Hyundai ACCENT (1994 - 2000)
MODELS COVERED: (OCT 1994-2000) (Accent 4dr 1.3 [LSi, SE] / Accent 5dr 1.3 [LSi] / Accent Coupe 3dr 1.3 [i, Si] / Accent 4dr 1.5 [GLSi] / Accent 5dr 1.5 [GSi, GLSi] / Accent Coupe 3dr 1.5 16v [MVi])
BY JONATHAN CROUCH
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The
Hyundai Accent was the car that finally brought the South Korean marque into the mainstream UK market. Certainly, its technology and equipment levels were basic. Nevertheless, they were adequate for the needs of buyers who placed a greater priority on low prices and exemplary reliability. As a cheap used secondhand car, the Accent makes a lot of sense.
If youre wondering whether you can fit the family inside, then imagine something a little longer than an Escort or an Astra but marginally narrower. With no rear
seat passengers, a six footer could sit back and stretch out both legs in comfort. Comfort and convenience are in fact the keynotes (or should we say the `Accents`) of this design. If you can operate a payphone, youll have little trouble with the cabin controls. Indeed, the light gear change, clutch and steering will appeal particularly to older buyers. Indeed, Accent buyers have proved remarkable pleased with their purchases.
A customer survey for Which? in September 2000 named the Accent as the UKs joint most reliable car, a distinction it shared with the
Toyota RAV4. Hyundai also quote an extremely high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
The earliest 94L-registered 1.3-litre Accents in LSi 5dr form start from around £1,200 if you can find one. You'll more likely come across N to 99S-registered models at between £1,600 and £3,000. Three-door 94L-registered Coupes start at around £1,300, depending on mileage and your choice between i or Si spec. More common M to S-registered examples will cost between £1,500 and £2,800. If you want 1.
5-litre power (initially 5dr hatches and saloons only), a GLSi variant will cost from £1,600 on an L-plate, while M to 99S-registered cars range from £1,800 to £3,500. The sporty MVi 16-valve Coupe comes on 97P plates onwards from £2,900.
Try for a 1.5-litre model, not because its much more powerful (it isn't) but because you'll get power steering as standard. Plusher LSi and GLSi models add niceties such as tinted glass, a sunroof, electric front windows and central locking but only the latter has a driver's airbag. Not much goes wrong but the interiors don't wear well and some examples may show signs of heavy front tyre wear.
(Approx - based on an Accent 1.5 GLSi) A clutch assembly is about £125 and brake pads around £45. You'll pay around £100 for a headlamp, around £170 for a radiator, around £205 for a windscreen and up to £40 for a quality tyre. A pair of shock absorbers is around £75.
The 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines, which drive the front wheels via a five-speed transmission, are entirely Hyundais own design and manufacture. So is the gearbox, the chassis and just about everything else.
Theres no sign of the
Mitsubishi-derived hardware used in the previous X2 model. It's not a recipe set up to please the sporting motorist not even in 16-valve MVi form but most buyers don't care about that. The 1.3-litre model makes 60 in 12.8 seconds on the way to 104mph and is capable of up to 60mpg.
Those wanting cheap, practical transport could do much worse than consider Hyundai's Accent. While most pay more for Corsas, Fiestas and Micras, you could be in something larger and cheaper to run that almost never goes wrong. Sounds tempting doesn't it?
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