2007 Hyundai Accent

Editor: John Rettie
Sporty new coupes join subcompact line of sedans.

Walk Around

This latest Hyundai Accent looks more elegant than the previous-generation model did. It starts at the front with integrated 5-mph bumpers and large aerodynamic headlight enclosures that wrap around the front fenders. It has a high roofline defined on either side by black rubber rain gutters, while the windshield blends into the front of the roof without any visible trim. A bold character line originates just behind the front wheel opening and slashes boldly across the doors, fading again just short of the taillights.

The back of the sedan roof sweeps toward the trailing edge of the trunk lid, giving it almost a coupe-like appearance. Unlike many modern cars, Accent has a generous greenhouse with big windows; blacked-out trim both defines and unifies the side-window opening. This, coupled with a long wheelbase with relatively short overhangs, makes the sedan appear a tad bigger than it actually is.

Overall, the Accent has a pretty, if somewhat ordinary look to it that should not offend anyone. As part of Hyundai's plan, the Accent sedan is more buttoned-down conservative than the bolder Kia Rio, with which it shares its basic construction. We see a hint of Volvo in its nose and maybe a dash of Honda in its rear three-quarter view.

The Accent coupe has a look all its own, though it shares its front fenders and defining character line with the sedan. The differences begin with the bolder two-slot air opening that replaces the sedan's fine-lined horizontal grille and ends with a rounded tail that takes the tentative reverse curve at the base of the sedan's roof, boldly widens it, and fuses it with the horizontally curving quarter panel. The two-door Accent is unashamedly a hatchback, and makes no pretense to a separate trunk lid.

Not surprisingly, then, the coupe is as tall and wide as the sedan, and shares the sedan's 98.4-inch wheelbase, but at 159.3 inches overall it has shed a significant 9.2 inches of rear overhang. The result is one of the cutest little rears we've seen anywhere lately, and a short, sassy profile that looks like it should cost more than it does.

On both coupe and sedan, a roof-mounted micro-antenna is aerodynamic, flexible, and said to improve signal strength.

Interior

Perhaps more than anything it's the interior of the Hyundai Accent that has been improved over the pre-2006 models. For starters, there's a much better view out. The hip point in the driver's seat is two inches higher than in older Accents, giving the driver a better view of the road. The Accent cabin has a conservative two-tone interior color scheme reminiscent of larger cars, and it's trimmed out quite nicely, helping it avoid the feeling of an econobox.

The dashboard wraps around to the door panels and the center stack is nicely integrated, with large, well positioned climate control knobs. The big speedometer and tachometer are located in a nicely contoured instrument pod in front of the steering wheel. Smaller fuel and coolant temperature gauges are set inside, along with a small LCD readout for the odometer and trip meter as well as an indicator of the selected gear.

The seats are contoured and finished in a classy cloth material that feels high quality. The driver's seat is eight-way adjustable on all models.

We noticed several nice touches that kept our sedan from feeling like a cheap econobox. Among them: dampened grab handles, a thick roof lining, center folding front and rear armrests, a tilt steering wheel, a micro roof-mounted antenna, driver and passenger side-illuminated vanity mirrors, cabin air filtration, remote trunk and fuel cap releases, and a windshield shade band. There are decent size pockets with a cup holder in each door. In addition there are other storage places and a big glovebox.

The rear seat splits 60/40 for additional storage capacity. For better rearward visibility, the three rear-seat headrests slide down shingle-style into the seatback when not needed. A fold out center armrest with two cupholders is provided for rear-seat passengers.

Rear-seat leg room and headroom is not too bad unless the car is full of six-footers. Getting into the back seats is made easier by locating the rear wheels farther back, so the wheelwell does not intrude into the sedan's door opening as much.

Compared to the sedan, the coupe surrenders less than a half inch of hip room up front, and less than an inch in the rear; otherwise its passenger-comfort dimensions are identical to those of the sedan. Both models qualify as compact cars by government interior-volume standards, while the competing Toyota Yaris and Scion xA are classified as subcompacts.

Trunk volume in the sedan is a very respectable 12.4 cubic feet. Despite its shorter length, the hatchback coupe expands this to 15.9 cubic feet with the rear seats in place. Folding the back seats flat in either car greatly increases the total cargo volume and makes room for long and bulky items.