Video: 2018 Hyundai Accent Puts Some English on It for Budget Shoppers

CARS.COM — Subcompact sedans are a humble-but-affordable class, and the Hyundai Accent is one of its familiar faces. It’s been around for four generations and nearly a quarter of a century.

Related: 2018 Hyundai Accent: More Features, Higher Price

The redesigned Accent wears its scaled-down-Elantra styling well. Even SE models have painted mirrors and door handles, avoiding the budget-car giveaway of black moldings.

The multimedia system is generous, at least. SE models get a 5-inch touchscreen, while SEL and Limited trims have a 7-inch unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Those are nice provisions for this class, especially because all versions have proper shortcut buttons plus volume and tuning knobs. All systems have Bluetooth phone and audio streaming plus the soon-mandatory backup camera with dynamic guidelines.

The 2018 Accent will start at $15,880 including destination. It offers more standard features than the outgoing model for an increase of about $250. The base price is for the entry-level SE model. Available only as a sedan, the Accent comes in SE, SEL and Limited trim levels, all with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the SE; the SEL and Limited use a six-speed automatic. Automatic SE versions start at $16,880, SEL models start at $18,180 and the Limited at $19,780.

We recently had the chance to take a spin in the Accent’s fifth-generation redesign. Does it raise the bar? Watch the video above to find out.

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