2006 Hyundai Accent Review

Specifications

Redefining Value in the Subcompact Sector

As hard as Hyundai is trying to stretch into all other areas of the automotive landscape with SUVs and luxury sedans, the heart of its business still lies in producing simple, basic transportation to get people from A to B.

Hard work and perseverance has paid off. Hyundai is currently basking in the success of winning multiple awards, including J. D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports kudos for quality. Having just introduced the all-new Azera/Grandeur luxury sedan and Sonata midsize sedan, Hyundai was long overdue to update a car true to its roots, the evergreen subcompact.

The Excel was a name synonymous with Hyundais earlier and less-than glamorous days. Inexpensive and plagued with dozens of problems, it was a model that most people, especially Hyundai marketing types, would rather forget, but nevertheless it is what helped South Koreas biggest car manufacturer get its foot in Americas door.

Hyundai has come quite far since those days, and as youve now probably heard many times, it has a goal along with its sibling company, Kia, to become one of the top five automobile manufacturers by 2010. To get it to this point, Hyundai knows it has to continue building value-packed, affordable and reliable transportation. This well-worn but never old sales pitch now includes safety, practicality and performance for the all-new 2006 Accent.

Competition in the subcompact sector has grown remarkably over the past few years, with an entry from GM-DAT (Chevrolet Aveo), and Toyota (Echo, but soon to be dropped), plus the Scion xA, all direct competitors to the Accent. In order to get the upper hand and to maximize the amount of money put into the project, the new Accent and Kia Rio are mechanical twins, sharing platform, engine, suspension and the majority of major components. This isnt any recent business model either; Hyundai and Kia have shared general architectures for quite some time now. The Elantra and Spectra, Tucson and Sportage, and the Sonata and Optima are all sets of twins under the skin.

Compared to the outgoing Accent, the new car is 1.8 inches longer, 1.0-inch wider, and 3.0 inches taller, and rides on a wheelbase thats 2.3 inches longer. Overall, that means that the 2006 Accent sedan is 168.6 inches long, 66.7 inches wide, 57.9 inches tall and has a 98.4 inch-long wheelbase. These increases make for best-in-class interior volume, with more headroom, legroom and shoulder room for both front and rear passengers. Trunk space has also grown significantly to 12.4 cubic feet, which can be attributed to the better structure and to Hyundais decision to switch to a space-saving torsion beam instead of a fully-independent rear suspension.

Like the Rio, the Accent uses a basic strut-and-torsion beam suspension layout to
deliver solid handling with decent response. It will be interesting to see how Hyundais engineers have tweaked the springs, dampers and power steering to make the car drive differently from the Rio, but seeing as both cars are pitched towards an audience that seems impartial to the way a vehicle performs at the limit, its unlikely that the Accent will be able to charm its drivers like the Mazda3 or VW Golf. As for stopping power, Americas smallest Kia comes standard with front discs and rear drums, but if it is equipped with optional ABS brakes the rear brakes are upgraded to discs.

In a rather surprising move, for the time being Hyundai will only be offering the new Accent in one body style, and one trim level - the four-door GLS sedan. The company hasnt mentioned anything about the three- or five-door hatchbacks, two of its more popular body styles. If its relation to the Kia Rio is anything to go by, a five-door liftback will probably join the Accent range sometime next year. The layout will most likely be similar to the Kia Rio5, which debuted in Geneva in mid-March and New York later in the month.

Design-wise, Hyundai still hasnt found a particular styling theme or trait that its sticking to, and each vehicle it produces is different with no evident visual pattern, except between the Sonata and the new Azera/Grandeur. The new Accents nose has a certain air of Toyota Corolla to it, with its swept-back rectangular grille and angled halogen headlamps, defined by creases, which trail down the hood to the A-pillars.

High-mounted side rub strips and slight fender flares are amongst the few details to adorn the Accents otherwise plain exterior. A nice touch is Hyundais effort to make it feel like more than just bargain-basement transportation, with color-keyed mirrors, bumpers and rub strips, areas typically left in black matte trim for money-saving reasons. Fourteen-inch steel wheels and wheel covers are standard, although larger 15-inch alloy wheels are an option.

The Accent is powered by a 1.6-liter DOHC inline-four which makes 110 horsepower and 107 lb-ft of torque - the exact same engine as in the new Kia Rio. Surprisingly, this one takes the class-leading honors away from Scions xA. Its a slight increase from the Accents previous 104-horsepower and 106 lb-ft of torque rating, but the real improvement for the engine is that it features CVVT variable valve timing. Though its not the only car in its segment to integrate such a technology, it allows the Accent to increase power while improving fuel consumption and reducing tailpipe emissions. Hyundai claims that Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) certification for the Accent is on the way.

While the South Korean brand has successfully managed to win the title of most powerful, most spacious and most practical car in its class, along with Kias Rio, what will undoubtedly help it win over customers is its new interior. The finish may not be up to VW-spec, with less soft touch materials or dampened buttons, but the ambiance and atmosphere are certainly more upscale than anyone who has been in a current Accent would have ever imagined possible, with two-toned plastics, metal-finish gauge rings and appliqué on the center console, and improved fabrics. In GLS trim, the Accent comes standard with a four-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system and eight-way adjustable seat, but air conditioning is optional. Moving up to the Convenience Package gets you power windows, power heated mirrors, keyless entry and a more powerful stereo.

Another welcome surprise is that Hyundai hasnt skimped on safety features for the new Accent. It has a full count of six airbags, including dual front, side, and curtain airbags as standard, which are normally options on vehicles in this class. Up front, the three-point seatbelts have pretensioners and load limiters which pick up slack in the event of a collision.

Like all other Hyundais, the new Accent is backed by the firms industry-leading warranty, which includes 60-month or 60,000 mile comprehensive bumper-to-bumper coverage and 120 month, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, which ensures that should anything break the car is covered.

The 2006 Hyundai Accent will be available for sale starting this fall, and while prices havent been announced, in order to remain competitive against the likes of the Chevy Aveo and company, expect the little four-door Hyundai to start at slightly more than its current base MSRP of $10,699. Currently, a three-door variant sells for $9,999, so if none is offered it is entirely likely the four-door model will be reduced in price to compete against its peers that reach down into the sub-$10K price point.

While the new Accent might not raise pulses, the redesigned entry-level Hyundai has the power, the quality and the features to help it redefine value in the subcompact sector.