The Hyundai Accent, long considered a reliable and affordable if less-than-exciting subcompact, takes a major step forward for the 2012 model year. The South Korean manufacturer sends the 2012 Hyundai Accent out with an improved engine with more power and impressive mileage, all wrapped up in a more attractive package. To top it all off, Hyundai manages to keep the Accent’s pricetag – the base trim starts at just over $13,000 -- appealing as it puts pressure on competitors such as the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit and Mazda2.

The 2012 Hyundai Accent’s major overhaul, inside and out, has drawn raves from most reviewers, who seem to go along with the promotional material for the car that states, “Easy to Own. Easy on the Eyes.” The easy on the eyes part stems from the fact that the Accent’s revamped look has it borrowing some design lines from its classy bigger siblings, the Elantra and Sonata.

The 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine in the 2012 Hyundai Accent has direct fuel injection, which is unusual for this class, and gets a power boost to 138 horsepower with 123 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers are up from 110 hp and 106 lb-ft of torque in 2011. EPA fuel estimates come in at 30 mpg city/40 highway.

The 2012 Hyundai Accent comes in a base four-door GLS sedan and two four-door hatchback trims, the GS and SE. All trims come with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard fare, and a 6-speed automatic is optional. The manual GLS is quite basic and does not come standard with power windows, air conditioning or cruise control. These features are available as options with the manual, though, and are standard with the automatic.

Moving to the upper trims adds those features and others. The sporty SE hatchback, the top trim, gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob as well as Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control. Bluetooth is an option for the automatic GLS, too. The 2012 Hyundai Accent does have its limitations. For instance, neither leather seats, a sunroof nor a navigation system are available.

Experts praise the upgraded and roomier cabin of the 2012 Hyundai Accent. They feel that while the Accent still has some of the plastic materials that would be expected in this class, the quality of materials is improved overall. They find the dashboard design clean, simple and easy to use. The hatchbacks have 21.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and that number bumps to 47.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

Some reviewers make note of the Accent’s nice driving position and the wide view in front. They also say the Accent handles well and is surprisingly fun to drive and plenty comfortable for longer-distance cruising.

The 2012 Hyundai Accent carries the company’s 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty that has been around for more than a decade, and the vehicle also falls under the company’s new trade-in value guarantee program. At the time of purchase, buyers receive an assessed value of what their car will be worth after 24 months to 48 months. If they choose to trade it in for another Hyundai after 24 to 48 months, the car will be given a current market value. The consumer will receive the higher trade-in value, minus mileage or damage adjustments.

The redesign of the 2012 Hyundai Accent also includes safety upgrades. The Accent gets standard stability control, which is mandatory by federal regulation for 2012, and antilock brakes. It also has a standard tire pressure monitoring system and comes with a full array of airbags.