Hyundai Accent sedan and hatch 2011 review

The sausage machine at Hyundai keeps on grinding them with the launch this week of a new Accent.

It joins the new Elantra that went on sale a few weeks ago and is the second Hyundai model to get a name instead of a number.

Confused?

I am and I can only wonder what the man in the street must make of it all . . .

To put things in perspective, models with a name like the Accent are targeted primarily at the North American market while those starting with the Applesque “i” are designed with Europe in mind.

Lucky Oz gets to pick and chose which models it takes.

In terms of size, the new Accent slots between the i20 and i30 models, but is available as both a sedan and hatch, powered by the same 1.6-litre four cylinder petrol engine.

The hatch looks suspiciously like the i30 and doesn't appear to be that much smaller, but difference is likely to become greater with a new, larger i30 due early next year.

Available in three grades; Active, Elite and Premium, the lineup is likely to change with the arrival later in the year of a 1.6-litre diesel and more powerful 1.6-litre GDI direct injection petrol engine.

The latter is likely to power a sportier SR version of the car with an a body kit and the works. Disappointingly, at this stage, the choice is either five-speed manual or a pedestrian four speed auto (albeit a sequential).

But this too could change with the introduction of a six-speed auto, probably at the same time the GDI gets here.

The launch of the new Accent has also precipitated some changes to the i20 range which in future will be available only with a 1.4-litre engine.

Prices for the new Accent start at $16,990 for the Active manual rising to $22,990 for the Premium auto (sedan and hatch are the same price).

We were able to sample the manual hatch and automatic sedan at the launch in and around Sydney. Accent is a surprisingly impressive offering, maybe better than the best-selling Mazda2 which is starting to show its age.

It looks smart, fit and finish is good, it's nice and quiet inside and is a snack to drive around town. For the time being at least the 1.6-litre engine is close to the most powerful in its class with 91kW of power and 156Nm of torque and fuel economy of 6.0 litres/100km.

The manual change is slick and easy to use while the four-speed auto makes a fair fist of it, with the option of changing gears manually if you're looking for a little spark.

The ride has benefited enormously from local tuning and this was particularly evident in the sedan which soaked up speed humps like they didn't exist.

Rear legroom is good, the boot is generous and a full size spare is provided.

We look forward to giving the Accent a more searching test drive later.

Standard equipment includes Bluetooth and full iPod connectivity with AUX and USB inputs, along with steering wheel mounted controls for phone and audio.