Battle of the econoboxes: Hyundai Accent deletes hatchback from the redesign
2019 Hyundai Accent Limited vs. 2019 Kia Rio5 EX: So you’ve blown your budget on the turkey or plan to blow it on presents — maybe cut corners on the car?
This week: Hyundai Accent Price: The Limited starts at $18,995, and a base with manual transmission starts at $14,995.
Marketer’s pitch: “Huge on tech, safety and style.”
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver liked the “sprightly powertrain, consistency between controls, decent looks, value,” but not that there was “lots of hard plastic inside, elbows are treated unkindly.”
Reality: Not so bad for the admission fee, but a hatchback would be a good thing.
What’s new: The baby Hyundai received a whole redesign for the 2018 model year (which I tested), but the redesign team has a subtle touch. It appears to be a lot like the last generation.
One aspect not carried through from the last generation, though, is a hatchback. The Accent is now a four-door sedan only, a horrible idea, in my estimation. Econocar shoppers looking for a Korean hatchback will have to visit Kia (which, as luck would have it, we’ll visit next week).
Driver’s Seat: As in most small cars, the cloth seat is on the small side and not too comfortable. Occupants ride in an upright position. I found my foot awkwardly aimed at the gas pedal from up here.
But driving 100 miles in one day didn’t leave Mr. Driver’s Spine any worse for the wear, so that’s a good thing.
Both front seats come heated for the Limited entry fee.
The view: The dashboard looks like a giant black box protruding from under the windshield.
The functionality: Here in the cheap seats, the controls are not often so well thought out, but not so in the Accent. The gauges are pretty clear and the switches for things like drive mode and other functions all seemed easy to find.
Up to speed: Its 1.6-liter fourcylinder engine claims to be all new, and it creates 130 horsepower. The car reaches 60 mph in 9.3 seconds, according to Motor Trend, which is not terrible for such a little guy.
Shifty: Hyundai puts automatics in the press fleet at its own risk. At least a six-speed manual would have given Mr. Driver’s Seat more to focus on.
It also would have moved a little faster than this dog. (Note also that Car and Driver had much more fun and recorded a 7.5-second 0-60 time in the stick.) Shifting one’s own gears is possible with the automatic, and it does help, provided one remembers to downshift for passing, or little highway hills, or over pebbles, potholes, road seams …
On the road: Hyundai is not known for its sporty vehicles. Although it’s been getting a little better in this regard, the Accent is not the place to discover any newfound sportiness. Handling is extremely meh, and no one will come away breathing heavily after a ride in the Accent.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat offers decent accommodations for the size. Leg positioning becomes a bit awkward even though legroom is enhanced by the height of the vehicle. There’s just not enough fore and aft movement to keep one’s feet from feeling trapped under the front seat. Center seat passengers should be compensated for their trouble.
Cargo space is 13.7 cubic feet in the trunk. The old hatchback was cute and roomy compared to this. Sadface.
Play some tunes: The test vehicle featured the larger 7-inch touchscreen for its audio system. The stereo looks like one featured in Mrs. Passenger Seat’s Kia Soul, but the sound was far inferior. Granted, the Accent’s accent is on road noise, so the stereo has much to compete with, but the sound quality was poor at low volume and slightly better cranked up. Bring your earbuds.
Fuel economy: It all would have been better had I seen stronger numbers here, but 32.5 in the few hundred mostly highway miles seemed a dismal result.
Where it’s built: Nuevo Leon, Mexico
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts a 3 out of 5 for reliability. But it last was tested in 2016, when it garnered a 5.
Next week: 2019 Kia Rio5.