Hyundai is taunting the hybrid marques, saying:
Quote:
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How did [we] improve Accent’s EPA fuel economy for 2010 without adding thousands of dollars to the price like a hybrid does? The answer is the introduction of the high mileage “Blue” edition
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Taunting is fun, but they're not even close to hybrid fuel economy, so it falls a little flat.
They deserve some credit for moving into a tie with Toyota Yaris for best highway fuel economy in the class - 36 mpg (US) - but it only makes me wonder why they didn't go for first place. Seriously, duh!
(Of course, the most meaningful highway comparison would be speed vs. mpg in top gear data for all these models, rather than the EPA's fake "pretend drive to Grandma's house" that its test currently represents. Maybe one of these vehicles actually shines better than others as cruising speed rises well above the current EPA average of 48 mph in the test.)
Accent city economy - 27 mpg (US) - is lower than Yaris (29) and Fit (28).
Anyway, enough editorializing! On to the ecomods!
They applied several of the same mods to the Accent "BLUE" that they did to the
Elantra BLUE:
- lower friction engine components,
- an optimized thermostat
- lower-rolling-resistance silica tires,
- a “smart” alternator management system
- revised transmission gear ratios
- lowered ride height
- improvements to the underbody airflow management
- EcoShift indicator (manual 5-speed)
- “eco indicator” on automatic transmission
What's interesting is they're offering the Blue model as the least expensive one in the Accent lineup.
See also:
Hyundai ecomods the 2010 Elantra - MPG up by 8% city, 6% hwy
More info:
http://www.hyundainews.com/Media_Kit...ss_Release.asp