Words & photos by: Jimmy Mak

For 2018 Hyundai has updated its sub-compact the Accent to make it more attractive than ever before.

The overall look has been updated, and now it looks like the Elantra, which is no bad thing as the Elantra is very stylish. Keeping with the times, there are even LED daytime running lamps and plenty of chrome to brighten up the front-end.

It’s quite the looker, the optional 17″ wheels adds a bit of flare to the Accent’s well-sculpted shoulder lines.

The inside of the Accent is made from high-quality looking materials although they still feel scratchy, they are at least shaped and styled in a way that flows in the cabin. The overall interior looks similar to that of the Elantra and Sonata everything is neat and tidy with most of the controls falling nicely into hands.

This being the top model has some nice goodies like this easy to use 7″ touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The unit is set up similarly to other Hyundai vehicles, and there’s no doubt it is one of the easiest infotainment screens to use with the aid of touchscreen as well as physical buttons.

Below the display sits the automatic climate control, working well to keep occupants at a set temperature no matter what it is outside.

To help keep the occupants nice and toasty our tester also has heated seats and steering wheel. At $20,000 the Accent certainly has a lot of features for the money. That being said, the top trim doesn’t give the Accent the best value for money as it’s creeping into the Elantra and Civic levels or pricing.

The rest of the cabin isn’t too bad neither. Both rows of seats are plenty comfortable for four adults.. The raised roofline aids headroom with both rows. And what’s even more surprising is the trunk space. It’s massive! At 14 cu ft, it’s bigger than the Ford Fiesta as well as the Toyota Yaris.

Driving the Accent is what you typically find in an average econobox. The ride is soft with plenty of roll, it’s undoubtedly not build to be pushed but the overall weight of the car at only at 2480lbs making this little run-a-bout relativity of fun to drive. Under the hood sits a 1.6 L engine making 138 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. It’s no race car but it will get the job done.

Pleasantly the cabin remains hushed during commutes, keep the revs below 3000rpm, and the engine is barely audible. Sitting in traffic, some may even think it’s a hybrid. Fuel consumptions wise the Accent pulls some decent numbers, at 8.8L/100km in the city and 6.3 on the highway it’s plenty frugal. Best yet these numbers are achievable thanks to the 6-speed automatic that tends to keep engine revs nice and low.

Hyundai has really surprised us with the new Accent. It delivers near compact level of space, with mid-size features at a subcompact price.

Thank you to Hyundai Canada for providing the vehicle.