Three years ago, the entry-level class was dominated by personality-free penalty boxes like the Versa, the Toyota Yaris and the Chevrolet Aveo. This new Accent, however, arrives in a market crammed with excellent recent arrivals like the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Honda Fit and the shockingly well-rounded Chevrolet Sonic, not to mention the Accent’s close cousin, the Kia Rio. As good as the Accent is, there are direct alternatives worth considering alongside it.

But this Hyundai is also enjoyable and versatile enough that some shoppers might consider moving down-market to the Accent from larger, significantly more expensive cars like the indifferent Honda Civic, the decrepit Toyota Corolla and the stale Nissan Sentra. At this point, no car does ordinary better than the Accent.