Okay, this review may come in too late, almost two years after the car was launched. But every bit counts right? The Accent was one successful product from Hyundai. It was first launched a petrol and diesel version. The petrol wasn’t too exciting neither was the diesel. An accent with a 1.6 liter gtx was also launched. This was called the tornado and came with abs.
This car was really good and was almost in the mould of the city vtec. Even later, the boring accent dls was replaced by a rocking accent crdi. The engine of it had the much acclaimed crdi technology of hyundai. It made it a bit expensive though, but that was not a problem at all. It was the only crdi in its segment and was pricier than others. So it had to compete against tough petrol competitors like the city, ikon 1.6 and even the lancer. But still it does manage to pass with flying colors. This car is worth reading about.
The styling of this car is exactly like that of the normal accent except for the crdi badging. The accent is a little outdated. The new facelifted version had been launched world over months back. Anyway, india remains with this until an all new replacement comes in the end of 2005. The front styling is just about okay, with no radical or offensive lines. You do get fog lamps also. The side is also conservative in today’s world. It is sleek and the alloys enhance the looks. The rear is the best part with nice multi reflector tail lamps. There is also the crdi badging. The build quality is also just okay and finish is good. The accent crdi doesn’t have any radical stylish design cues, but is good enough. It could have been called a stylish car maybe a year ago. Now, just so so.
The engine is a small 1.5 liter diesel crdi engine. Even though the engine is small, the power output is sufficient. It pumps out around 80 bhp of power. The engine is a crdi and so the refinement is better than conventional diesels. But you definitely cannot call this an ultra refined engine. The engine is a crdi, but the one on the elantra feels much more refined. The nvh level on this car is quite low compared to petrols and very low for a diesel. So what about the performance? Here goes. There is good amount of torque even at low rev levels because of it being a diesel and more importantly being a crdi. It is enthusiastic and there is punch at all levels.
It accelerates quickly touching the 60 km/h mark in less than 6 seconds. The ton comes in less than 15 seconds which is excellent for such a small diesel engine. The performance is definitely on league with the other petrols in its class and way ahead of the diesels like petra, esteem and indigo. There is a little vibration at high speeds above 130 km/h and the top speed it managed was a cool 160 km/h. Definitely the among the fastest in the segment.
The interior remains unchanged. The steering wheel feels good and is just at the right place. The seats are comfortable enough with sufficicient amount of legroom. The dash isn’t too attractive but is never the less okay. The quality of plastics used is not really as good as that used on the city and petra. At the rear, the comfortable seats are backed up by decent leg room. The interior is not very lively. So on the whole it is a conservative interior with enough space, but feels outdated.
The diesels are known for fuel efficiency the most. This car performs so well, and so fuel efficiency won’t be good right? But it is surprisingly good. The crdi engine not only enhances refinement and performance, but also makes it economical in fuel consumption. The best figures it can manage is more than 15 km/l and in chaotic city driving, just about 12 km/l. An overall efficiency figure of 14 km/l ensures that this car won’t be too heavy on your pocket.
So on the whole, the accent crdi is a very good car. Even though the looks and interior are conservative, it makes up for it with its spirited performance. But even if it performs well, the fuel efficiency is excellent and combined with the low price of diesel, it is an unbeatable combination. The refinement levels are excellent for a diesel. It is much more interesting than the 1.5 liter petrol and makes a good buy even it is a little costlier. The skoda fabia will be here soon with its superb diesel engine. Until that, I find no reason for hyundai to worry, because there isn’t any other diesel which is so good in this segment.
Let the comments flow, because as I said, every bit counts!