2012 Hyundai Accent GS (933)

Overview:

This week we’re looking at the 2012 Hyundai Accent GS sedan.

General Information: Parts from the US / Canada 1%, Korea 91%. It is assembled in Ulsan, Korea, Classification is Compact Car. Cars from Hyundai: Accent, Azera, Elantra, Elantra Touring, Equus, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, Tucson, Veloster & Veracruz.

Opinion:

For those who may not know, Saab filed bankruptcy Dec. 19, 2011, and it is sad when people fail but I have to wonder why we have lost the Saab brand.

You may also not know Saab was the car of choice of the Gay community. One has to wonder if that small consumer base just wasn’t large enough to support the brand. I have documented several interviews with people who once owned a Saab but opted not to continue supporting the brand because of the perception the public at large had of them.

My curiosity is clear… I wonder what impact that small consumer group may have had on the failure of the brand. Your thoughts?

Handling & Performance:

Very tight and responsive small sedan. Great zip around town car and efficient commuter. It has very good fuel economy but with only 138 hp sluggishness is expected. Of course you don’t buy this class of economy car for the purpose of road racing or hi performance. You won’t be burning rubber during jack rabbit starts. And let’s face it, with gas prices in 2012 driving a Hyundai Accent GS will likely cut your gas bill in half. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Styling:

This class is not terribly pretty and many say the back end looks incomplete. But the Honda Fit is even more a child only a mother could love. Some would disagree, of course, but it just isn’t my idea of pretty.

On the other hand I’ve owned more than a few VW Bugs and in spite of its clumsy look, it took off almost immediately in the 1950s, and that’s when price of Gas Was 22 cents a gallon. And even to the present day the New Beetle is popular and people still love little “Herbie”. For whatever reason it became a classic.

Designers ever since have been stumbling around trying to duplicate the success by finding a look consumers would embrace again, but the quest eludes but the few.

Fit and Finish:

There is an attention to detail in Japan and Korea that is exceptional in the world, so as you’d expect, the fit and finish is very good in this compact. Hyundai has taken a page out of the books of Japanese carmakers that raised the bar for quality high and gave others a standard to emulate.

That was not always the case for any product made in non-industrialized countries. Craftsmanship belonged to the Europeans and Americans and that extended to the auto industry in particular. I believe technology such as CAD (computer aided design) had a lot to do with that. The Assembly stage of production used to require Artisans to make thing fit together well. Not true today.

Cost:

The good news is you don’t have to pay hybrid prices to get 40 mpg. For the price of one foo foo brand you can have two of these Hyundai Accents. This is a great buy among a small field of similar cars. Homely or not, as you decide, this is a smart purchase for a small, young family on a budget.

When I had a young family I owned a few VW’s even after college and a Ford Fiesta was a great car to help bridge the gap during those lean times. And when our daughter turned 16 and as a good student earned having a car, so we handed it down to her after it served us well for over 5 years.

Conveniences and comfort:

Wonderfully equipped with the most important high tech automotive features standard, such as Stability control, for example.

Consumer Recommendation:

Overall I found owners gave it good to excellent ratings. Some said “it’s a Great cheap car”, and that it is “Wonderfully economical”, “a gas sipper”.

Most confirm the manufacturer’s claim of 40 highway mpg. One owner said he got 43.6 miles per gallon on a road trip.

Recognized Competition:

Hyundai Accent $15,000, Chevrolet Sonic $14,000, Toyota Yaris $14,000, Nissan Versa $11,000, Ford Fiesta $13,000, Mazda 2 $15,000, Kia Rio $14,000, Honda Fit $15,000.

Good News:

Very good fuel economy, nice ride and a well priced compact sedan.

Bad News:

Slightly under powered that means if you floor it, the engine will whine and bitch at you. But it will settle down after you reach cruising speed.

Standard Equipment:

1.6 liter 138 hp 4-cylinder engine, dual continuously variable valve timing, 6-speed automatic transmission, stability control, traction control, 4-wheel ABS disc brakes with brake force distribution and brake assist, front side and side curtain airbags, tire pressure monitor, active ECO system, air conditioning, audio with CD/MP3, XM satellite iPod/ USB and aux input jacks, power windows mirrors and locks, remote keyless entry, tilt steering column, cruise control, trip computer, 60/40 split folding rear seat, intermittent wiper and rear wiper.

Gas Stats:

$3.69/ Gal avg. July 24, 2012

www.fueleconomy.gov

For more information.

30 City and 40 Highway MPG

Pricing:

MSRP $15,895.