WASHINGTON — Hyundai has been making the Accent for nearly 20 years now, and it has grown a little bigger over the years. It has gone from basic cheap transportation to a more substantial subcompact that’s looking to be head of its class.
The Accent is available as a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback, just like most of its competition.
Hyundai redesigned the Accent in 2012 and made a once-bland car into a stylish-looking subcompact that had a nice interior and fit better with the surging Hyundai brand. The 2014 Hyundai Accent adds some nifty features for a small car, like a tilt and telescoping steering wheel and LED accent lighting. I can’t think of many new cars with a price tag at less than $18,000 with those options.
The Accent is rather large for the subcompact class, and you do get a surprising amount of space inside — especially if you choose the five-door hatchback model.
The interior was a pleasant surprise and seemed more upscale than you’d expect from its class. Comfortable seats with great headroom, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob topped off the cabin. The dash had some style as well, with interesting shapes and nicer materials than I thought I would find.
Stepping outside, the car has some style as well. Gone is the boring look of old, and now it’s a handsome, updated car with 16-inch wheels. The tires help make the Accent look a little more upscale on the outside like the nice interior does on the inside.
I drove the 2014 Accent SE five-door hatchback, the top-of-the-line trim level with the optional, very good six-speed automatic. A six-speed manual is standard and might help you use all 138hp from the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine; good power for the subcompact class. I never felt it needed more power. I also noticed from 2,500-4,000 rpm’s there was a nice sounding noise to the engine, very rare in small car. If you really push, it turns into a typical noisy engine.
I actually liked driving this redesigned Accent. It’s a quiet ride, handles well and provides a compliant ride that’s not punishing over bumps.
The one spot where the Accent might fall behind in the subcompact class is fuel economy. The Accent with an automatic is rated at 27mpg city and 37mpg highway and a combined 31mpg, and I managed 28.9 mpg in my 127 miles of driving. I did do a fair amount of city driving, but I thought it would have done a little better than that. My sister has virtually the same car and she does get better mpg, but it’s still a little under sticker.
The 2014 Hyundai Accent is a commuter car that won’t make you feel like you own a subcompact car. With a nice large interior and handsome looks, the Hyundai has really revamped its small car. The starting price is around $14,500 and a fully loaded Accent is still below $20,000.
Now, the Accent is a car you want to look at before you buy, rather than the cheap car of last resort it used to be.
Editor’s note: Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.
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