2006 Hyundai Accent: Entry-level goes upscale

2006 Hyundai Accent Entry-level goes upscale

MARK VAUGHN Published Date: 12/19/05

On Sale: Now Base Price: $11,995 (est.) Powertrain: 1.6-liter, 110-hp, 106-lb-ft I4; fwd, five-speed manual Curb Weight: 2366 lbs0 to 60 mph: 10 seconds Fuel Mileage (EPA Combined): 33.4 mpg What was missing from the old Hyundai Accent? Not too terribly much. It was a fine car for the entry-level new-car buyer who perhaps didn’t expect too much. That being said, the new 2006 Accent is everything the old one was and then some, with a new hatchback configuration, too. We recently drove the Accent sedan and saw the hatchback model when that car was unveiled at SEMA. While both look poised to please credit-challenged buyers across America, they are also going to be perfect for your au pair or pizza-delivery professional who will have his/her car purchased by an employer. Sedan pricing is expected to start at $11,995. The new Accent is bigger, weighs a little more, and has just a bit more horsepower, not to mention more standard features than you would expect to find on one of the most entry-level of entry-level cars sold in America. Now that Daewoo has fallen by the wayside, Hyundai (and sister Kia, with its similar Rio) is back as the safety net for low-dollar car buyers in America. But entry-level is no longer the beer-can-of-death it used to be. This Accent has six (yes, six) standard airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and even brake force distribution. It comes with eight cupholders and triple seals on the doors. And while it seems just yesterday that variable valve timing appeared only on a Martian spacecraft, it rides under the hood of this fine 1.6-liter subcompact. With the continuously variable valve timing and dual-overhead cams operating four valves per cylinder, horsepower rises from 104 to 110 on the new Accent, while torque holds steady at 106 lb-ft. Variable valves and dohc on the entry-level Hyundai? The world has changed, Kim. Hyundai expects four-speed automatic transmissions to account for 86 percent of Accent sales. While bending stiffness is up by 39 percent, you will not want to drop your auto­cross rig and buy an Accent for SCCA weekends. The handling is safe, but it is not particularly sprightly or fun. The whole thing rides on front struts and a torsion-beam rear—a good choice for keeping the cost down, but not necessarily for keeping lap times low. Inside, this is not some nightmare with vinyl seats and plastic side windows imported illegally from a Balkan country; the Accent has a standard AM/FM/CD player with six speakers and even a price-be-damned right-side armrest for the driver! Total interior volume (passenger and cargo) is up to 108.1 cubic feet, which Hyundai claims is more than a Honda Civic’s. Hyundai likes to compare the content level of its new Accent not just with the bottom-of-the-barrel Chevrolet Aveo (nee Daewoo Kalos), but with that of the Scion xA. The Accent competes well with the xA in this area. We’ll have to wait to see how Accent stacks up contentwise against the coming Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, which will hit the Hyundai head-on in the marketplace. No doubt these competitors have scoped out the newly equipped Accent and tweaked their standard features list a bit.Competition is good for everyone. source: AutoWeek

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