3rd Nov 2010, 19:01
In February 2010, I purchased a 2010 Hyundai Accent, automatic transmission. It replaced my 1999 Hyundai Accent with standard transmission.
While the paint job is wonderful, the seats are comfortable, and the rear windshield wiper is nice, I really dislike the automatic and wish I could go back to standard. I'm constantly waiting for the car to get around to shifting, and the engine is noisy when I try to accelerate.
Gas mileage isn't as good as it was on my old car.
Rear visibility is very bad. With the old Accent, I could see everything. Now, not so much. Backing out of parking is dangerous, as there's a point at which I just can't see at all.
The car came with no radio, so I had to put one in.
The worst problems are the seatbelt and the foot room:
The seatbelt cuts into my neck. I suspect this is only a problem for drivers who move the seat to the forward position, but I can hardly be the only person who does that. I have adjusted it and tried various gadgets, but nothing helps. My neck hurts all the time now, even when I'm not driving. The dealer offers no solutions other than finding me a different car.
The other real problem is that there is nowhere to comfortably put my left foot. The little foot rest puts my foot at a very uncomfortable angle with the seat in the forward position, and the only other place to put my foot is crunched up behind the brake. It is impossible to ever put my left leg in a relaxed position.
This was my third Hyundai, and I was happy with them before, but I may not ever buy another.
I'm hoping the dealer will find me a different car soon.
4th Apr 2011, 08:28
I'm a real car guy, love working on cars as a hobby. My 2009 Accent is my 18th new car since 1965. At this time I also have a Mustang.
I bought my Accent with an automatic new because of the great price, which included a rebate at the time, to get around town cheaply in. First car I've ever had with absolutely no "initial defects." Fit finish and paint are perfect, which is something I've rarely if ever had, specially in earlier years.
I've got about 37,000 trouble free kms on it now, which is a first for me. Seating, handling and power won't match more expensive cars, but are entirely adequate, even on the highways.
If this is your first or only car, it's available with almost every amenity you could want, and is still really affordable. Hyundai (and Kia) have come a long way. You can't go wrong for the price.
Gas mileage is good as well. The standard gets better mileage in town, the auto on highways as long as you keep to posted speeds. It does have all of the modern power train features; coil on plug, double overhead cams, variable valve timing etc.
21st Jul 2010, 18:07
"I would hope that Car & Driver would put more than 10 miles on a car before writing a review."
Most magazines that sell ads and accept money from automobile companies are often VERY biased. I dropped my subscription to Car and Driver because they were (and still are) so blatantly biased in favor of Honda and BMW, and regardless of how poorly those makes perform in the tests, C&D will rate them tops no matter how superior the competition may be. I prefer honest and objective reviews.
I think the Accent is an incredibly good car, and far better than the Corolla and certainly on a par with the over-rated Civic (especially considering it's 6 grand cheaper). My best friend bought one 5 years ago and has neglected it terribly. It now has nearly 75,000 miles on it without a single problem. By that mileage our Civic had had so many problems I couldn't list them all.