If you head on over to Hyundai’s website in the United States, the Accent is the cheapest car the South Koreans sell in this part of the world. Pricing starts at $13,995 for the 2019 model year for 130 horsepower and up to 38 miles to the gallon on the highway, but things are a bit different for 2020.
Hyundai just announced the Accent SE will, therefore, start at $15,195 excluding the $930 freight charge, but on the upside, the EPA-estimated combined fuel economy improves by 4 miles to the gallon. The secret to this upgrade is the Smartstream 1.6 GDi, a gasoline engine with direct injection out of the box.
A six-speed manual remains standard, featuring a fuel economy of 33 mpg on the combined cycle. Upgrade to the Smartstream IVT, and you’re looking at 36 miles to the gallon as opposed to 32. In addition to the SE, the SEL and Limited kick off at $17,550 and $19,300, respectively.
Upgrading from a stick shift to the IVT transmission translates to $1,100, a small price to pay for the additional comfort of an automatic. IVT stands for Intelligent Variable Transmission, and as the name suggests, it’s a CVT whose chain improves fuel efficiency by 1.2 percent when compared to a conventional belt system in a conventional CVT.
The Shift Control Strategy software has also been set up for fuel economy, but Hyundai further makes a case for shift response by replicating automatic transmission step shifts. The IVT is capable of simulating six forward gears, something that Subaru and Nissan have been doing for years in the Lineartronic and Xtronic continuously variable transmissions.
On the safety front, the Accent happens to be quite generous as standard thanks to six airbags and a rearview camera with dynamic guidelines. Only the Limited trim level gets forward collision-avoidance assist, which is a bit of a disappointment considering how useful this technology is.
A 5.0-inch color touchscreen also comes standard, but customers who upgrade to the 7.0-inch infotainment system are better off thanks to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.
A six-speed manual remains standard, featuring a fuel economy of 33 mpg on the combined cycle. Upgrade to the Smartstream IVT, and you’re looking at 36 miles to the gallon as opposed to 32. In addition to the SE, the SEL and Limited kick off at $17,550 and $19,300, respectively.
Upgrading from a stick shift to the IVT transmission translates to $1,100, a small price to pay for the additional comfort of an automatic. IVT stands for Intelligent Variable Transmission, and as the name suggests, it’s a CVT whose chain improves fuel efficiency by 1.2 percent when compared to a conventional belt system in a conventional CVT.
The Shift Control Strategy software has also been set up for fuel economy, but Hyundai further makes a case for shift response by replicating automatic transmission step shifts. The IVT is capable of simulating six forward gears, something that Subaru and Nissan have been doing for years in the Lineartronic and Xtronic continuously variable transmissions.
On the safety front, the Accent happens to be quite generous as standard thanks to six airbags and a rearview camera with dynamic guidelines. Only the Limited trim level gets forward collision-avoidance assist, which is a bit of a disappointment considering how useful this technology is.
A 5.0-inch color touchscreen also comes standard, but customers who upgrade to the 7.0-inch infotainment system are better off thanks to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.