McCullough contributed to this report after his test drive of the Accent in New Jersey. 

Model Lineup

Hyundai Accent GLS sedan ($14,545), GLS automatic ($15,545); GS hatchback ($14,795), GS automatic ($15,995); SE hatchback ($16,095), SE automatic ($17,095). 

Assembled In

Ulsan, Korea. 

Options As Tested

none.