2008 Used Hyundai Accent NH

See Our New 2008 Hyundai Accent Manchester, NH

2008 Hyundai Accent Overview

The Hyundai Accent is roomy, comfortable, well-appointed and practical. We find it a viable alternative to the Toyota Yaris, Scion xD, Honda Fit, and Nissan Versa. The Accent offers more interior volume than Yaris, Fit, and xD subcompacts, as well as the Corolla and Civic compact cars.

Power for the Accent comes from a clean and sophisticated 1.6-liter double overhead-cam engine, featuring variable valve timing and delivering slightly more power than the Yaris or Fit. The environmentally friendly Accent is an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, or ULEV, and rates 33 mpg in the latest, 2008 EPA Highway tests. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has recognized the Hyundai Accent as one of the top 12 greenest vehicles you can buy.

What's more, this emphasis on economy and environment does not come at the expense of safety; in fact, Accent offers a generous list of safety features. Six airbags (front, seat-mounted side-impact, and side-curtain) are standard on all models; antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution are optional on the sedan and standard on the sporty SE coupe. The Accent and the related Kia Rio are among the least expensive cars on the market with these important safety features.

Hyundai last redesigned the Accent sedan for 2006, and released the latest coupe that spring. While the sedan brings some suave to the entry-level family segment, the coupe is clearly seeking street cred, offering hip accessories ranging from a strut-tower brace to faux carbon-fiber trim.

Driving Impressions of the Used Hyundai Accent

Nobody buying a Hyundai Accent will expect sizzling performance, yet the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine is surprisingly snappy, even with the automatic transmission. An Accent GLS automatic has no problem keeping up with traffic as long as you stomp on the gas pedal, and it's more than happy cruising at speed on the freeway. We have not had a chance to check out an Accent with a manual transmission but expect it to be more fun to drive.

Hyundai's 1.6-liter four-cylinder is a modern, sophisticated engine with dual overhead camshafts and continuously variable valve timing. This DOHC/CVVT combination helps give the engine a broad power band with high fuel efficiency and low emissions. The engine produces 110 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 106 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm.

The EPA's latest City/Highway fuel economy estimates are 27/32 mpg for the manual, 24/33 mpg for the automatic. When making comparisons, remember that 2008 figures are generally lower (poorer) than in previous years because of new test procedures designed to better reflect real-world driving. The automatic does slightly better than the manual because its overall top gear ratio is a low 2.77:1, versus 3.39:1 for the manual. In exchange, the stick-shift Accent should deliver snappier throttle response from cruising speeds.

2008 Hyundai Accent Lineup

The 2008 Hyundai Accent is available in two body styles and three levels of trim: a basic GS coupe, a nicer GLS four-door sedan, and a sporty SE coupe. A 110-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine powers all models. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, a four-speed automatic transmission is optional.

The Accent GS coupe comes with cloth upholstery, eight-way adjustable driver's seat, fold-down driver's armrest, center console with two cupholders, a recline feature for its split-folding (60/40) rear seat, a tilting steering column, tachometer, digital clock, two 12-volt power outlets, cabin air filtration, two-speed plus variable-intermittent windshield wipers, rear-window defroster, power steering, and P175/70TR14 tires on steel wheels. There's no radio, but GS does come with four speakers, so installing an aftermarket unit is relatively easy.

Air conditioning is not standard, but it is part of a Popular Equipment Package ($1,350) that includes a six-speaker, 172-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with an auxiliary input jack. A Premium Package combines the Popular Package with power windows, power body-color mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, body-color door handles, and an alarm with panic feature.

The Accent GLS sedan  comes with air conditioning and the six-speaker, 172-watt stereo, along with illuminated vanity mirrors and 185/65HR14 tires on 14-inch steel wheels. The sedan's Popular Equipment Package adds anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, power windows with driver's express-down, power mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and an alarm with panic alert. The Premium Package  combines all of the above with 195/55VR15 tires on 15-inch aluminum wheels.

The Accent SE coupe comes with a sport-tuned suspension, ABS with EBD, rear spoiler and wiper/washer, and P205/45VR16 tires on five-spoke aluminum wheels. The SE also comes with all Premium Package features, plus fog lights, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, metallic interior accents, express-down for the driver's-side window, seat-back pockets, and illuminated vanity mirrors. Manual-transmission models now come with a B&M sport shifter. A power sunroof is optional.

Interior of the 2008 Hyundai Accent

One of the things we like best about the Accent is its interior. Not only do those big windows provide a great view, but the hip point of the driver's seat is two inches higher than in pre-2006 Accents, for a truly commanding perspective. Accent cabins feature a conservative two-tone color scheme reminiscent of larger cars, and are trimmed out quite nicely, helping avoid the feeling of an econobox.

The dashboard wraps around to the door panels, and the center stack is nicely integrated, with large, well-positioned climate control knobs. The big speedometer and tachometer are located in a nicely contoured instrument pod in front of the steering wheel. Smaller fuel and coolant temperature gauges are set inside, along with a small LCD readout for the odometer and trip meter as well as gear-selection indicator for automatics. Gauges on GLS and SE have been redesigned for improved readability.

The new auxiliary input jack (in Accents built December 2007 or later) allows iPods and other portable MP3 players to be connected directly into the vehicle's audio system. The seats are contoured and finished in a classy cloth material that feels high quality. The driver's seat is eight-way adjustable on all models.

We noticed several nice touches that kept our test sedan from feeling like a cheap econobox. Among them: dampened grab handles, a thick roof lining, center folding front and rear armrests, a tilt steering wheel, a micro roof-mounted antenna, driver and passenger side-illuminated vanity mirrors, cabin air filtration, remote trunk and fuel cap releases, and a windshield shade band. There are decent-size pockets with a cup holder in each door. In addition, there are other storage places and a big glovebox.

Summary

The Hyundai Accent is a competent subcompact car that's big inside and sprightly underway. It includes an impressive array of standard safety features and is certainly worthy of being considered alongside more expensive models from other manufacturers. The hatchback coupe adds a strong dose of sporty styling, plus more cargo-hauling versatility, with no significant loss of passenger space.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com