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Codenamed ‘RB’, the all-new Accent was five years in themaking, and tallied up a US$180 million research-anddevelopmentbill from conception through to production.The new car still sits in the midst of Hyundai’s ‘fluidicsculpture design philosophy’, where the design andmoulding of the car, inspired by nature, interconnectsmoothly without abrupt ends and sharp angles. Thedesign team, however, managed to retain crease lines,and bolstered these with a sleek roofline, giving the car itsmuch-needed coupé appeal.It’s got a long list of great features, and the evolutionfrom the original car has resulted in a longer platformthat now offers ‘medium-sized car legroom’ and a reartrunk that can easily accommodate four golf bags andthree small suitcases. I peered into the cavernous luggagecompartment and jokingly commented to OTE’s HarshitMehta that he’d have no problem getting his mother-in-lawand all of her luggage to Seeb airport in the all-new Accent,only to have him derisively agree!The ride and handling is stable thanks to McPherson Struts up front and aCoupled Torsion Beam Axle at the back; the Accent can absorb varying roadsurfaces easily and has nicely weighted steering, too. At this price point the cargenuinely shames the rest of the competition when it comes to features and Iparticularly like the sturdy feel of the roof lining, interior trim and sun visors.Hyundai’s focus on comfort, convenience and safety manifests itself in the formof 6 airbags, USB/iPod/MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth and an electro-chromicrear-view mirror. The latter is a thing of beauty - and gives the Accent its‘Minority Report’ moment! The car is a large piece in ‘the Hyundai sales puzzle’,a puzzle that, when put together, equates to over 3.5 million cars being soldworldwide.So the new Accent lives up to its promise of quenching thethirst of young, price-conscious families with a modernlifestyle; you get a lot of ‘bang for your buck’, or ‘revs foryour rial’ as I like to say. But bare in mind it is madeto sit at a particular price point; a particularlyaffordable one at that. In my test car the124hp 1.6-litre 4-cylinder enginebeneath the bonnet is mated to a4-speed automatic transmissionand is frugal, yet offerssufficient power.32