CD Article: 2008 Hyundai Accent L hatchback

[CD_Editor]

Test Drive:


The cheapest new car in Canada, the $9,995 Hyundai Accent hatchback is "a surprisingly well-built, cheery and pleasant driving vehicle," says contributor Peter Bleakney.  "It may be the least expensive car on the market, but it doesn't feel cheap," he says.

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Read the article | View the photos | All the Test Drives

[mmret]

Shame there's no ABS, but otherwise the $11700 (presumably?) GL model is essentially all you need. Kudos for bringing a legit car at an illegitimate price.

EDIT: Forgot to comment on how this is all subsidized by a government that actively suppresses its currency so that the product can be dumped here, how this is unfair to the Detroit 2.8, an how this will help create a middle class in Asia at the expense of hard working CAW/UAW employees who just want a fair paycheck and to feed their families and how everyone who buys one is a traitor and should go back to where they came from.

[carcrazy]

Nothing wrong with a barebones car; after all this is an entry-level Hyundai, but my mind goes to the Veracruz and Genesis which pretend to compete with the luxury cars and bare the same badge as the Accent. This certainly doesn't help their cause.

[rrocket]

Nothing wrong with a barebones car; after all this is an entry-level Hyundai, but my mind goes to the Veracruz and Genesis which pretend to compete with the luxury cars and bare the same badge as the Accent. This certainly doesn't help their cause.

People said the same thing when Lexus came out. (although they had a different badge, everyone knew the car's origins).  The Genesis is a mighty impressive car...in both coupe and sedan. 

[carcrazy]

Nothing wrong with a barebones car; after all this is an entry-level Hyundai, but my mind goes to the Veracruz and Genesis which pretend to compete with the luxury cars and bare the same badge as the Accent. This certainly doesn't help their cause.

People said the same thing when Lexus came out. (although they had a different badge, everyone knew the car's origins).  The Genesis is a mighty impressive car...in both coupe and sedan. 

Right, but Lexus was a different badge than Toyota, plus I would guess even the entry level Lexus had the luxury appointments at the time.

Think about it, you have the Accent as the most basic form of transportation at one end of the line-up and the luxury wanna be Genesis at the other end. It just doesn't sound right to me.

Imagine a nice $1Mil+ plus home in an upscale neighborhood with an Accent and a Genesis parked on the driveway. The accent belongs to the maid and the Genesis to the owner; occasionally they meet at the dealership for an oil change too. This can't be right from the image perspective.

[rrocket]

Who give a $hit about image.  I have a 600HP super-car crushing Supra and a 100HP weenie-mobile Echo parked side by side at my house.  I've never had any issues with "image".  It is unlikely that dysfunctional people with an "image" problem like you describe would buy a Hyundai no matter what it was labeled as. Those type of people would not cross shop Hyundai.  Period.   


And even if the Genesis has its own badge, you'd still have those knobs saying "It's just a fancy, dressed up Hyundai". Just like people did (and still do) with Lexus....

[Wolfe]

Those type of people would not cross shop Hyundai.  Period.   


And even if the Genesis has its own badge, you'd still have those knobs saying "It's just a fancy, dressed up Hyundai". Just like people did (and still do) with Lexus....

Indeed, marketing to people who would never ever buy from your company is a waste.

[tpl]

"Think about it, you have the Accent as the most basic form of transportation at one end of the line-up and the luxury wanna be Genesis at the other end. It just doesn't sound right to me.
"

To keep it domestic, you could have a Chevy Aveo parked beside a CTS.  so what.

[Juke1]

The Accent I would not touch with a 10 foot pole because of this http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=712 this http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=715.  Hyundai has come a very long way, copying is something they have to get away from, be more original.  The Elantra is a step in the right direction, the looks have really grown on me.

Huh...Aveo!  How domestic is GM made in Korea? 

[carcrazy]

"Think about it, you have the Accent as the most basic form of transportation at one end of the line-up and the luxury wanna be Genesis at the other end. It just doesn't sound right to me.
"

To keep it domestic, you could have a Chevy Aveo parked beside a CTS.  so what.

I'm sure you got my point, but to answer your question, Chevy and Caddy are two different brands, same as Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti.
One brand is mainstream and the other is luxury, each selling appropriate cars.

On the other hand, Hyundai sells both, a basic and a luxury car under the same brand.
I’ve read more than one reports that Hyundai is going after the luxury buyers, but most of them buy the image first and then the car. This is where I think Hyundai and Genesis will fail and this is not because of the car.
How many Lexus RX350 buyers did the Vearcruz steal? Going buy the low sales numbers not too many, if any at all.
I don't see how this marketing strategy could work.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I believe the point was that the Aveo and CTS are parked side by side in Chevrolet-Cadillac showrooms.

[tpl]

Correct BT   but also there is no reason that a German could not have a BMW 118d parked beside his 760iL.  Same sort of difference in price/status.   

[carcrazy]

Correct BT   but also there is no reason that a German could not have a BMW 118d parked beside his 760iL.  Same sort of difference in price/status.   

True, but the 118d is still a BMW and it doesn't compete at the bottom of the car market. Every other luxury manufacturer has a full line-up of vehicles, all luxury, for a broad price-range.

I have no idea if Chevy and Caddy share the same showroom floor in general, but they are two distinct brands to begin with. If you see them on the road or on a driveway, side-by-side, you know the difference.
However, I know Lexus, Acura, Infiniti have their own buildings in general and these are the guys Hyundai is going after not the Detroit3.
I heard Genesis will have its own section of the dealership, but still under the same roof as the "poor" siblings, like the little $10K Accent depicted in this article.

[airbalancer]

Caddy & Chevy share the same showroom, but there is a Caddy logo on the floor where a Caddy has to sit

[tpl]

Correct BT   but also there is no reason that a German could not have a BMW 118d parked beside his 760iL.  Same sort of difference in price/status.   

True, but the 118d is still a BMW and it doesn't compete at the bottom of the car market. Every other luxury manufacturer has a full line-up of vehicles, all luxury, for a broad price-range.

I have no idea if Chevy and Caddy share the same showroom floor in general, but they are two distinct brands to begin with. If you see them on the road or on a driveway, side-by-side, you know the difference.
However, I know Lexus, Acura, Infiniti have their own buildings in general and these are the guys Hyundai is going after not the Detroit3.
I heard Genesis will have its own section of the dealership, but still under the same roof as the "poor" siblings, like the little $10K Accent depicted in this article.

the 118 is just about the bottom of the BMW range.  In places it is sold it competes against other B segment cars.

[Cortina]

To keep it domestic, you could have a Chevy Aveo parked beside a CTS. 

But the Aveo is not domestic.

[tpl]

If it smells like a Chevy and has a Chevy badge and is sold in Chevy dealers then.....

[Wolfe]

Correct BT   but also there is no reason that a German could not have a BMW 118d parked beside his 760iL.  Same sort of difference in price/status.   

True, but the 118d is still a BMW and it doesn't compete at the bottom of the car market. Every other luxury manufacturer has a full line-up of vehicles, all luxury, for a broad price-range.

I have no idea if Chevy and Caddy share the same showroom floor in general, but they are two distinct brands to begin with.

OK, if you want to be a stickler on branding how about taking a look around the other side of that Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership and see that nice Chevy Corvette.

Chevrolet has you covered whether you want to buy a $10K Aveo or a Corvette for over $100K. 

[Schmengie]

My first new car was a '76 Datsun B210. It had a carburated 1.4L engine, a 4-speed manual transmission, power brakes, manual steering, 2 very uncomfortable bucket seats in front and an even worse rear bench, a heater, an AM radio, a speedometer and gas gauge, cardboard door panels covered in a thin layer of vinyl, no armrests, a live rear axle on leaf springs, skinny 13-inch bias-ply tires and wind-up windows in front (the rear ones swung out on hinges). There were no options except for a 3-speed automatic. Hell, if you asked for A/C they looked at you like you were from another planet, and power windows? Ha! It didn't even come with floor mats and there was no sound deadening to speak of so you could hear every pebble hitting the floorboards. You knew were driving a cheap econobox every time you got into the thing. It was noisy, cramped, rough and uncomfortable and driving it I always felt like I was being punished for not being able to afford something better. A small car as good as the Accent would have been an absolute revelation back then. I give it two thumbs up and then some.

[Leviathan]

My first new car was a '76 Datsun B210. It had a carburated 1.4L engine, a 4-speed manual transmission, power brakes, manual steering, 2 very uncomfortable bucket seats in front and an even worse rear bench, a heater, an AM radio, a speedometer and gas gauge, cardboard door panels covered in a thin layer of vinyl, no armrests, a live rear axle on leaf springs, skinny 13-inch bias-ply tires and wind-up windows in front (the rear ones swung out on hinges). There were no options except for a 3-speed automatic. Hell, if you asked for A/C they looked at you like you were from another planet, and power windows? Ha! It didn't even come with floor mats and there was no sound deadening to speak of so you could hear every pebble hitting the floorboards. You knew were driving a cheap econobox every time you got into the thing. It was noisy, cramped, rough and uncomfortable and driving it I always felt like I was being punished for not being able to afford something better. A small car as good as the Accent would have been an absolute revelation back then. I give it two thumbs up and then some.

Don't forgot the backfires!