CD Article: 2006 Hyundai Accent GL 5-speed

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

Equipped with the optional $1,300 Comfort package which includes air conditioning and power windows, the 2006 Hyundai Accent GL "is a much easier car to live with on a day-to-day basis," says Haney Louka.  However, the manual shifter, while a substantial improvement over the previous transmission, "suffers from a lack of accuracy that makes it lag behind Toyota and Honda", he says.       More...

[smainville]

When I look at this car I see a "dated"look, no distinction, they could have done a better job like the Yaris or the upcoming Versa.

[Craig]

I though it looked a lot LIKE the Yaris.

[Bullet Blue]

I thought it looked too "cute" or bubbly. To each his own.

[Shnak]

What it looks like, it's bland and generic while the previous Accent was distinctive and more european-looking. I'm sure it drivers better and all that, but it's a huge drop in the looks department IMO... but fortunately for Hyundai, in that segment, look is about the last thing on the customers' minds.

[tsq]

It looks like a shrunk corolla.

[paulk]

The exterior looks a little frumpy, but the interior is great!  I like the interior more than the Civic and Yaris (though not as much as the Mazda3).  For the price, it looks great.

[mr_meow]

I think the new Hyundai Accent is Hyundai desperate attempt to look like a corolla can't Hyundai just be original  they done that with the Rio.............but no.....every time I see the Accent...I think wannabe corolla
.

[Zoo]

If these cars are reliable then they will do well in the marketplace. Kia is supposed to be their more aggressive/sporty brand so it makes sense to make the Accent more conservative.

[Rupert]

We bought the Accent not because it was entry level but because we wanted a small car not frugally equiped. The 3" raised height made it much easier to get into than the previous 3 door Accent that we tried and this accompanied by nice fit and finish swung the deal for us. Nearly 50 MPG on the highway makes you feel good about doing your bit for conservation especially so since it is accompanied by a quiet ride for a small car. The controls for the heater and generally are well placed and have a feel to them that allows operation that does not distract attention from driving. Best since the old 89 Mercury Sable in my opinion. I'm sure that the Civic is more sporty but it's the next class up and we are not into spirited driving. This car has more than enough go in it and so far we are very pleased with this package, the long term impressions remain to be seen. I would say that the look is more anonymous than generic or bland. It does not shout out a statement but rather goes un-noticed. Perhaps that is good. It's nice.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Congrats on the Accent. I'm finding the 4dr looking more handsome every time I see it, but not so fancy on the hatch.

[Rupert]

  Further to my blog on the 2006 Hyundai Accent compact sedan. We had the occasion to make a trip on the highway recently. The weather was sunny and cold, just below freezing. There was no head wind or tail wind judging by the flags that we saw on the way i.e. hanging straight down. There were 2 adults in the car and the gas tank was topped up on the entrance to the highway and again at the exit. The distance traveled was about 300 km. Over mostly flat terrain with the occasional slight up and down slope and the road was dry. The speed of the vehicle was a reasonably constant 110 km/hr.
  Perfect conditions for a one way test. When the result was calculated the gas consumption was found to be 38 mpg Canadian. The car only has 2500 km on it so that this may improve. Perhaps warmer temps may play a part also. The EPA for the car with automatic trans. is 46 mpgc. Sorry can’t wrap my mind around liters per 100 km. Who came up with that anyway. We were expecting a little better result but comparing this with the pro-rated results that we have had with other vehicles, it seems to be on a par. You have to remember that whilst the vehicle is smaller and lighter the weight of the bodies and stuff that you put in it cannot be scaled down. Not withstanding the urgings of my wife to go on a diet.
  We were interested to see if we would be at a disadvantage in ordinary highway traffic driving one of these newer designs of small vehicle. The answer was no. As I have stated previously the car has plenty of go in it and on the highway the engine sound and noise in general is unobtrusive. You have to watch your speed at around 100km/h because the engine seems to accelerate the car easily between 90 and 130 km/h. Passing highway traffic is no problem.
  The other concern that we had was about the comfort of the seats on longer trips. For us we did not find any difference between the Accent and our larger vehicle i.e. stiffness on arrival. However, obviously, this topic is subjective. My wife and myself are not large people being approx 5’-7” tall. It depends on the individual. We found the trunk to be a very usable size. It swallowed up our suitcases, topcoats and my wife’s mother’s walker. No problem.
  All in all we are still happy campers. Hope this information is of value.

[Seafoam]

Your mileage will improve as the weather warms up and we no longer need winter gas which decreases gas mileage considerably.

Andrew