2010 Hyundai Accent Blue Hatchback
Market Price from: $9,252
One of the main reasons to buy a used car instead of a new one is to save money. As every car salesman will tell you, the largest devaluation a vehicle ever sustains is when it is driven new out of the dealership parking lot. That being said, sometimes a low price means a great deal. Sometimes it just means the car is cheaply-built. The Accent is one of “those cars” that might as well be a prison transport vehicle.
The 2010 Hyundai Accent Blue is a compact economy hatchback and is the lowest of three trim levels. It has a 1.6 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 110 horsepower. It has 14-inch steel wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 5-speed manual transmission. It is rated at 28 mpg on in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, and goes from zero to sixty in 9.4 seconds.
The Blue comes with almost no conveniences. It has a 6-way height-adjustable driver’s seat, and the rear seat is a 60/40 split-fold that reclines. There is an antenna and four speakers, but no audio system. There is no air conditioning, either.
If you’re looking for safety, you won’t find much of that, either. It does have side front and side curtain airbags, but that is it. There is no stability control, no traction control, and no antilock brakes. It takes an Accent with ABS 30 less feet to stop than it does one without.
In government tests, the Accent got perfect scores of 5 stars in front impact tests. In side impact tests, though, it got 4 stars for front seat and 3 stars for the rear seat. In tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Accent got the second-highest score of “acceptable” in front impact tests, but the lowest score of “poor” for side impact. Whenever there is a disagreement between the government and the IIHS, we always go with the IIHS, because their existence depends on the accuracy of their work to determine insurance premiums.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
The interior is definitely economy. It is sparse and plain, with a lot of lower-quality materials. When you combine the lack of a radio or air conditioning, you definitely aren’t going to depend on the Accent for entertainment while driving or riding. There is plenty of headroom and legroom in the front seats, but the rear seats have “hatchback disease,” and are better-used for children and cargo.
The Accent does a few things right. The acceleration is better than one would expect from such a small engine, and handling is adequate. The steering and suspension are tuned to somewhere between sport and comfort, and the result is a decent “tweener.” The ride is decent for its market segment, too. The suspension is backed off just enough to provide comfort. The cabin does a great job at keeping out noise, but the engine can get a bit loud at higher speeds.
There are some things to like about this car for its price. The problem is that the abysmal “safety” ratings are a deal-breaker for most people. When you put inferior brakes on a car with no traction control, you get a car that is about 50 percent more likely to sustain a crash, and almost 70 percent as likely to sustain a rollover. You are also somewhere around 70 percent more likely to have a fatal accident in this car than in one with antilock brakes and Electronic Stability Control.
The verdict: Hyundai makes some excellent cars. This is not one of them. Stay as far away from the Accent as you can.
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