hyundai accent | Bob King Hyundai

The Hyundai Accent was designed to keep you moving and leave boredom behind. Accent was named a Best Car Buy for 2009 by NADAguides.com among top Sub-compacts under $15,000.

Backed by America’s Best Warranty^, and boasting more interior room than the class-above Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, the thoughtfully designed Accent 4-Door gets up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway and caters to passengers and drivers alike.

2010 Hyundai Accent

Compact-car room at a subcompact price.

The 2010 Hyundai Accent lineup gains a new low-price model that promises high fuel economy. Accent returns as a 2-door hatchback in GS and SE trims, and as a 4-door sedan in GLS form. New for 2010 is the base Accent Blue, which has equipment levels similar to the GS. The Blue has specific transmission gear ratios and other aerodynamic tweaks that Hyundai says improves highway fuel economy up to 9 percent when compared with other Accent models. The sole engine is a 110-hp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard across the board. A 4-speed automatic is available on all but the Accent Blue. Available safety features include ABS, front side airbags, and curtain side airbags. Power windows and locks and remote entry are optional on the GS and GLS. Accent lends its basic design to the Rio from Hyundai's Kia division, but Rio differs in features, pricing, and warranty coverage.

UTILITY. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING.

Settle into a Hyundai Accent’s seats and it’s clear our engineers have actually studied homo sapiens. Roomy, supportive, and comfortable, they’re upholstered with a durable yet breathable cloth that inspires driving confidence by actually helping to hold you in place.

Considerable thought, too, was devoted to the Accent’s ergonomics. From the gearshift to the climate controls to the numerous storage spaces and cupholders, everything feels convenient and within easy reach.

And while the Accent’s spacious interior is eye opening, it has also been designed to help keep your eyes where they belong—on the road.

The radio, for instance, is mounted higher, so you don’t have to look away when switching from Handel to hip-hop. The speedometer and tachometer use bright easy-to-read fonts, while all dials are large, intuitively placed, and easy to use.

That’s interior design that goes beyond simple cosmetics.

For storage, no less than ten easy-to-reach compartments have been placed throughout the interior. These include an in-dash storage box, a passenger-side seatback pocket, and front door map pockets, which we’ve seen used for snacks, laptops, and an outfield’s worth of baseball gloves.

GENEROSITY BEGINS, WELL, HERE.

When it comes to features, the Hyundai Accent doesn’t skimp. Air conditioning, power steering, and a 60/40 split rear seatback all come standard. As do eight cupholders. A handy map light with sunglass holder. Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors. Whew.

Of course, you can always take your Accent further. Available equipment includes a six-speaker 172-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3/XM® audio system that delivers striking fidelity literally unheard of in this class. iPod®/USB and MP3 auxiliary input jack for your MP3 player. Steering wheel-mounted cruise control and audio controls. Power windows, mirrors, and locks. And how-did-I-live-without-it remote keyless entry.

The choice is yours—pay more or get more for your money.

DON’T BOX YOU IN.

With 92.2 cubic feet of interior space, the Hyundai Accent is roomier than a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. And unlike most cars in its class, the rear seat won’t remind passengers of the penalty box at a hockey rink.

In fact, though it measures (and is priced) like a subcompact, the government classifies the Accent as a compact—a full class up—due to its outsize spaciousness.

Such space efficiency is a hallmark of Hyundai design, the result of careful computer-aided design and ergonomic research. Look for it on your test-drive. Or rather, enjoy it.

AIRBAGS: ONE INSTANCE WHERE LESS IS NOT MORE.

Hyundai has long been a leader in safety. We were the first among our competitors to make side-impact airbags standard on all our models, and the Accent continues that tradition.

It comes with dual front, dual front side-impact, and two side-curtain airbags. Six airbags in total. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that this combination can reduce fatalities by 45%.

Those front airbags are also intelligent. They can automatically adjust their deployment speed based on impact speed and seat position.

But what good are all those airbags if they go off even a fraction of a second too late? That’s why our airbag systems are constructed with gold-plated electrical connectors—to help ensure accurate and reliable deployment. As any engineer worth his salt can tell you, gold resists corrosion in a way no other metal does. So that airbag system will have as much integrity years from now as it did the day you drove the car off the lot.

ABS: ONE OF OUR FAVORITE ACRONYMS.

The Hyundai Accent uses a four-sensor four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) to help keep you and your passengers safe (optional).

ABS works by rapidly pulsing the brakes of each wheel as necessary to help prevent wheel lockup during emergency maneuvers or while braking under slippery road conditions. This helps stop the loss of control that is a prime cause of accidents.

EBD works in tandem with ABS by balancing the braking forces at each wheel under dynamic conditions, again helping you to maintain control.

Together, they form a system of active safety (technologies that help avoid accidents in the first place, not just reduce their effects) that can offer peace of mind for miles to come.

BUILT TO BE SAFE, LITERALLY.

Car safety goes beyond mere features. In the Hyundai Accent’s case, it also comes from its bones.

Its reinforced unibody is made of high-tensile steel with crumple zones that actually shunt impact forces around the passenger cabin.

To that, we add bodyside reinforcements and hood-buckling creases, as well as an energy-absorbing steering column.

It only makes sense. If we’re going to offer a 10-year warranty, shouldn’t we try to make sure you’re around for all of it?

Hyundai Accent | NADAguides.com, Best Car Buy

Hyundai Accent | Intellichoice, 2008 Lowest Repair Costs