Does Hyundai Accent Have AWD OR FWD? (Must Read)
It is essential as a car owner or an intending car owner to know the drive train of the vehicle you own or intend to get.
At the very least, this will help you avoid paying for what you do not need.
So now, let’s talk about your Hyundai Accent subcompact sedan vehicle and the wheel drive it operates on.
The Hyundai Accent is strictly an FWD vehicle. Therefore, the power from the engine goes only to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CTV) automatic, which propels the car to move. On the other hand, AWD is usually found in trucks and SUVs and not in sedan cars, and the Hyundai Accent is not an exception.
What Wheel Drive is a Hyundai Accent?
The Hyundai Accent is an FWD Subcompact Sedan.
Under the hood of the Accent lies a 1.6L four-cylinder engine with about 120 horsepower, which has a six-speed Continuous Variable automatic Transmission (CVT) that powers the front wheel of the vehicle and produces all the bare necessities.
The two front wheels power the Accent through an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT).
This IVT Is the Hyundai version of the Continuous Variable automatic Transmission (CTV), which enables the car’s movement.
The Hyundai Accent does not have an available AWD option like other similar vehicles.
This feature distinguishes the Hyundai Accent from other entry-level sedan vehicles because it is strictly an FWD.
The car is also known as the smallest and most affordable car from Hyundai. The Accent is a very comfortable and complaint car to drive on.
The car has a petite body that can swerve in any direction. The steering is so precise and light that you can maneuver with ease.
However, despite its size, the Hyundai Accent can travel long distances, provided you do not overload it with people or luggage. Remember, it has a carrying capacity of a maximum of 5 people.
And for it to perform efficiently, you must not exceed this number.
Although the Hyundai Accent is not very fast, it can keep up with other vehicles on the highway.
Drivers suggested that the Accent can reach 60 mph in 9.6 seconds from independent testing.
Difference Between AWD and FWD
The AWD stands for All-Wheel Drive and is a drivetrain where all the wheels of your car are actively engaged simultaneously to run your vehicle effectively under any condition.
The FWD, on the other hand, means Front Wheel Drive. This drivetrain engages only the front wheel of your car.
Therefore, vehicles with FWD run only on two powered front wheels and only deliver power to other wheels when needed.
The major difference between the two is the set and amount of wheels that receive power from the engine to run the vehicle.
While the AWD is active, functions automatically on four wheels, and requires no extra work from the driver before it performs, the FWD only runs on two wheels and requires the driver’s engagement.
The FWD became popular in the 1980s when manufacturers prioritized vehicle efficiency and fuel economy.
As a result, car enthusiasts observed that vehicles with the FWD option are less expensive, perform efficiently, and run on less fuel.
Although, some FWD vehicles provide an AWD option, where the car can run both as an FWD and as an AWD.
The cars can normally run as front-wheel drive, but you can engage the AWD mode when traction requires all the wheels.
This driving mode operates automatically in most modern cars, while some have a select driving mode system which you can choose from.
With the growing number of SUVs and hybrid and electric cars, the number of vehicles with this option has increased drastically.
However, if you do not need an All-wheel- drive system for traction and other related purposes, you should purchase a vehicle with Front-wheel drive alone and save yourself some money.
Other differences between the AWD and FWD are:
#1. Ability to Run on Off-road
The all-wheel drive does better on unpaved surfaces such as grasses. That is because the AWD is optimized to give traction on any surface.
Although the FWD also does well but only on unpaved surfaces and in mild situations as opposed to the AWD.
#2. Performance in the Rain, Ice, or Snow
The AWD performs better when driving in the rain. It is sensitive to wheel slip and engages all the wheels in areas with wet surfaces, either from oil floating, rain, snow, or even wet leaves.
As a result, the AWD adapts and performs better in wet weather than the FWD vehicle.
It is possible for the AWD because the four wheels are actively engaged, providing better traction and stability control to the vehicle.
The same reason that the AWD can handle most ice and snow conditions and any other weather conditions.
The front-wheel drive also does well in mild to moderate weather conditions. But will get stocked in severe condition.
However, with the help of winter tires, the FWD is sure to perform better because these winter tires are of soft rubbers and a special kind of thread that creates an effective grip on snow and ice and other severe conditions where the tires can not hold firmly to the ground.
Amazingly, an FWD vehicle with winter tires may outperform an AWD with regular all-season tires.
#3. Traction and Stability control
The traction and stability control are electronic systems that monitor your car’s motion at every point in time.
For example, the moment one wheel of your vehicle is sensed to slip, the system quickly transfers torque to the other wheels to maintain traction and keep the car steady.
Most modern cars with the AWD system always seem to have better traction and stability control and perform better than the FWD.
#4. Cost
One thing you need to have in mind about all-wheel-drive vehicles is that they are costly to purchase and manage, unlike the Front-wheel drive vehicles.
However, most cars that run on only the front wheels are less expensive.
This feature is an advantage to car manufacturers since they can produce fuel-efficient vehicles and are less costly.
The owners are not left out either because FWDs are usually less expensive to buy and have a better fuel economy with low insurance premiums.
And although the all-wheel-drive seems to be a welcome advancement in the automotive space, it is also very costly.
It is so expensive compared to front-wheel-drive that the price difference is about several thousand dollars.
Not to talk of the fuel cost, which is also higher, and the insurance cost of the vehicle.
It implies that shoppers will be left to choose which of the drivetrains to go for.
Before now, all-wheel vehicles were difficult to implement, making them very rare and relatively expensive.
But the moment manufacturers learned how to make a reliable all-wheel-drive system; the drive train became the choice of many.
It is worthy of note that although the AWD keeps your car going and under control, it stops just like every other drivetrain system.
This is because some drivers are so overconfident with the AWD and often skid when they use the break.
Summary
The subcompact sedan vehicle – the Hyundai Accent, has a Front-wheel drivetrain (FWD).
It strictly runs on the front-wheel-drive; that is, the two front wheels are actively engaged and powered by the engine to move the car.
