First Drive Review
According to Hyundai's vice-president of product development and strategic planning, John Krafcik, the Accent is purchased mainly by young entry-level buyers and frugal retirees looking for a good deal on the price. That's easy to understand. And now that Hyundai is recognized as an up-and-coming automaker with steadily improving styling and quality, the deal is looking even rosier.
This third-generation Accent rides on a wheelbase 2.3 inches longer than the previous model's (at 98.4 inches) and is 1.8 inches longer, 3.0 inches taller, and an inch wider. Hyundai says the new body structure is also 39 percent stiffer.
Despite the Korean automaker's claim of best-in-class interior space, by our calculations, the Accent's 52 and 40 cubic feet front and rear are about the same as a Honda Civic's. There are no complaints about space from this elongated editor; or about the interior, which is an attractive two-tone design with legible instrumentation and a simple control layout.
The Accent now boasts six airbags as standard equipment—dual-front and seat-mounted-side airbags, plus roof-mounted curtain airbags that extend into the rear passenger compartment. Anti-lock brakes and electronic brake-force distribution are also standard on all models.
The strut-front and beam-axle-rear suspensions were tuned for a refined ride, says Hyundai, and we were surprised by the veracity of that claim.
The new Accent is remarkably quiet in motion, so much so that the flagship Azera we drove on the same day seemed not that dissimilar.
A 110-hp inline-four engine puts power through either a five-speed stick or four-speed automatic, and this supplies adequate performance if slightly tedious CVT-like sounds in the automatic. They're not loud enough to drown out the standard six-speaker, 172-watt stereo, though, and for 12 grand, we can easily live with that. We suspect these frugal buyers will find the Accent easy to live with, too, particularly with gas at three bucks a gallon.
