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Hatchbacks Hyundai Accent Hyundai Accent
598 messages, Last post on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:15 AM
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Replying to: harrychezt (Jul 10, 2006 10:09 pm) I like the non-wagon look of my current Elantra hatch. And I'm amused by the fact that one of the reviews said something like "20-something [my bad memory] of cubic feet of storage in the Accent with the seats down", when I have that much storage space in the Elantra with the seats up. It looks good, but I'm discovering the usefulness of a larger car... |
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and the msrp for this will be ........27k give or take
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Replying to: jrtny04 (Jul 11, 2006 9:45 pm) |
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Replying to: backy (Jul 10, 2006 5:40 pm)
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Replying to: duncan36 (Jul 14, 2006 1:56 pm) |
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I finally got to drive the 2007 Accent 3-door today, but it was the base GS model and not the SE, that I really wanted to drive.  The GS was a 5-speed MT with the AC/stereo package and mats, MSRP $12,430. The interior forward of the rear seatbacks is very similar to that of the Accent sedan, which I have driven before. The GS is more spartan, however, and lacks things that are on the GLS sedan such as cloth door inserts, temperature gauge, lighted vanity mirrors, and fold-down rear armrest. The black interior looks pretty spartan compared to the brighter GLS interior. But the cloth is good-looking, and the 8-way driver's seat with dual-knob height adjuster and fold-down armrest is still there to provide a best-in-class driving position. The controls and switches have a smooth feel that belies the low sticker price. Interior room seems about the same as in the GLS sedan, except for rear headroom. I was able to get comfortable in the rear seat when sitting behind myself (5'10"), but there was no room to spare for knees or head. I got a little extra headroom in back by reclining the rear seatback to its 2nd position. The rear seat has pretty good thigh support and would be OK for a few hours, but I wouldn't want to take a cross-country trip back there. The storage area behind the 60/40 rear seats is quite large, and there is a hard cargo cover but it doesn't raise up automatically when the hatch is raised. The rear seatbacks fold nearly flat. There are three rear headrests. With max A/C on the whole way, the Accent didn't have much get-up-and-go from its 110 hp engine, but it was perfectly fine for around-town driving and could get out of its way merging onto the highway. I didn't push the engine since it was a brand-new tester. The clutch was smooth and effortless, a real pleasure to use. The shifter has been villified by C/D and others. Personally I thought it was a pretty good piece. The throws were longer than on cars like the Fit and Versa, but the shift action was smooth and quiet, unlike the Fit which was notchy, and the Versa which emitted a loud and cheap-sounding "thunk-thunk" with every shift. The best feature of the Accent is its quiet and smooth ride. It feels like a much larger car. It is very quiet for a small car (according to C/D's tests, it is much quieter than the Fit and as quiet at cruise as an Accord EX V6). The chassis is rock-solid and there were no squeaks or rattles. The car glides over bumps without the "thunks" that many competitors give up. Handling is neutral, but not the on-rails feel like that of the Fit (the SE has a sport-tuned suspension and 16" alloy wheels, while the GS has 14" steel wheels). Steering is light, but with enough road feel to help you stay connected to the road. (The GS and SE have sport-tuned steering compared to the GLS sedan.) The non-ABS brakes (front disc, rear drum) were smooth, with progressive feel; I didn't push them however. (ABS is not available on the GS; it is standard on the SE and optional on the GLS sedan for 2007). The optional 172-watt single CD 6-speaker stereo (standard on SE and GLS) sounded good and looks like it would not be out of place in a much more expensive car. The GS has manual remote mirrors and manual locks and window cranks. (The power accessories and remote locking are available for $400 more.) The optional AC struggled mightily to cool down the black interior after sitting in the sun all day with the temperature near 100, but after about 5 minutes on "max" it blew cold air. The Accent GS is a good little runabout--smooth, quiet, easy to drive, good build quality and materials quality, and IMO perhaps the best looking of the current small hatchbacks. It's also the least expensive of the small hatches, about $1000 less MSRP than the Yaris comparably equipped. And it has the long Hyundai warranty. It's main flaw I think is that it is not even available with a popular safety feature: ABS. ABS is standard on the sportier SE, but that model starts at $14.6k, albeit well-equipped. If you don't need ABS and want a basic but quality little hatchback, the Accent GS is worth a long look.
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2006 7:24 pm) SO, that means that if I want a 2007 Accent 3-door AUTO with ABS, I need to pay $15,495 (with dest.)??!! That's insane. WHy not purchase a Fit or Rabbit for less than $1K more? One can even get a 2006 Mazda6i AUTO for around $16K after rebates (or yes, even a lovely Sonata). Is that $1K worth: More standard safety equipment Better resale value Better crash worthiness Better performance More advanced powertrain (5 and 6-speed AUTOs) Better fuel economy (Honda) Far better interior quality (Rabbit) Better brand reliability history (Honda) You bet it is. For this thing to sell, it needs a $2K rebate. Anything less, and it won't move off dealer lots period. I think this is why we are seeing such a drop off in sales for the Accent in CY2006 over CY2005 (down 20%). It's just not the "bargain" it once was. Though it's in line with Hyundai's other models: Elantra (down 13%), Santa Fe (down 38%!), Tiburon (down 11%), Tuscon (down 8%). Really, the only thing that keeps Hyundai afloat is the heavily discounted Sonata.
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2006 7:24 pm)
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Replying to: germancarfan1 (Jul 16, 2006 8:25 am) You raise good points about pricing. I did say that if you can do without ABS (and many people can--check Town Hall for the comments re "I don't want ABS!"), the Accent GS is worth a look. Also some people don't want the power windows etc. in their car. They want a basic car. The Accent GS gives that, starting at about $11k. A Rabbit equipped like a base Accent SE (that is, including 16" alloys) is about $16k, or about $1400 more list than the Accent. Assuming both cars would be bought at list, I agree it is tough to justify buying the Accent. But toss in a $1000 rebate (currently on the '06 Accent, and I bet coming soon to the '07s), and a discount of around $800 and now you're looking at over $3000 difference, because I don't expect there will be much discounting on the 3-door Rabbit. Then it becomes a more interesting decision. You would have in the Accent a car with significantly better fuel economy, better predicted reliability, and better warranty. Compared to the base Fit, the Accent SE discounted as I described would be less expensive, have many more features, a much more adjustable/comfortable driving position, a smoother ride, and IMO much better looking, with the tradeoffs of a little worse fuel economy, less cargo versatility, and lower historical resale value. A lot depends on which criteria are most important to you. If cargo versatility is really important, the Fit has a huge advantage. If rear-seat legroom is important, the Versa is the class leader. If driving position is really important, the Accent and its cousin the Rio5 are best-in-class IMO. If power is important, the Rabbit is much better than the low-end cars but bumps up against more powerful cars like the Mazda3s when comparing 5-door cars.
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Replying to: backy (Jul 16, 2006 9:24 am) Check the Accent forums. That price is accurate. My Hyundai dealer charged me $200 for a measely 15K service (I checked with 3 other dealers, ALL charge this). $350-400 are routine for 30K services and $600-800 for the 60K w/ timing belt change. My friend paid $650 for her timing belt change on an 03 Elantra and she doesn't even live in a metro area. "Accent SE discounted as I described would be less expensive, have many more features, a much more adjustable/comfortable driving position, a smoother ride, and IMO much better looking, with the tradeoffs of a little worse fuel economy, less cargo versatility, and lower historical resale value." Smoother ride? Not in my experience. Fit beats the Accent hands down in driving dynamics IMO (C&D concurr). Tradeoffs? Awful resale value, poorer crash scores, less cargo space, worse fuel economy, higher routine maintenance costs (see timing belt), poorer handling and engine response, sloppy shifter (mine and C&D's experience), etc. A $3-4K difference is REQUIRED before anyone is going to buy the Accent. That's how Hyundai sells its cars: cheap. However, even when looking at 2006 Accents (with $1000 rebate), it appears that significant cost difference isn't helping the Accent in sales. When sales are down 20% compared with the rubbish 2005 model(that didn't exact break sales records either), something is wrong. The market has become a much more crowded place. One year ago, the inferior Accent didn't have to compete with the Yaris, Fit, Versa, Rabbit, etc. One year ago, the consumer had to choose a $10K Accent or have to fork over $16K+ for a Civic, Corolla, or Mazda3. ALso note the significant decline of Elantra sales. A 2006 Elantra GLS AUTO with ABS now costs $16,495. The Limited model goes for even $1K more. Ridiculous. What will a 2007 Elantra AUTO with ABS cost? $17K? $18K? "If power is important, the Rabbit is much better than the low-end cars but bumps up against more powerful cars like the Mazda3s when comparing 5-door cars." I'll take the Rabbit's 170 lbs of torque at a low 3750 RPMS anyday. When you test drove it, did you notice how you could start the car in 3rd gear or could pass cars with ease at 40 MPH in 5th gear? That's torque.
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