Hyundai: No segment left untapped

Hyundai Accent. Photo / Supplied

Hyundai is certainly on a roll. It finished 2011 as the fourth-largest car brand in New Zealand, with just less than 8 per cent market share.

Hyundai has the bases covered in terms of the popular mainstream model segments. There's the i20 supermini, the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan in the small-car slot, and the i45 sedan and soon-to-be-launched i40 wagon in the medium market. Not to mention its big-selling crossovers, the ix35 and Santa Fe.

For customers who yearn for a car that's slightly larger than an i20 but slightly smaller than an i30/Elantra, there's the all-new Accent hatchback and sedan line-up.

Kudos to the Korean brand for creating a segment where there previously did not appear to be one, but on the surface this latest launch doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

Hyundai New Zealand boss Tom Ruddenklau assures us it will. "Wait until the next-generation i30 arrives later in 2012. It's going to be a larger, more sophisticated car than the current model. Then the Accent will make a lot more sense."

The new Accent is 430mm longer than the i20 but, rather surprisingly, 125mm longer than the ostensibly next-size-up i30. Granted, it's still a smaller car inside, riding on a 2570mm wheelbase - 80mm less than the i30.

Accent aims to offer big-car equipment levels. Even the $31,990 base model (same price for hatch or sedan) has a full stability control system, plenty of chrome on the grille, reach-adjust steering, iPod integration and Bluetooth cellphone connectivity.

The upmarket Elite ($35,990) boasts keyless entry/start, upholstery in "leatherette", climate air-conditioning, electro-chromic rear-view mirror and reversing sensors with camera. That's a long list of standard kit for a plus-size supermini.

The driving experience is not as impressive. The 1.6-litre petrol we drove makes a worthy 91kW/156Nm, but sounds busy and is hampered by a four-speed automatic transmission - unimpressive for a new model when rivals such as the Ford Fiesta and Holden Barina boast six-speeders.

The 94kW/260Nm 1.6-litre diesel, which comes in base-specification but sells for the same price as the petrol Elite, looks a lot more promising. It's still stuck with a four-speed gearbox, but that huge lump of torque holds plenty of appeal.

A five-speed manual is available to special order on all Accents, trimming $1500 from the price.

Will Hyundai challenge for a podium spot on the sales charts this year? "It's a big step up from fourth to third," says Ruddenklau (Holden outsold Hyundai by 1327 cars last year). "But we're going to have a go."