2000 Hyundai Accent...Continued

Hyundai's revamped and refined 1.5-liter SOHC alpha engine block has been redesigned for smoother operation. The 12-valve, single overhead cam cylinder head now features maintenance-free hydraulic valve-lash adjusters. Further refinements include the addition of a Bosch Seven engine management system.

The smooth-shifting five-speed manual transmission has revised gear ratios for better driveability and GS or GL buyers can select an optional four-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission with fuel saving lock-up torque converter. The transmission's adaptive logic will delay upshifts and reduce "hunting" when going uphill.

The car is actually fun to drive. Steering is precise and fairly communicative. The short wheelbase contributes to a Ītossableā feel. It does not have a great deal of understeer and no torque steer. The Hankook tires squealed and chirped a bit during spirited runs, but kept the car planted to the road. The car weighs about 2300 pounds and doesnāt require a lot of tire for its weight. Using supercomputers, Hyundai engineers were able to make the basic structure of the Accent stronger and more rigid.

Driving the Accent with its small, by American standards, engine is an indication of why Europeans order more manual transmission cars than automatics. With a manual gearbox the Accent is well capable of keeping up with traffic and merging on freeways.

ABS brakes are not available. Panic stops showed the brakes to be adequate with little pedal fade. With practice the brake pedal can be modulated in panic situations to bring the car to fairly quick Īnon-lockedā stops. When a school bus (thankfully unloaded) foolishly pulled out on a busy urban street the Accent scrubbed speed quickly and just avoided the busās rear bumper!

The interior layout is tidy and easy to use, with materials well in line with the price range of the car. There is plenty of space for tall Americans in the front, and adequate room in the rear if you don't have many NBA friends. The Hyundai interior controls are straightforward, but sometimes in strange locations. Accent drivers and passengers now have second generation air bags.

The new Accent is also equipped with seat belt pretensioners and load limiters that are designed to tighten the seat belt in the event of a collision. There are seat belts at all passenger locations, height-adjustable front shoulder belt anchors, child seat anchors and child safety rear door locks in the GL.

The interior panels are covered with hard plastic surfaces broken up by cloth inserts in the door trim and cloth seats. The seat seams run parallel to long muscles, and the driverās seat has plenty of adjustability, which should allow for decent comfort over long distances. The headliner is softly padded but covered with a grained plastic material that will be easy to clean up, if say, a pop bottle gets sprayed in the car.