2011 Hyundai Accent Review

The 2011 Hyundai Accent has, like in previous years, a well carved out demographic. Consumers who buy a car like an Accent expect one thing: Basic transportation. Those who just like to get from point A to point B may not always want the frills and luxury offered by larger sedan models, but the Accent is still happy offer some of those features at a lower price point. This gives the Accent an edge over other economy cars in the segment.

The 110 horsepower four cylinder engine, for example, gives plenty of performance for the subcompact. Often times smaller cars are considered lighter and more flimsy than their higher priced counterpoints, but the Accent's ride is surprisingly quiet. You'll also get some welcome standard features in terms of equipment, like a six speaker stereo and USB audio input.

As with most of the cars in the segment, there are still some drawbacks. Safety is always a concern when driving a smaller vehicle, and the Accent did not fair well in side impact crash tests. Antilock brakes also don't come standard unless you go with a top-line trim such as the SE hatchback.

Style and Trim

Many of my friends have been long term Hyundai customers and swear by the two-door hatchback option. The hatchback comes in three different trim levels: The basic GL, middle of the road GS, and the high-end SE.

The base model GL does away with a standard stereo but still features a six way adjustable driving seat and rear window defroster. If you're looking for optional upgrade, there aren't many. Air-conditioning and Blue tooth are it, but what do you expect for such a super-budget-friendly car?

The GS improves on the base model with a number of welcome equipment features like an automatic transmission and air conditioning. There is also a rear window wiper, an adjustable steering wheel, and the aforementioned six speaker stereo. You can also opt for a satellite radio if you can't do without XM/Sirius. The Accent GLS sedan also has a similar option layout.

The sportiest option of the three, the Accent SE, has larger 16 inch aluminum wheels, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and cruise control.

Performance

The 2011 Hyundai Accent is front-wheel-drive and comes with a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine that puts out 110 horsepower and 106 pound feet of torque. Most models come with a manual transmission with the exception of the GS, which comes with a standard 4-speed automatic. The manual transmission Accent can accelerate from 0-6oMPH in roughly 9.4 seconds.

In terms of mileage, the Accent does very well. The EPA estimates it at 27mpg city/36 mpg highway for the automatic. The manual transmission comes with a trade off at 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. Both get 30 mpg combined.

Interior

With a super cheap car like the Accent comes some sacrifices in the interior. The styling is plain looking and the materials look as cheap as the car is. The front seats still manage to be quite comfortable and if you're not you can use the height-adjustable driver seat. Note that the GL model does not come with a tilt steering wheel, so if that could be a problem then consider one of the higher-end models.

As with any two-door, the Accent offers just enough legroom, but you'll need to work for it a little if you want to get in and out of the car as there is not much space between the front seats and the door. The hatchback offers 16 cubic feet of room while the sedan's trunk is 12 cubic feet.

Driving It

If you're looking for performance, the five speed manual is your best choice at it gives the car an extra amount of pep. The four speed automatic does slow the car down some, but the car handles reasonably well. The cabin is very quiet at low to moderate speeds, but the engine noise can pick up under hard acceleration conditions.