Newly updated EPA ratings show the 2020 Hyundai Accent is getting an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT).

With the new transmission, Hyundai's smallest car sees big fuel-efficiency gains.

A revised 1.6-liter four-cylinder is also possible and may be the same Gamma II engine under the hood of the new Venue SUV.

The Hyundai Accent is one of our favorite cheap cars, and for good reason: It's refined, handsome, efficient, and actually quite fun to drive–especially the base model with the six-speed manual transmission. Its efficiency is looking even better moving into the 2020 model year, according to a new posting on the EPA's website.

Unlike the 2018 and 2019 models, the 2020 Accent appears to drop the six-speed automatic in favor of a new CVT. Fuel-economy gains with this transmission are obvious, with the highway rating going from 38 to 41 mpg, the combined rating moving up 4 mpg to 36, and the city rating up 5 mpg to 33.

Car and Driver

We noticed that the manual-transmission model also is in store for some fuel-efficiency gains which started us thinking: Is the Accent getting a revised engine for 2020? Hyundai is gearing up the Accent-based Venue crossover, which we know will be powered by a 1.6-liter inline-four that the company is calling Gamma II.

The Accent's current engine–also a 1.6-liter four-cylinder–makes 130 horsepower and 119 lb-ft of torque and delivers an 8.9-second zero-to-60-mph time when paired with the outgoing six-speed automatic transmission or 7.5 seconds when mated to the six-speed manual. The Venue's powerplant is said to make only 121 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque, so if it ends up under the hood of the Accent we're not expecting to see improvements in acceleration time–at least, not with the manual. Nor do we expect the CVT to post quicker acceleration times than the current engine with the six-speed slushbox.

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