Although crossovers are all the rage at the moment, there is still a large market for subcompact vehicles that tailored to sensible buyers who do not care about the extra ride height. They just want a reliable, fuel efficient, day-to-day driver that doesn't break the bank.
Given Hyundai's track record of delivering great values for its current lineup, I was intrigued to see what our 2018 Hyundai Accent tester, in its GLS trim, has to offer.
Exterior
The exterior of the Hyundai Accent looks coherent with the rest of Hyundai's lineup. That is a good thing. The signature cascading front grille does not look as aggressive as what we saw on the Sonata, but blends well with the rest of the front fascia. The sweep-back headlights with the LED daytime running light strips give the car a more premium look. The turning signal lights are located inside of the light housing, but there are LED repeaters on the side mirrors for added visibility.
The side profile of the Accent is clean and smooth. The roof line remains fairly high in the back to give the rear passengers more headroom. The wrap-around tail lights with the Audi-like segmented design once again makes the Accent look more expensive than it is.
Hyundai decided to make the 2018 Accent wider, longer, and slightly lower. This gives the car a more composed grown-up look. Unlike some of its competitors, the small car foot print does not make any part of the car look out of proportion. This car may not stand out in Hyundai's current lineup of good looking cars, but it certainly holds its own.
Interior
The interior of the Accent is quite comfortable. The heated front seats, although not leather, are supportive. There is enough room in the cabin to fit four passengers comfortably. Long drives with five people might be too cramped, but a short trip around town should be no issue at all.
All the dials and controls are grouped in clusters that are well organized and easy to navigate. There isn't much soft-touched materials to be found, but the hard plastics are sturdy and the textured surfaces make the plastics look less frugal. There are USB charging outlets for both front and rear seats. The visibility is great for both front and rear passengers, and the center arm rest is positioned perfectly. The Accent does a fairly good job of keeping the road and engine noise at bay. However, it can get louder if you rev the engine higher.
Overall, the interior of the 2018 Hyundai Accent is clean, driver focused, and offers a more luxurious appearance than its price point.
Infotainment
I am very pleased that Hyundai has decided to keep most of the infotainment system that we saw in its bigger brothers, in the Accent. The 7.0-inch touchscreen is bright and clear. The smartphone like interface, with its quick responses, is still my favorite implementation of a car infotainment system so far.
Android Auto and Apple Carplay are standard with all the Hyundai we have test driven. One of my favorite part of Hyundai's infotainment system is that its LCD screen is placed between the two dials on the dashboard. It displays information like fuel consumption, turn-by-turn navigation, and vehicle status. I am happy to report that it is present in the Accent as well.
I would say the infotainment system of the Accent is certainly one step above its competitors.
Safety and Driver Assistance
The 2018 Hyundai Accent offers rear view camera on all its trim levels, and the GLS trim also gets forward collision warning that is rare to see at this price range. At the time of writing this review, the 2018 Accent has yet to be crash tested by the NHTSA or the IIHS.
Driving
The 130 horsepower produced by the revised 1.6-Liter 4 Cylinder Engine, while not relatively impressive, does a good job of pulling the Accent around town and has no trouble merging onto the highway. The car feels peppy thanks to Hyundai's decision of tuning the engine to produce more low end torque. The 6 speed automatic transmission felt refined, and shifted smoothly. However, I am not a fan of Accent's Sport mode as it tends to hold gears for too long.
The steering of the Accent is sufficiently firm, but could feel a bit muted. The Accent controls the body roll in corners reasonbabily well, and the suspension system does an adequate job of absorbing road bumps. The 2018 Hyundai Accent drives much better than I have expected from a small compact. Additionally, during our 300 km of mostly city test drive, we achieved a respectable 8.1L/100km fuel consumption rating.
The Accent offers standard small-item storage throughout the cabin. Without folding down the rear seats, the cargo space is on the small side at 616L. That is still enough to fit 6 carry-on suitcases or a few golf bags. However, once you fold down the rear seats, there is a lot more room thanks to the shape of its rear passenger space.
The 2018 Hyundai Accent proves to be a very practical car and is more then adequate for a small family.
Verdict
In today's trend of consumers switching to crossovers and SUVs, subcompact cars need to be better than what they used to be in order to retain its customers. The 2018 Accent looks and drives like a more expensive car and packed with features that used to only be seen on premium cars. The interior is comfortable, and there is enough room to accommodate a small family. For me what sets the Accent apart from its competitors is the infotainment system. It comes standard with almost everything a modern car should have, and this is something most drivers will appreciate on a daily commute.
For budget conscious, no non-sense customers, or first time car buyers, the 2018 Hyundai Accent presents a great option. I highly recommend it.
Test Vehicle
2018 Hyundai Accent GLS Sedan
MSRP
$21,536.48 (Total Acquisition Cost with $2500 special offer)
Color
Boston Red
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