The fifth-gen Hyundai Accent (Hyundai Verna) had its
ASEAN debut in Malaysia, but the first market in the region to have received it
is the Philippines.
The all-new Hyundai Accent comes poorly equipped in
the Philippines. Projector headlamps, alloy wheels, shark fin antenna,
automatic climate control, steering-mounted audio controls, wireless charging,
electric sunroof and many other features available in India aren’t a part of
even the optional equipment in this export market.
In place of a touchscreen infotainment system,
there’s a single-DIN audio system with a 3.8-inch LCD display. It doesn’t even
offer Bluetooth connectivity. There’s no convenience of steering-mounted audio
controls either.
On the safety front, the Philippine-spec all-new
Hyundai Accent features dual-front airbags, but not as standard. Side &
curtain airbags, reverse parking sensors, rear camera, fog lamps, seatbelt
reminder and many more safety features available in the Indian-spec version are
unavailable.
The engine options include the entry-level 100 PS
Kappa 1.4-litre MPI petrol unit and the top-of-the-line 128 PS U-II 1.6-litre
CRDi VGT diesel unit. The naturally aspirated petrol engine and the
turbocharged diesel engine both are coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission or
6-speed automatic transmission. The diesel engine is a downgrade from the
previous generation model for the Philippine customers, as the old car was
available with the 136 PS U-II 1.6-litre CRDi VGT unit.
After ASEAN, the India-made fifth-gen Hyundai Accent
could hit the Oceania region next, sometime in 2019.
