Cost effective way to get that new car smell? |
| 2006 Hyundai Accent GLS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
Do you remember high-school? If you're like me, maybe it wasn't so long ago that all you wanted was your very own car to help you be mobile and free. Features? Power? Style? None of that mattered, so long as it had four wheels and moved, and it was your own. That's all you needed. But now you're all grown up, starting off in the working world and its time to retire your clunker and get a new machine. You play sports and have hobbies, like to travel, and visit relatives out of town, so you need a machine that is reliable and enjoyable, but also one which doesn't cost a whole lot of money. For you, a car isn't an extension of yourself, it's not a statement, and it isn't your pride and joy. But that doesn't stop you wanting one that is relatively exciting and confident nonetheless.
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| 2006 Hyundai Accent GLS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
It doesn't get much more sensible than this: a four door sedan, with one of the best warranties in the business. Under the hood, a 1.6 liter engine with 110 horsepower that's not too big and not too small. Inside, everything you need and nothing you don't. Six standard airbags, antilock brakes and the backing of one of the fastest growing and most promising car makers in North America. That's a great start, if you ask me. But the question arises: can a sensible car be fun? Can something so practical and economical be exciting and well made too?
Yes.
Hyundai has stretched the
Accent out for added space and even installed 6 airbags on the GLS model. There is more room in every direction than the previous model. Every time I drive a Hyundai I find myself impressed with the roominess. For instance, in this Accent, even if you are lets say, six foot four, you can still drive with adequate head and leg room as long as the person sitting behind you is in a car seat. Getting in and out of the front quarters is easy too, with plenty of headroom on your way in. That's important: tall folks need economy cars too, and they will fit into the Accent without problems.
My tester was a fully loaded GLS, complete with heated seats and an automatic. There are power accessories and air conditioning, while the MP3 CD stereo has a nice kick to it, with tweeters installed to bring any sort of music to life. The front seat space, headroom and visibility are all excellent. The interior is well put together, while a two tone color scheme lends itself to an upbeat and energetic look. The plastics used to construct the interior are hard and dense, but put together so well that it easily makes up for the excess of it. All the seams in the panels are perfect, and there is a higher than normal level of attention to detail
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| 2006 Hyundai Accent GLS (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
throughout the inside of this machine. I've driven cars worth far more money than this Accent that were not as well put together inside. It says a lot when a car this inexpensive is so well made- it should definitely set the standard. Think an economy car needs to be sparse inside? Think again- the Accent gets such features as an 8 way adjustable drivers seat, rear armrest with cup holders and an adequately large trunk.
Despite a respectable level of equipment and room inside, I was a little disappointed after getting out of the city to log some highway miles and noticing that there is no cruise control available.
