First Look

2020 Hyundai Accent First Look By Auto Critic Steve Hammes. At $16,125 including destination the Hyundai Accent is one of the most affordable new sedans on the market and for the 2020 model year it’s also much more fuel efficient. 

When equipped with the optional continuously variable transmission, MPGs in combined driving jump from 32 to 36 over the previous car’s 6-speed automatic.  Smartstream is the name Hyundai has given to this new powertrain, which still uses a 1.6-liter 4-cylidner engine but one that curiously reverts back to port injection from direct injection to produce a little less power but also saving the typical owner $150 per year at the pump. 

Paired to Hyundai’s in-house developed CVT they call an Intelligent Variable Transmission or to the standard 6-speed manual available only on the base model, output is rated at 120 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. 

I’ve driven other models with the company’s IVT and it’s extremely well done with more of a traditional automatic feel. 

Duking it out with the likes of the all-new 2020 Nissan Versa and the Mitsubishi Mirage G4, the Accent includes a standard Rearview camera and a 5” color touchscreen while higher trims like the Accent SEL and Limited can be optioned with goodies like heated seats, push button start, auto climate control, a bigger display audio system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay and the segment’s first Hands-Free Smart Trunk Release. 

And on the safety front, the Limited trim, which is priced at just over $20,000, even comes with Forward Collision-avoidance Assist.

When the Defender’s 67-year production run ended in 2016, it had already been nearly 2 decades since one could be found in a U.S. Land Rover dealership. The 1997 Defender 90 with its 4.0-liter V8, 4-speed auto and 13mpg was a British-born Jeep rival. But since, Land Rover’s SUV lineup has trended more towards afternoon tea and less to morning fox hunts. The Defender’s much anticipated return is about ready to recapture some of the original’s raw ruggedness with modern day accoutrements. Going on sale next Spring, the 2020 Defender 110 will sticker from near $50,000 slotting it pricewise above the entry-level Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.
https://testdrivenow.com/2020-land-rover-defender/

Foreshadowing the future of MINI, the brand’s first fully-electric car is almost ready to hit dealerships. The 2020 Cooper SE is a MINI 2-door hardtop at its core with its drive technology from parent company BMW. Under the hood is an electric motor fed by a high-voltage lithium-ion battery positioned in the vehicle floor.

When the redesigned 2020 Ford Super Duty launches later this year it’ll be ready to quake with a new off-road package. Ford says they’ve designed this truck for the Super Duty customer who uses their truck for more than just work.  More ground clearance, bigger shocks, and bigger tires add more off-road capability for the outdoorsman. Pricing and specs will be announced closer to launch.

Widebody fever is spreading at Dodge and will soon infect 2 new Charger models; Scat Pack and SRT Hellcat. Closely following the formula already established by its 2-door counterpart, the Challenger, the new 2020 Charger Widebody models fatten up their tires, broaden their fender flares, clamp down on bigger brakes and ride atop a specially tuned adaptive damping suspension to deliver a car that’s faster and handles better than ever before.