Like the performance and the exterior design, the inside, too, reminds me of a more substantial vehicle. All the fabrics, buttons and plastic panels are of good quality. The textured dashboard and design look futuristic and sleek.

Hyundai had a new Ford Fiesta on hand during my test of the Accent, and I compared its high-quality interior with that of the Accent. I'd say the two are nearly on par, with Ford having a few more instances of chintzy materials, especially the flimsy plastic door handles, while the Accent has substantial chromed handles.

The front seats are also quite comfortable with good support. I drove for an hour and sat as the front passenger for about an hour and felt no twinges of discomfort. The rear is also rather large, ferrying adults in relative comfort with 33.3 inches of legroom and 47.2 inches of hip room. Both numbers are behind the spacious Fit at 34.5 and 51.3 inches, respectively, but are favorable to the Ford Fiesta's 31.2 and 49.2 inches, respectively.

At 13.7 cubic feet, the sedan's trunk is good, identically sized to the Yaris sedan and ahead of the Fiesta's 12.8 cubic feet. The hatchback's cargo area leads the class at 21.2 cubic feet, significantly bigger than the four-door versions of the Fiesta (15.4) and Yaris (9.8). The Fit is closest at 20.6 cubic feet, but when you fold the rear seats flat, the Fit wins with its 57.3 cubic feet versus the Accent's 47.5 cubic feet.