2004 Hyundai Accent GL from North America - Comments

The only fault I have had with my new Accent is a loose passenger side rear-view mirror.

We were looking for an economical, reliable second car. The Accent has been a pleasant surprise and proves that just because you want something small and economical, doesn't mean you have to settle for a boring econobox.

The Accent has many thoughtful features, including heated external mirrors and driver's seat adjustment controls that make it almost impossible for anyone to be uncomfortable. The car is small, of course, but the trunk space is impressive and front passenger room is adequate for most. Rear seating is tight but we didn't buy this car with the intention of hauling four people on any long trips.

Mechanically, the little engine loves to rev and propels the car competently. It's not a hot-rod, but that's not what we were looking for. The 5 speed manual transmission is smooth and easy to use. Fuel consumption has lived up to specifications already, despite being told that estimated fuel consumption is not fully achieved until after the first 2000 kilometers.

For the car it is meant to be, the Accent is a recommended buy. It's perfect as a second car, for students, or anyone who is looking for relatively basic, economical transportation. The days of ugly, unreliable econoboxes are over and the Accent is a true testament to that. Granted, we've only had the car for a short time, we are very satisfied and past reliability ratings make us feel confident that we made the right choice.

I like my 2004 as well except for the body roll on winding roads and the cost of insurance. The 2004 has an insurance symbol of 15! Need to weigh this cost when fugring if the car is a good deal or not.

As the author of the review, I'm providing an update.

2,000 kilometers later, our Accent continues to be trouble-free. The fuel economy is slightly better than the projected estimates. A recent road trip showed that this car isn't bad on the highway, although slightly lower RPM's in fifth gear would be nice.

The loose rear-view mirror I cited just needed to be set into place by hand, a quick task I did after a minute of investigation.

All in all, a recommended buy.

I was looking for an economical, reliable and cheap car. I found these features in the Accent 2004 which has different name in Egypt (Its name is VERNA). I bought my Verna Last January 2004, and I drove about 6000 kilometers with no troubles until now. Actually I`m enjoying the driving with this car especially in the long trips which take up to 4 or 5 hours of continues driving. The driver seat is comfortable and the AC (Air Condition) is very good and also the fuel consumption is good enough.

Of course, The car is small, but the trunk space is impressive and front passenger room is adequate for most. Rear seating is tight, but I didn't buy this car with the intention of hauling four people on any long trips.

Finally, I recommend this car to buy.

I took a long time researching the various manufacturers/models in this class, including the Toyota Echo, Kia Rio, etc.

Basically, the Hyundai Accent, has won the the car of the year (small car - economy), 3 of the last 4 years, and was runner up to the Hyundai Getz in the other year.

I felt this was a good buy for the massive amount of features you get with the base model. Heated mirrors/air/power/central locking/alarm, keyless entry, a "huge" boot for the size of the car, colour coded bumpers, power this, power that everywhere.

The gearbox is tight, and has the right feel to it, and a clutch that knows exactly when to engage.

If your used to driving a larger car, you will find the steering sometimes too responsive, which would lead to some interesting experiences on tight winding roads at high speed. Not a car to hit the alps in at 120kph. It simply isn't in that price range, nor has that kind of performance/quality.

The motor is responsive, (1.6 L) but don't expect to get you head slapped back into the headrest when you plant your foot. It has exactly what you need for city driving, and the occasional country trip.

The one glaring thing I found with my test drive was engine noise. It certainly peaks out early, and is not the quitest of drives. It really needed a few degrees of seperation between 3rd, 4th and 5th. Again, for the price, who is going to complain.

The 5 year full factory warranty (or 130,000 Km) is also a great buying feature.

All in all, a very good "economical" car, at an economical price. Defintely worth a test drive for those on tight budgets (single income families, students, etc), and don't want to pay another couple of grand to option up the vehicle.

In my opinion 8.5/10.

P.S. This is based on the Australian version (never tried a foreign or rebadged, but I'd guess that coming from the same plant they would be the same.

I drive an Accent GL up in Ottawa, Canada and I have taken this car throughout Quebec and Ontario on road trips. Personally, I have never had any problems with it whatsoever. I do regular maintenance at the dealership about every 2 months. Right now my odometer reads a little over 85,000km. I heard, however, that the problems start after 100k so we will have to see.

Bad thing about it: IT IS QUITE BAD IN THE WINTER! I changed the wheels thinking it was their fault and the car still has huge problems. It feels... light and the control is lacking especially on slippery surfaces like fresh rain or a thin layer of ice. Hell, sometimes I even have to break hard on normal asphalt. Last, but not least, please understand I am comparing this car to a 2004 Ford Taurus and a 2002 Saturn LS that I also drive regularly.

That's my two cents.

I bought my 2004 Hyundai Accent with 56K miles and after 2 months I still love it. Very peppy 5 speed manual tranny and engine. No mechanical problems so far. Comfortable front seats with a huge trunk for such a small car. Not much room in the rear seats. Fuel efficiency has met my expectations - about 30mpg city and 35mph highway driving.

My regular mechanic strongly recommended replacing the timing belt at 60K and not going much over that. He warned these cars are prone to timing belt problems if you push them too far.

Good economy car at a much better price than the Japanese labels.