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2018 Hyundai Accent First Drive Review | Simply good at under $16 grand

We test a lot of fancy, complicated cars here at Autoblog. Most of the cars that come in are high-trim with as many options as possible. That's why it was rather refreshing when Hyundai sent us its new Accent in the most basic possible form, the Accent SE. It's the bottom of the Accent line starting at $15,880. There are no options available when building one out on Hyundai's website, and according to the window sticker, the only extra added to it was a set of carpeted floor mats. The only potential problem with such a basic car is that there's nothing to make up for a poor driving experience. Thankfully, that's not the case with the Accent. It's a strong value that offers a comfortable and even sometimes fun driving experience. It even provides just enough features to not feel like a total penalty box. Exterior, interior and features Being the SE trim level, our Accent was quite unadorned. It had steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, no fog lights, nothing extraneous. Despite that, it wasn't a bad-looking little thing, sporting slightly shrunken Elantra looks that aren't too far out of proportion. Appealing to this editor was the manual transmission, which is only available on this bare-bones trim. The interior feels about as basic and cheap as the exterior, and is easily one of the weakest points of the little car. The dash and door panels look as though they were molded as one unit from the same hard black plastic. There are only a couple of light gray trim pieces to keep it from looking too bleak, but it feels like a somewhat half-hearted attempt. The good news is that Hyundai doesn't completely penalize you for picking the base trim level. You still get the necessities such as cruise control, power windows and locks, air conditioning, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, six-way adjustable seats, and even hill start assist and rear-view camera. In the Accent's cousin, the Kia Rio, you miss out on the cruise control and power windows and locks. But in the Rio's favor is a far more stylish design that shows cheap materials don't have to be drab and dull. All the Accent's controls feel good and are intuitive, though, which is something fancier cars can't often say. Engine, transmission, ride and handling Where the Accent falls short in visual impressions, it makes up for them on the drive. Most impressive is the car's ride quality. We're at the peak of southeastern Michigan pothole season, and the Accent handled it with aplomb.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan UK battery plant, Hyundai EV/FCEV station

Hyundai has opened a joint hydrogen fueling/EV charging station in South Korea. Called a "Fusion" station, it allows customers to take advantage of both types of alternative energy Hyundai uses for its vehicles. The station in Gwangju began as a hydrogen station, and EV charging capability was added recently. While users will have in common the use of green energy to power their vehicles, it will be interesting to see if spontaneous debates erupt between drivers over the merits of the two alternative powertrains. Hyundai will now use the hydrogen fueling part of the station to study fuel usage. Read more at Inside EVs. EV charging company EverCharge is teaming up with Schneider Electric to provide charging infrastructure to multi-tenant buildings. Because of the limited electricity for buildings like apartments, condominiums and offices – as well as the fact that multiple occupants often share power – installing charging at such locations has been challenging. EverCharge's SmartPower technology senses excess or limited power supply, and uses it to charge multiple vehicles accordingly. The groups will use this technology along with Schneider Electric's EVlink Home EV Charger to provide charging services at these otherwise difficult locations. Read more at Green Car Congress, or at the EverCharge blog. Nissan will build fourth-generation lithium-ion batteries for the Leaf at its plant in Sunderland, England. The announcement comes amidst rumors of the automaker outsourcing battery production. The decision means that Nissan's $37.5 million investment will preserve 300 jobs at the plant. The factory currently manufactures second-generation, 24-kW Leaf and e-NV200 batteries, and imports the third-generation, 30-kW Leaf battery from Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. "Today's announcement reflects Nissan's intention to remain EV leaders for many years to come, with our European operations at the heart of our future innovations," says Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox. Read more at Automotive News Europe, and in the press release below.

NHTSA closes investigations into Ford Taurus, Hyundai Santa Fe

Ford and Hyundai are out from under the scrutinizing eyes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after the government agency said it was closing investigations against both automakers over vehicle safety concerns.
Ford was being investigated for reported damaged speed control cables on Ford Taurus (shown above) and Mercury Sable models, both built between 2000 and 2003. Vehicles with the company's Duratec engines allegedly failed to allow owners to brake as expected. Owners lodged 100 complaints and were involved in five accidents, according to NHTSA records. The American automaker responded to the reports, and on June 21 of this year, said that it would inspect and repair all affected vehicles, regardless of the mileage.
Hyundai was under investigation for a reported loose fastener on the steering shaft of its 2011 Santa Fe (shown in the gallery below). After NHTSA launched its inquiry, the Korean automaker responded with its own investigation that yielded four affected vehicles. Following the inspection of 680 vehicles at its assembly plant, Hyundai said the issue was due to employee error and that no further defects have been found.