Hyundai Motors is the second largest auto manufacturer in the country after Maruti Suzuki India ltd. The Hyundai brand is a well diffused one across India. Hyundai Motors launched the Accent during the time when the incoming of major car manufacturers in India was on the rise. It was pitted against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Esteem and Ford Ikon. Albeit a modern car for its era, Hyundai Accent has now gradually inched towards being called an updated machine. This has been a gradual phenomenon despite the continuous production of the model till date. The car was shoved down the market’s throat without any major changes. Although few changes in the form of variants were made like the Viva, a notchback variant of Hyundai Accent was later introduced. The car is available in both petrol and diesel options, although initially only petrol 1.5 liter engine was introduced. In order to be competitive with more power-packing cars Hyundai Motors equipped the Accent with a 1.6 liter engine capable of mustering a power of 103 bhp and dubbed it as the Tornado. Here is a word of advice for the reader, Avoid It!
The fuel economy of the car is rather decent with an average return of 11 kpl in the city peripheries and a good 15kpl on the highways. The diesel 1.6 liter engine, as usual was more efficient, with an average return of 14 kpl in the urban areas and an excellent 20 kpl on the highways. However, the duplicate of the petrol 1.5 liter engine could only churn out 9 kmpl in the city and 14 kpl on the highways, which was abysmal to say the least. The ride quality of the car is soft albeit a bit wallowy. The suspensions of the Tornado and Viva were more firm than the earlier models. This in turn improved handling and in the process reduced body roll. A problem area in a used Hyundai Accent is the steering, which is light but vague. Try turning the wheel on both the sides from lock to lock and have a keen ear for odd noise. Replacing the unit is an expensive job. The car has a decent boot size and is fairly spacious. Check all the windows of a used Hyundai Accent and if you find glasses of different quality and make on the same, rest assured the car has been in an accident. Electrical wiring is a trouble free aspect of an Accent, but you must not forget to inspect it for its operability while examining a second hand Hyundai Accent. If at all possible lift the car on to a ramp and check its undersides, for this will tell you the way the car has been taken care off. A second hand Hyundai Accent need not be rusting even after few years of use, but if you see any sign of rusting it is a testimonial of a shunting. And as our cardinal rule goes, keep away from such vehicles as they are potential hazard to the mental health. Check the date of manufacture on the tyre and match it with the reading on the odometer. If they both corroborate then you can be assured that the car is a genuine sale. But if it is otherwise, enquire if the tyre has been replaced and if the answer comes in the negative, then lord behold the odometer has been tampered with. Look at the vehicle with more suspicion or better still walk away and look for another offering. If you find any uneven tread on the tyres, this may be due to a wornout steering rod. Replacing it is a bit costly. The gearbox of a second hand Hyundai Accent is notchy albeit precise. All the ratios are in tandem with the engine. Clutch of the Hyundai Accent is known to clock 50,000 km mark comfortably without any major repairs. Although all the three variants of the Accent had similar configuration, their suspensions differ, it’s advisable to have a good look at it. Hyundai Accent is available in 3 engine options. Usually the low-performance old generation, 1.5 liter four pot, would be on sale. Such cars require major over hauling only after 1, 20,000 kms. The used Hyundai Accent price petrol version from the 2005 batch would be Rs 2 Lakhs and for the diesel option would be a lakh higher. Whereas, a later model of 2008 would go anywhere between Rs 3.25 to 3.5 Lakhs, for the petrol version.
