Hyundai followed the tradition of offering the Excel in a three-door version for the last generation of the Excel in 1994.
While the carmaker used the Excel nameplate for three generations, it couldn’t use it globally. With the third generation, also considered as the second on specific markets, Hyundai dropped the wedged shapes and adopted curved body panels, following the bio-design trend. Depending on the countries, it was sold as Excel or as Accent. For instance, the Excel name was a registered trademark for Lotus, and Hyundai couldn’t use it. Hyundai aimed high at big carmakers such as Honda and Toyota, but it couldn’t match their features.

The Excel was no longer a poor man car. It offered decent standard features and a decent look, with rounded edges that matched the mid-’90s design trends. Its body-colored wrapped-around front bumper featured a lower wide grille. A set of corner-mounted, clear turn signals matched the look of other small-segment vehicles. In the three-door version, its ascending beltline and the raked-forward tailgate gave the car the image of a sporty hatchback.

Inside, the Excel dropped the older, straight lines on the dashboard and adopted curves for the instrument cluster and door panels. Hyundai still installed cranked windows on the vehicle but added powered ones on the options list. The air-conditioning unit was available at extra cost. The interior room was suitable for four average-sized adults. Strangely though, the space in the front was not ideal for taller people, not to mention the minimal rear-seat legroom.

Under the hood, Hyundai installed Mitsubishi-sourced engines of 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter. Later on, on specific markets, a 1.8-liter made its way inside the engine bay.