The powertrain here is nothing to write home about, but it’s perfectly adequate. The six-speed manual lets you eke out everything you can from the 1.6-liter four-banger. The gearshift does not give you any sense of mechanical greatness, but it works just fine.
That pretty much sums up the Hyundai Accent. It’s nothing really to wow you, but it’s perfectly adequate in almost every way. If this is the base car in our world today, things aren’t too bad.
No, it’s not perfect. But it’s a good looking little scooter, has more power than the Yaris, rides on the same platform as the Rio–meaning it’s a nifty handler (though not as fun as the Honda Fit–and it’s practical in five-door form. Using it for a weekend, I hauled kids and a bunch of art supplies, made a trip to Comcast and back to pick up some cable boxes (not nearly the disaster I’d feared it would be), ran out to the airport and back, and battled the couple inches of snow we got (the car is decent in the snow–no more, no less).
My biggest beef is probably the seats, which I thought were just awful. They are too flat and uncomfortable. That, and the panel fits–check out the front edge of the hood; it’s quite misaligned. Oh, and the gearbox is a little mushy.
I like the looks. The Accent has nice styling, cool lines and a sporty stance. It’s a solid small-car execution. Inside, I had no issues with the seats, but at five foot, nine inches tall I generally fit well in most cabins.
The Accent is one of the better values on the market. Satellite radio, nice styling, very affordable–I like it.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR DAVID ARNOUTS: Everyone has this car nailed right on: perfectly adequate. I took the Accent to do a drop-off one afternoon and found it to be better than I had imagined, but I wasn’t expecting much. I’ll admit that I’m a huge cynic unless it’s something I am not familiar with or excited about.
The six-speed fits well for the low-powered Accent. It’s smooth and functional without much fuss. If you’ve never driven a manual before, this is a great car to learn on. There is adequate space in the interior for stuff and people of average size. The satellite radio was a nice touch, and I’m surprised that it’s standard equipment on this car.
