There are no two ways about it; the current Hyundai Accent not a very nice car, one of its few worthwhile attributes being the low purchase price. Even then, I'd argue the case for a second-hand car from another manufacturer rather than buying an Accent. If the Accent SR concept car shown in Frankfurt is anything to go by, the new Accent (due out in 2006), should take a much-needed step forward for the Korean company.

You need to strip away a lot of the concept car jewellery from the Accent SR show car to visualise the new Accent, including the protruding wheel arches, side skirts and spoilers. The shapes of the lights are likely to be kept, but the stylistic shapes under the covers will be changed for more conventional items. The rear spoiler is a close copy of that on to the outgoing Honda Civic Type-R, and in profile neatly lines up with the upswept rear side window. If Hyundai actually makes a hot hatch version of the Accent, this may see the light of a Hyundai showroom. Likewise 18-inch alloys, though not the highly polished items on the concept car.

Inside the Accent SR, the basic architecture of the new Accent's cockpit is evident, though the concept car equivalent of the Ground Force team has been in to give it a thorough restyle. There are no water features, but all the controls and instruments are replaced by suitably futuristic items, including flat 'touchscreen' controls even for the smaller switches such as the electric windows. The air vents look the part too, either side of an 8-inch display screen for the infotainment system. Underneath is a set of three USB ports, which we are likely to see in production cars quite soon. Given the car's sporty pretensions it's a little odd to find a five-speed automatic gearbox allied to the 2-litre turbocharged engine, of which there are no details as yet. Perhaps there will be more news at next month's Tokyo Motor Show. We'll be there!

Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Sep 2005