Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2022 Hyundai Accent

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Impreza are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Accent doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Accent doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Impreza Limited has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Accent doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Accent doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Impreza Auto’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Accent doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Impreza (except Base)’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Accent doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Impreza Auto’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Accent doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Impreza and the Accent have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Hyundai Accent:

	Impreza	Accent
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	198	290
Neck Stress	247 lbs.	250 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	117	340
Neck Injury Risk	34%	56%
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	93 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Hyundai Accent:

	Impreza	Accent
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	165	194
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.3 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	363	527
Spine Acceleration	79 G’s	84 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	201	214
Hip Force	824 lbs.	880 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Impreza, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.8% less likely to roll over than the Accent, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Impreza the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Accent last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Impreza has a standard 130-amp alternator. The Accent’s 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 6 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (152 vs. 120) and 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 113) than the Accent’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Accent doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Impreza has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Accent (13.2 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Accent (3). This means the Impreza produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Accent every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Accent:

	Impreza Sport	Accent
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.8 inches	8” drums
Opt Rear Rotors		10.3 inches

The Subaru Impreza has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Accent. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Accent:

	Impreza	Accent
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	128 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Accent (205/55R16 vs. 185/65R15). The Impreza Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Accent (225/40R18 vs. 205/45R17).

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Accent’s standard 65 series tires. The Impreza Sport’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Accent Limited’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impreza has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Accent. The Impreza Sport’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Accent Limited.

The Subaru Impreza’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Hyundai Accent only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Hyundai Accent has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited flat and controlled during cornering. The Accent’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Accent (105.1 inches vs. 101.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Impreza is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Accent.

The Impreza 2.0i Premium Sedan handles at .82 G’s, while the Accent Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The front grille of the Impreza Sport/Limited uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Accent doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza Sedan a Mid-size car, while the Accent is rated a Compact.

The Impreza Sedan has 9.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Accent (99.8 vs. 90.2).

The Impreza Sedan has .9 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, 3.4 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear legroom, 4.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Accent.

The front step up height for the Impreza Sedan is 2.3 inches lower than the Accent (12.7” vs. 15”). The Impreza Sedan’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the Accent’s (14” vs. 15”).

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Accent (20.8 vs. 13.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Accent’s liftover is 27.8 inches.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impreza’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The Accent’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Impreza. The Accent doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Accent. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Impreza’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Accent’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Impreza’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Impreza Base). The Accent doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Impreza Limited detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Accent doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Impreza Premium offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Accent doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Impreza Limited also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Accent doesn’t offer the luxury of automatic dimming mirrors.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Impreza Auto has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Accent doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Impreza Limited’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Accent’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

Model Availability

The Subaru Impreza comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Hyundai Accent isn’t available as a station wagon.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Impreza owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Impreza will cost $70 to $1210 less than the Accent over a five-year period.

The Impreza will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Impreza will retain 53.58% to 57.04% of its original price after five years, while the Accent only retains 41.51% to 42.22%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impreza is less expensive to operate than the Accent because typical repairs cost less on the Impreza than the Accent, including $119 less for fuel injection.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the Hyundai Accent, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Hyundai Accent by 73% during 2022.