Hyundai's petite Accent is the latest Hyundai to get swept up in the company's flurry of facelifts and redesigns, and the result is pretty satisfactory. I never drove the previous-generation Accent--heck, I don't think I ever even noticed the previous-generation Accent--but the all-new 2012 is a win with punched-up styling, a more powerful and fuel-efficient motor (30 mpg city, 40 highway), and an available new 5-door bodystyle that really looks more like a little wagon than a hot hatch. Continue reading...

More powerful motor, you say? Well, if this is supposed to be powerful, driving the old Accent must've been like driving a water-saver toilet. The 2012 has a wee bit of get-up-and-go, and its 138 hp out of the redesigned all-aluminum direct-injection 1.6 is actually the leading figure in the subcompact class (of which the bigger Accent is now only nominally a member). However, the 6-speed manual wasn't really making the best use of all that power. The shifter feel itself was good, with short throws and a cheap-sounding but satisfying ka-chunk on all shifts. But the gearing was a little wonky, probably for the sake of fuel efficiency. For one thing, as is often the case with with 6-speed-equipped compacts, it's just one too many speeds for a lightly-powered econobox. And second gear, the most important one of all, was a serious bummer on this car. Long and boggy, and the only way to avoid falling on your face in second was to wind it way past peak power in first, and all the while you'd have that pesky upshift icon flashing on the dash in an effort to make you lug the motor even worse than it does all on its own. It really seems that Hyundai would've had to go out of their way to make the manual less fun than the auto, and while obviously there's the all-important mpg's to consider, I have faith that they can do better with the next iteration of this gearbox. Shore up that clutch feel a little, too: I don't want to feel like I'm stepping on a plastic garbage-can pedal, to quote the legendary John Coyle.

I generally really liked the Accent's interior. The lovely dark cloth seats were both comfy and maintenance-free, which is exactly what upholstery should be. The gauge cluster was clean, and Hyundai's signature climate controls with the concentric knobs were intuitive as always. The dash and center stack seemed quite simplified, yet there's still a respectable number of goodies and wing-dings for you kids these days to fiddle with, like USB interface, Bluetooth, and XM Satellite radio. No nav or back-up camera though, and this is one of those instances where you really do need one: visibility out the back is non-existant due to a small window opening and headrests apparently designed for freakishly large-headed children. If I owned one of these I'd be taking a saws-all to those puppies in no time.

Headspace throughout and backseat legroom were good. Up front, you might find yourself occasionally elbowing or bumping the knee of your size-large passenger, with the manual-shift version in particular. This narrowness is certainly something I'm used to with my 80's Ford Escorts, but don't encounter it much in modern subcompacts. It seems to me that even the teeny Fiat 500 had more lateral elbow room! Cargo capacity was good though, and the fold-flat 60/40 rear seats opened up a nice big cave for hauling, though without quite as much useable space as the Fit. I wish Hyundai would go the whole hog and make the Accent a wagon so that space could be even more versatile.

While clearly not intended to be a handling machine, the Accent stays respectably planted on the road but without pretensions of "sportiness." It's very comfortable for long trips and is pleasant on the highway--no hint of the white-knuckle squirreliness you can get from its shorter-wheelbase brethren. The turning radius though, as expected, isn't as tight as that of the smaller subcompacts, but you have to expect some trade-offs for an econo that's nearly a wagon.

Overall, the Accent would make a great little commuter for someone who wants a smallish car for around $17K with great gas mileage that still has decent power and a reasonable capacity to be loaded with stuff. But (and I never thought I'd hear myself say this) you might want to consider the automatic. I hear it's good.

2012 Hyundai Accent

What's New: Just about everything. 3-inches longer wheelbase levels it up from a subcompact to a compact, the motor is both more powerful and more efficient, and the body's gotten a complete redesign. 2012 is also the first year of the 5-door hatch.

Turn Ons: It's cheap, cute, and you can put a lot of stuff in it.

Turn Offs: Atrocious rearward visibility, not very smartly geared 6-speed.