It wasn’t that long ago, when in any given year, I would get three, maybe five compact cars to test drive in a year.

The demand was for large hulking SUVs and the car companies obliged by jamming the press fleets with Durangos, Escalades and Yukons.

Times have changed and compact cars and their wallet-friendly, gas-sipping tendencies are back in the in-crowd.

Hyundai was planning ahead and debuts the all-new Accent at a time when buyers are looking for the next “little” thing.

The 2012 Accent has a more powerful engine, a new four-door hatchback style and an upgraded interior.

In the compact car segment, Hyundai has given the Accent the upperhand as far as ponies under the hood.

With 138 horsepower stemming from a DOHC 16-valve gasoline direct injected engine, the Accent has more power than last year’s power king, the Fiesta.

Boasting an mpg rate of 40 mpg on the highway, the 2011 Accent bests the Civic’s 36 mpg, and the Corrolla’s 35 mpg.

While the interior accents, textiles and design are pretty utilitarian, the Accent hatchback offers about 21.2 cubic inches. That’s almost 6 inches more than you can get in a Fiesta.

Alas, prices for the Accent went up too. You can’t get an Accent for under $10,000 anymore. But it’s still pretty reasonable.

The base Accent GLS starts out at $12,445. The mid-grade GS with automatic transmission comes in at $15,795 and the SE trim with auto transmission is $16,795.

So far, the 2012 Hyundai Accent is the car to beat in the compact car segment. And it’s pretty far in the lead.