Speaking with an 'Accent': Hyundai gives us more refined automobile

Hyundai is on a roll. With both J.D. Power and "Consumer Reports" saying complimentary things, the brand has become the fourth-largest import nameplate in the United States. That's one heck of an accomplishment for Hyundai, and a bit of a misstatement. "Import" used to mean exactly that -- cars shipped into the country. But now, since everyone from BMW to Nissan has assembly plants in the United States, we need to toss out the import tag and use something more meaningful, like "international nameplate," as distinguished from "U.S.-based." But then what does that make German-owned Chrysler? I'm not sure.

Hyundai gave us an Accent for the first time in 1995. It was an OK car, but with unrefined road manners even its rock-bottom price didn't make it a big seller on these shores. In 2000 Hyundai improved its Accent, but cheap gas prices kept larger vehicles in higher demand. The Korean manufacturer tried again in 2003, and buyers started paying attention. Now, with the 2006 Accent and breathtaking fuel prices, it looks like Americans will be talking differently about the smallest Hyundai.

You can get a new Accent for a little over $12,000 -- about what you might pay for a used three-year-old car. Your Accent will be equipped with class-leading standard safety equipment, including dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags and side-impact door beams. There will also be four-wheel disc brakes with antilock braking and electronic brake-force distribution protecting your passengers who will be riding in a sedan with the most interior volume in its class.

Just to give you an idea how much interior space we're talking about, I was able to comfortably fit two full-size and two over-size (over six-feet-tall) co-drivers in my test vehicle for a 100-plus mile test drive. I rode in the back seat and had ample head, leg and shoulder room, thanks in part to the high-mounted front seats which allow my big feet to easily slide underneath. The back seat even has a fold-down center armrest with cupholders, and storage pockets on the backs of the front seats. The seat splits 60/40 and allows access to the trunk. There are bottle holders and map pockets in all four door panels.

The driver's seat has a folding armrest and is 8-way manually adjustable. There are adjustable headrests at all seating positions, including the center of the rear seat. The instrument panel and dashboard are nicely rounded and made of a pleasant, soft, pebbled material -- an important feature in a small car where your legs and/or knees are often touching interior panels.

The newest Accent has grown 2.3 inches in wheelbase, and thanks in part to a new unibody platform and suspension it rides much better than the old one. The front suspension is MacPherson Strut with coil springs, while a torsion beam axle coupled with coil springs suspends the rear. Lightly loaded with two passengers the ride was good, but with four adults aboard we noticed a harsh ride in certain conditions. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering was accurate, and the four-speed automatic transmission shifted perfectly and downshifted willingly to let the 4-cylinder engine do its job.

That engine is new this year, and with continuously variable valve timing it now produces 110 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 106 foot pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm. With 16 valves, a ten-to-one compression ratio and multi-point fuel injection, the 1.6-liter powers the front wheels and provides adequate performance for passing slower traffic and accelerating up to interstate speeds. Because the engine is so smooth and road noise so muted, we had difficulty keeping our Accent at legal cruising speeds. Cruise control is recommended.

The Accent is available only as a 4-door sedan for now, but a cute three-door hatchback is said to be coming later this year. I'm betting it will appeal to the college crowd as much as our test model did. We drove it around two college campuses and got plenty of admiring glances. With its new crisp styling, chic body-color bumpers and high-tech headlights and taillamps, the '06 Accent speaks the college-crowd language.

I also noticed how slowly the Accent sips gasoline. Our automatic Accent was rated for 28-mpg/city and 36-mpg/highway. I can't explain it, but the five-speed manual is rated for 32-mpg/city and 35-mpg/highway. With a 12-gallon fuel tank that's a lot of highway miles. And those miles are guaranteed for 100,000 miles or 10 years, thanks to Hyundai's remarkable powertrain warranty.

This test vehicle was provided by Wieser Hyundai Cape Girardeau.

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at SteveR@cablerocket.com.