Friday, June 22, 2007

When Hyundai revamped the Accent last year, it wound up with an exceptionally well-engineered and sensibly priced compact sedan. There is plenty of quality in evidence, and the entire package is protected by one of best warranties in the business. Unfortunately, a sedan is, well, a sedan. Although there aren”t many nits to pick, the sedan isn”t going to attract that 16- to 25-year-old buyer who is most likely going to be shopping in the sub-$15,000 range. Additionally, when a car company caters to budget-challenged buyers, the lower the sticker price, the better the box office. The goal was to sex up Accent while lowering the retail price. Hyundai tackled the problem this year by introducing a two-door hatchback Accent.

Shoppers interested in the Accent hatchback have a few decisions to make at the beginning of the buying process. Although the sedan comes in one GLS trim level and the only choice there is between the standard five-speed manual transmission or the four-speed automatic, the hatchback is available as the entry-level GS or better-contented SE. Whether it”s the sedan or hatchback, the automatic transmission edition is $1,000 more. The upgrade in the sedan brings the total to $14,245. The GS with manual transmission has a base sticker of $10,995, while the SE fetches $14,655. That”s a substantial difference in trim level cost at this price point; however, the GS is, for all intents and purposes, devoid of most basic creature comforts. A tilt steering wheel, four-speaker AM/FM stereo, intermittent wipers, rear window defogger and side curtain air bags comprise the bulk of the standard feature list.

Most of the additional SE standard features, such as air conditioning, power locks, windows and outboard mirrors, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, six-speaker audio system with CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels (the GS has 14-inch steel wheels), remote keyless entry and leather-wrapped steering wheel, are available on the GS as options.

Hyundai sent along an SE with five-speed manual for this evaluation. Every Accent uses the same 110-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine to power the front wheels. This doesn”t sound like much and in truth it isn”t but when married to the manual transmission, it provides more than acceptable acceleration.

This engine is a high revver, and even in fifth gear the rpms are about 3500 at 65 mph, which leaves the driver looking for still another gear to shift up to when cruising. It feels fairly spry scooting off the mark when the light turns green. Weighing in at less then 2,500 pounds, there isn”t a lot of iron for the engine to drag around.

The shift throws are moderate with no slop in the action. You can improve the shifting action by opting for the $195 B&M sport shifter. Fuel economy is on the green side with an Environmental Protection Agency rating of 32 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

The SE is the best performing of all Accent editions. Hyundai”s lab-coated guys have added some stiffness to the suspension for more neutral cornering and better handling over all. The SE steering is a tad quicker as well. SE gets four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, but neither traction control nor stability control (neither upgrade is common to this segment) is available. Never engineered as a sports car, the SE still behaves itself around corners, feeling stable and centered.

Providing roughly the same amount of passenger space as the sedan, the hatchback has a slight advantage in cargo space with its 15.9-cubic-foot trunk. Accessing the rear seat is best left to juveniles or carny folk. The front seats, however, are comfortable and supportive with plenty of legroom. Front seat occupants are treated to a two-pod layout.

The dashboard is cleanly styled and tidy. The controls are arranged in a logical fashion and can be utilized without constant owner”s manual referrals. The cabin doesn”t appear to belong to an entry-level compact. Beyond the better-than-average design, the materials don”t look cheap, and the workmanship is top-notch.

The test SE had a few upgrades that pushed the total price to $18,202. All of the extras would have appeal to younger buyers who are more prone to personalize their ride.

Replacing the standard audio system with a Kenwood system that included a new head, rear speakers, subwoofer and an IPod-specific hookup contributed $1,054 to the hefty bottom line.

Other additions included a DC sports front strut tower brace, sport pedals and a more extreme interior illumination. A ground-effects kit rounded out the price difference by inflating it by an additional $1,485.

For down-and-dirty basic transportation, the GS will get you where you need to go without any frills or fuss.

For a more civilized but equally reliable experience, step up to the SE. Without all the tuner bric-a-brac inflating the price, the SE is a smart buy.

It provides solid service, decent performance and terrific bang for the buck. Accent proves you don”t have to spend a wheelbarrow full of money to feel good about your ride.

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