Get # Hatchback Heroes: Hyundai Elantra GT vs. Accent Hatchback Showdown

If you're looking for the most reliable, comfortable, affordable, and solid hatchback you can get used, the Hyundai Elantra GT and the Hyundai Accent Hatchback stand out. When you look at the Hyundai line-up, these are the hatchbacks that bring practicality and value, packing as much cargo area as they possibly can, while keeping the cars small and affordable. The Accent Hatchback is the smallest, but Hyundai hatchbacks are clustered close together in price, and they offer enough variety that you might find yourself picking one over the other. This guide takes you through the cosmos of Hyundai hatchbacks, shining a light on the differences between them so you can find the hatchlection to fit your lifestyle.

Navigating Through the Universe of the Hyundai Elantra GT

The Elantra GT won our hot-hatch survey, thus earning the crown of coolest Hyundai hatch. This model is being discontinued after the 2020 model year. But the Elantra GT leaves a legacy, thanks to its generous footprint and its role as the first Hyundai to carry the brand’s N performance overhaul. Initially, it offered a 1.8-litre engine, later, that grew to 2.0 litres. A facelift for the 2016 model year enhanced its cosmic charm, and along the way a turbocharged version introduced the second-generation Elantra GT for folks who craved a blend of athletic poise.

The Accent Hatchback: Hyundai's Compact Comet

Hyundai’s compact solution for the hatchback lover, the Accent Hatchback has its roots in 1995. Sadly for the model, when the sun set on the hatchback, it disappeared in 2017, and with it, the rest of the Accent line, which ceased production in 2022. In the twilight of its life, the Accent Hatchback was a 1.5-litre car that grew to a 1.6-litre model and was available in manual and automatic throughout its life.

The Gravitational Pull of Size and Fuel Efficiency

The Elantra GT and Accent Hatchback live in worlds of different sizes – an almost 9-inch length advantage for the Elantra GT translates into bigger boot and legroom, but burdens it with inferior fuel economy, thanks to its additional mass and engine size. Both hatchbacks deliver almost identically frugal fuel consumption, a draw for the climate-conscious intrepid.

Engine Constellations: The 1.6-liter vs. the 2.0-liter

With its 1.6-liter unit, the Accent Hatchback burns a shining light of economy and reliability while producing adequate horsepower for an entry-level driver. Shifting our attention to the Elantra GT, its 2.0-liter engine ups the ante of the performance gamut, giving you the power of a lion with four times the muscles compared with the Accent. But that does not make the performance chasm so obvious that it momentarily makes the Accent Hatchback a bore – with its entry-level pricetag – for those who want a more well-rounded and economical vehicle.

Exploring the Turbocharged Terrain of the Elantra GT

Most significantly, the base model gets somewhat low-rent turbocharged version to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill Elantra, which jumps nearly 40 per cent in horsepower over the base version, while also offering the option of a dual-clutch and conventional automatic transmissions. This move into the sportster segment is proof positive that Humza has clearly been reading many of my prior columns about Hyundai’s move into ‘fun’ cars, proving once again its mastery of flexible vehicle engineering.

Cosmic Considerations: Model Year and Price Nebulae

If two vehicles placed next to each other in the lot of a Hyundai showroom are separable by only a year in their model year, the temporal distance will play a large role in determining affordability. The Accent Hatchback casts a green glow as the more affordable option, especially the older version. But the Elantra GT, although it was discontinued more recently, offers a bit more news with a somewhat higher pricetag.

Both the Elantra GT and the Accent Hatchback are opportunities to become one with the sky. While they might look identical from far away, with different signatures for performance, economy, and practicality, their appeal is unique and distinct to the discerning driver.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Hyundai Performance (HP)

HP, short for horsepower, is an internationally recognised measure of automotive power. Throughout this conversation, HP has illuminated the power and performance of Hyundai’s hatchbacks, explaining the engineering that propels Hyundai models down the highway of innovation and design. Hyundai engineers for power, fuel economy and style, you can be sure that every Hyundai hatchback – from the spunky Accent to the swaggering Elantra GT – delivers a propulsive ride that’s ravishing to drive. Whether you’re travelling down the city streets or onto an interstellar highway, Hyundai’s HP gets you there in high gear with HPP and HP.