2020 Hyundai Accent gets revamped core and an insignificant price hike

In the times of declining sedan market, owing to the popularity of other designs, Hyundai is reluctant in leaving the Accent nameplate. The company is introducing a chunk of updates for the 2020 model year for this coaster. Not merely fancies but the 2020 Accent brings a completely revamped powertrain, which in turn, translates into improved fuel economy.

The first and foremost attention is deserved by Hyundai's 1.6-liter Smartstream four-cylinder mill, which gets continuously variable valve timing, a high engine ignition coil, a narrow water-jacket core, a new thermal management module, and dual-port injection. The new layout delivers a maximum power of 89 kW and pushes a peak torque of 113 lb-ft. The engine is further mated to Hyundai’s Smartstream Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), which follows a different working mechanism than the standard CVT. Ditching the widely used push belt, the company opted for a chain belt system. The new transmission module takes the place of the six-speed automatic gearbox while the six-speed manual transmission remains standard.

What do all these deliver? Most importantly, an improved mileage. The manual transmission system returns 29 mpg of city mileage, 39 mpg on highways, and 33 mpg combined. All these scales to 2 mpg increment over the last model year. On the other hand, the 2020 Accent with CVT delivers a fuel economy of 33 mpg, 41 mpg, and 36 mpg for city, highway, and combined, respectively. 

As far as pricing is concerned, the entry-level SE variant with the manual transmission starts at $16,125, while opting for the IVT will cost $1,200 more. Whereas, the top-end Limited trim with IVT gets a starting price tag of $20,230.