Speaking of pushing, I just loved pushing the feisty five-door in corners. Why? Because I knew it could take the task at
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| I just loved pushing the feisty five-door in corners. Why? Because I knew it could take the task at hand and master it. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
hand and master it. I took advantage every now and then, and when I did it responded with composure. Now I am not saying that I took hairpin turns on a winding mountain-side road at 80 km/h and it I lived to tell the story, rather I'm saying that when I had to get somewhere a little faster because of time constraints, the Accent 5 handled the extra need for speed commendably. The stability of the Accent 5 comes from its front independent MacPherson struts with coil springs and a stabilizer bar, and rear multi-link suspension setup with coil springs and a stabilizer bar, plus a sturdy set of P185/60R14 all-season tires with wheel covers - no alloys at this price unfortunately. The tires gripped the dry roads very well, but at times, were a little slippery in the rain. Other than larger wheels and tires, the only thing that I feel could have made the car feel safer would be the addition of anti-lock brakes, at least as an option.
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| I didn't think it was still possible to drive over 500 kilometres and pay under $40 for a week's worth of fuel, even with gas being close to $1 per litre, but I was wrong. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian auto Press) |
Unfortunately, though, ABS isn't even offered as an option on any Accent trim level. The front disc and rear drum brakes are good, though, but they require do-it-yourself pumping manipulation if trying to stop quickly in wet weather without skidding. The icing on the already sweet cake came in the form of [link artid="99672">fuel consumption[/link]. I didn't think it was still possible to drive over 500 kilometres and pay under $40 for a week's worth of fuel, even with gas being close to $1 per litre, but I was wrong. I put a mere $35 in for the entire week, and as you can tell I am not a modest driver. Estimated fuel consumption is 8.1 L/100 km in the city and 6.5 L/100 km on the highway, making the Accent5 not only fun to drive but affordable at that rate.
