2012 Hyundai Accent Preview

The Accent is Hyundai's budget-minded subcompact car and it has been completely redesigned for 2012 in an effort to provide a more luxurious appearance and quality to supply the lowest priced offer. The new 2012 Hyundai Accent comes with the full line of Hyundai's standard equipment, including standard disc brakes on all four wheels - a class exclusive.

Body style: Four-door sedan, five-door hatchback

Engines: 1.6L I-4

Transmission: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic

Models: GLS, GS, SE

The Accent is all new for 2012 and win Hyundai's 'fluidic sculpture' design language. The four-door sedan body style remains, but the three-door hatchback has been replaced by a five-door hatchback. The wheelbase has increased 2.8 inches more interior space. The Accent gets Hyundai's new "GAMMA" 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine with 138 horsepower on tap. Last year, five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions are replaced with new six-speed manual or automatic available in flavors. A number of passive and active safety features are standard for the Hyundai Accent, including four disc brakes.

The Accent finally gets Hyundai's' fluid sculpture "design theme, making the system can get family resemblance to its larger Elantra and Sonata siblings. Overall Accent hatch is a smart, contemporary look that should appeal to a broad spectrum of the budget-minded car buying public. The Accent sedan also has a fresh look, but it's not as fat as the slightly larger and more expensive Elantra. The 2012 Accent rides on a 2.8-inch longer wheelbase and is now 3, 5 inches overall compared to the 2011 model.

Like the exterior styling updates, the accent was on the inside. The dashboard of the monochromatic "tech" design with the better-than-average class of plastic trim give the interior a more luxurious look than the price indicates. The premium cloth seats are nicely supportive. Air conditioning is standard on the GS and SE trim levels, but optional on GLS. Rear leg room feels bigger than its competitors. The sedan has a trunk with 13.7 cubic feet trunk. The folding rear seats increase the Accent hatchback cargo capacity of 21.2 cubic meters to 47.5.

Accent the class-leading 138 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque helps speed up the highway without much drama. The Motor Trend test team obtained a 9.2-second sprint to 60 mph the Accent SE hatch. Ride quality is on the firm side, but the treatment has helped balance the standard stability control. The 2012 Accent electrical control has a minimum of effort, but the feeling is more consistent compared to the model it replaces. When it came time to stop the four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with four hubcaps and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), the subcompact comes to a halt with aplomb.

Hyundai offers a long list of standard safety features, including: six airbags (front impact, front seat-mounted side impact and curtain side-effect), front-seat active head restraints, Hyundai's Collision Load Dispersion Mechanism, back bar, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) , Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Management and Motor Drive Power Steering (MDPS). Focus of the anti-lock brakes (ABS) also feature Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) and pulled the Accent SE we tested from 60 mph to 128 meters.

GLS: 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (manual), 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (automatic)

HS: 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (manual), 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (automatic)

SE: mpg city/40 mpg highway (manual), 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway (automatic)