Hyundai Accent 1000km Road Test

The current Australia's Best Cars titleholder in the Small Car class, Hyundai's Accent three-door hatch is great buying when the right deal rolls around.

Value for money

Pricing

The Accent base model three-door hatch is priced at $14,990, plus $1000 for air. Four- and five-door Accent GLs are also available at $16,990 (plus $1000 for air) while the top of the range four- and five-door GLS variants are $18,990. A three-door GS, with several sports accessories, is $18,590. A four-speed auto is a $1,863 option on all models, while metallic paint is an extra $165. Hyundai regularly offers the base model Accent at $14,990 drive away, which means you pay no extra for dealer delivery, registration or stamp duty - around $2,000 worth. Add $1,000 for air and you're on the road for $15,990, a bargain.

Warranty

Hyundai has the longest warranty on the market: five years/130,000 km.

Standard features

The base Accent includes power steering, four-speaker radio cassette (but no CD player), an engine immobiliser, driver's airbag, front seat belt pretensioners/load limiters and a height-adjustable wheel. GLS variants also include air, power windows, aerial and mirrors, central locking, tacho and full cloth seats with height and lumbar adjustment for the driver. The GS features alloy wheels, a body kit and CD player.

Retained value

Based on its predecessor, the Excel, an Accent is worth 50 per cent of its new price after three years according to Glass's Guide. This is average for the class. Trading in or selling after three years, you would still have two years/85,000 km of warranty coverage remaining (on the assumption that the car has covered 15,000 km per year), which would be a strong selling point, particularly in the private market.

Design and Function

Ergonomics

The base model has no driver's seat height adjuster, but the driving position is suitable for most physiques, with good vision around the car. The dash layout is simple and stylish, with all switches and controls easy to locate and use. Variable-intermittent-wipers are standard.

Innovation

The Accent breaks no new ground technically, but it is up with current standards. It leads the entire Australian market in warranty coverage. Hyundai's drive-away deals were also an industry first.

Safety

Accent performs well in ANCAP crash tests, with a three star rating. A passenger's airbag is optional, at $750, but ABS brakes are not available. Toyota's Echo achieved the best ANCAP score in this class: four stars.

Security

Accent rates above-average for the class. It has a transponder type rolling code engine immobiliser.

Comfort

The driver's seat is quite flat, and lacks substantial side bolstering, but it is well padded and comfortable on a long drive. The back seat is tolerable for adults on a short trip. In the three-door hatch, the rear-side windows do not open, so airconditioning is almost a necessity.

Space and Practicality

Tall drivers will find plenty of head and legroom. The rear seat is accessed via a single lever, which returns the front seat to its set position. Like most small car back-seats, the Accent's is a bit tight for legroom if the front seat occupants are tall, but it is reasonably roomy against most competitors. Accent has one of the largest load areas in this market. Practical touches, not often found at this price, include two shopping bag hooks in the boot, three child restraint anchor clips (under the tailgate, so load carrying is restricted with restraints installed) and a 60/40 split-fold rear seat to extend the boot. Rubber inserts in the storage bins stop small items like change rattling around.

Build and finish quality

The real surprises on a first Accent drive are how solid and durable the car feels. Inside, the Accent is much improved in quality and ambience over the Excel.

On the Road

Fuel Efficiency

The test Accent used 6.0 litres/100 km out of town (Excel 6.8), while suburban consumption was 8.0 litres/100 km. This is a good result considering the engine's performance, but Toyota's 1.3 litre Echo is the fuel miser in this market.

Performance

On the road the 1.5 is the pick of the field in the $15,000 price bracket. It pulls more strongly over a wider rev range than its rivals, and easily takes the acceleration honours. It pulls the higher gears easily (though fourth is occasionally necessary on open road hills), with excellent responsiveness from 80 km/h in fifth.

Ride

Ride comfort is very good for a small car. The suspension soaks up road shock without thumping the body, and though firm it remains compliant on smooth and rough surfaces alike.

Handling and steering

On the road the Accent feels tight and substantial. The suspension is tuned on the firm side, with, by small car standards, excellent control on rough surfaces. Push it beyond average speeds and the front end starts to run wide and become nervous in a choppy corner, and the Hankooks begin to squeal and slip - tenuous wet weather traction in particular is a weakness. The steering is light and accurate, though, again, the standard tyres offer little feedback.

Braking

The disc/drum brakes pull the Accent up quickly by class standards. No ABS option is available.

Smoothness and quietness

Like all small engines, the 1.5 gets pretty raucous and buzzy at high revs, but is otherwise reasonably refined. At highway speeds on blue metal surfaces the main source of cabin noise is resonance, especially at the rear, while some front-end road harshness also travels up to the wheel.