Hyundai's new diesel Accent CRDi is claimed to be Australia's most affordable diesel car - with the manual variant starting at $19,490, and the automatic an extra $2000.

The new U-II 1.6 litre VGT CRDi diesel engine achieves a combined fuel consumption of 4.4l/10km through the use of common rail direct injection (CRDi) and an intercooled variable geometry turbo. Power is delivered to the ground via a six-speed manual or four speed automatic transmission.

The Accent CRDi is avaiable in both hatch and sedan form, and in only one trim level - 'active'.

Regarding the availability of the Elite in 'premium' trims in the future, Stephen Howard, assistant manager of PR for Hyundai Australia says: "At this stage there are no plans to introduce these trims to the Accent CRDi, however we always monitor the market and our customers and if there is the demand it is something Hyundai would potentially look at."

Accent receives the same 5-star rating as its petrol siblings, and comes with a host of safety features such as vehicle stability management (VSM), electronic stability control (ESC), traction control system (TCS), four-channel, four-sensor anti-skid braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and six airbags.