I have always wondered about the Hyundai Accent and why many opted to get one. I mean, what's the catch? They look decent, but I think you would have compromised in quality and finish had you opted for an Accent over a Toyota Vios or Honda City today. I'd even understand why someone chooses an MG, since those look hot and packed with tech. Don't get me wrong though, these cars have shortcomings as well. But with Honda's performance and Toyota's reliability, what makes the Accent still stand out to this day?  

It happens to be not only the little less you would have saved with the Accent's price point.  It appeared to be more than that. And it was related to saving money for sure!

For those who don't know, the now discontinued Accent was a sedan that sported a diesel engine.  And it's one heck of a machine. The diesel engine was a 1.6-liter CRDi VGT which was mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission, or an automatic transmission. It produced just 126 ps but more importantly, 260 Nm of torque. Sounds unassuming, but this engine could deliver about 9 to 13 kilometers per liter in the city. This might seem not much, but the Vios can only hope to have 11 kilometers per liter on a good day with no slowdowns in the city. The Accent could do two kilometers more.

On the highway, the Accent showed you how much you could really save. While its competition can usually bring up to 15 or 16 kilometers per liter, the Accent could give you 20 to 23 kilometers per liter from diesel! Others even say they could do 27 to 29 using the manual transmission by coasting and keeping the revs low. But when you're in an automatic and it hit speeds above 90 kph, the Accent would start gulping more than it should. So best to keep it in its sweet spot. 

Now, the Accent also had a gas version. The 1.4-liter MPI Dual CVVT produced 99 hp and 132 Nm of torque, very similar to the power output of the 1.3-liter Vios. Its efficiency in city drives is also close to its competitors, at about 10 to 11 kilometers per liter. On the highway, however, the gasoline-fed Accent showed what a beast it was in fuel economy. Like its diesel brother, the petrol Accent could yield up to 21 kilometers per liter. 

Now I totally get the charm of Accent. If you were to make a fleet of commercial cars, this would have been a great choice. Same if it were even a daily driver. Despite compromising on bits and pieces, its stellar fuel consumption more than made up for its shortcomings.

Good luck finding a fresh pre-loved one!