2018 Hyundai Accent

Since 1994 when it arrived, more than 1.2 million copies of the Hyundai Accent have been sold here in the United States, with the company gradually refining and improving its entry-level subcompact through four generations. While its exterior dimensions and price point pit it against the Toyota Yaris iA, the fifth-generation 2018 Accent’s 104 cubic feet of total interior volume are large for its class. The Mexico-built Accent also boasts added torsional rigidity (32 percent more, Hyundai claims), offers the sort of connected technology that today’s customers demand, and, most pleasingly to us, is the beneficiary of some solid engineering juju on the chassis tuning.

Keeping Up with Appearances

From the side, with its fast roofline, bobbed tail, and ample greenhouse, the new Accent resembles nothing so much as a more staid Tesla Model 3. Whereas the previous-generation Accent offered a hatchback variant, the new car is being sold here only in sedan form. The wheelbase is 0.4 inch longer and the entire car stretches just 0.6 inch farther than its be-trunked predecessor, although the roomier interior and more well-resolved rear fender line both impart the impression it has grown more than that, perhaps because it’s also a bit wider.

Hyundai did a reasonable job on the interior. The design is simple and plain, neither upscale nor particularly downmarket, merely existing and functional. There’s nothing here to make the teeth grind, despite the liberal use of hard plastic. The graining, however, is decent, and we’ve seen cheaper-looking stuff used in significantly more expensive vehicles. We’re looking at you, Ford F-250 Super Duty. And you, too, Chrysler 300. Leather appears nowhere on the options sheet, and at this price point, we think that’s a smart move. Opt for the SEL or Limited trim, and you get a second USB port for the rear passengers, while the touchscreen infotainment display swells from 5.0 to 7.0 inches. Standard across all trim levels is a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, as are six airbags.

The Accent’s designers and engineers obviously worked to keep wind noise to a minimum, and this truly presents itself around the B-pillar—all the better to enjoy your tunes courtesy of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which are included when you opt for the 7.0-inch head unit. Hyundai’s Blue Link system now integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, too, which means you can remotely start your vehicle by speaking to a device in your kitchen. Less Jetsonian but perhaps more useful is the available forward-collision-avoidance system, which first warns the driver of an impending impact and then applies the brakes itself if the driver doesn’t react quickly enough.

Chassis Is Well Done, but Where’s the Boeuf?

As much as we’re prone to lament the demise of the unturbocharged engine, the smooth-running 1.6-liter inline-four (which also does duty in the smaller Kia Rio hatchback) is almost perilously naturally aspirated, as in there’s no waft of turbo torque to save your hide when an 18-wheeler is bearing down on you. Thankfully, the six-speed automatic transmission is responsive and nicely programmed. Around town, the engine’s 130 horsepower and 119 lb-ft of torque feel, well, adequate. We like the powerplant’s character quite a bit; it never becomes thrashy as it winds up, but we’d welcome a shoebox full of additional torque at lower revs (you need 4850 rpm on the tach to extract this engine’s full grunt).

For the shift-it-yourselfers, the low-end SE trim comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. The stick’s action is positive and pleasant, although the clutch offers little to no feedback about where you might find the engagement point. The SEL and Limited models are automatic-only, and frankly, despite our love of the three-pedal automobile, the autobox works better in this application. It also returns better fuel economy.

We’ve finally entered an era where the Korean automakers have figured out how to tune a chassis (see our relatively warm regard for the latest Hyundai Elantra Sport), and the Accent team has wrung the finer attributes out of their front strut and torsion-beam rear suspension setups. No, this car isn’t particularly sporty, but it acquits itself well in terms of balanced ride and handling, with a pleasant firmness (especially with the Limited’s 17-inch wheels), a planted feel, and a steering wheel that offers information about the road surface. In our transit of southern Nevada highways and byways, we found the brakes to be sufficient yet leaving little impression, either positive or negative. Overall, we’d not call the Accent a driver’s car, but we wouldn’t call it a car built to disappoint drivers, either.

It is difficult to be worked into a tizzy over the Accent, just as it’s also pretty tough to feel insulted by Hyundai’s latest entry-level car. It’s an honest machine offering a solid value, inoffensive contemporary styling, decent dynamics, and a well-made, respectfully designed interior. But please, Hyundai, couldn’t we have just a bit more torque?

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $15,750

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 97 cu in, 1591 cc
Power: 130 hp @ 6300 rpm
Torque: 119 lb-ft @ 4850 rpm

TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 101.6 in
Length: 172.6 in
Width: 68.1 in Height: 57.1 in
Passenger volume: 90 cu ft
Trunk volume: 14 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 2550–2700 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.3–8.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 24.5–24.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.3–16.6 sec
Top speed: 121–122 mph

EPA FUEL ECONOMY:
Combined/city/highway: 31–32/28/37–38 mpg