Accent after a year. Review on Hyundai Accent GVS

Hi Friends,

Have just completed 1 year and 10,000 kms in my GVS and thought I should share my experiences with you. I had also bought an Ikon flair around the same time so I have been in a good position to compare the two cars over the last year.

The accent has been a prety trouble free car with no expenses incurred whatsoever till date (since the services were free till now !!!!!!). However, after using this car for a year, I have one question: WHY DO PEOPLE (ME INCLUDED) BUY A HYUNDAI ACCENT?

believe me guys, this car has absolutely NOTHING to recommend it.

let us see its aspects one by one:

LOOKS: the accent is really looking dated now and is long in the tooth. the size of the car is misleading since it has a really long bonnet but otherwise the car is not exactly a ''large'' car. There have been recent attempts to freshen up the looks but they have been far too few. Just say the pics of the new accent in bsmotoring.....it looks much better.

INTERIORS: the quality of the materials used is really shoddy. You just have to grip the steering wheel to realise this. It is skinny and hard and roughs up your hands after a long drive. (Got mine replaced with a MOMO sports steering wheel). The front seats are pretty comfy with good leg room for teh driver and passenger but the rear is really CRAMPED. My earlier Matiz had more legroom in the back.

ENGINE: Definitely a weak point with the accent. the engine, which initially appears silent, is really coarse at anything above 3000 rpm. Also, the vibrations of the engine can be felt a lot throught the gear and the steering. this is really annoying. Plus, no matter how I drive, the fuel efficiency has never crossed 9 in the city. Before any accent lovers out there start commenting on my driving style, pls let me tell you that I obtain figures of 12 from my Ikon and 11-12 from my Indica Lsi(petrol). the higway figure is around 13-14.

SUSPENSION: If you have even mild sea sickness stay away from this car. In order to give a good city ride, teh suspension is tuned to be really soft. As a result, fast corners, undulating roads, mountain roads or high speed expressways are a really nervous experience in this car since the suspension keeps bottomming out and the car sways like a ship. the only other vehicle which si as bad is the Scorpio. In contrast, the Ikon has an amazing suspension set up which is comfy in the city and is simply mindblowing int eh hills and on the highway.

In all the above categories, except perhaps the plastic quality, the ikon is a far superior car. this is a totally unbiased view since I spent hard earned money on both the cars. Nowadays, the accent is primarily driven by my wife since I just dont feel like drivig it.

Hope this reu was useful. Pls write in with your comments.

Cheers