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Hyundai Accent - Ownership Review
With so many new cars launched off late, the main question remains on how will it be on the pocket after many years of owning it. The swanky interiors and the glossy exteriors are a sight when in new condition. The same remains with the performance of the engine, which remains very active initially.
The condition however deteriorates. This can be blamed to the course of time, acts by nature or unseen and unpredictable circumstances.
We at Cartrade, in pursuit of educating the prospective customer with the complete user experience of an owner and in continuation to a successful series of ownership reviews including the Ford Fiesta, Tata Safari and Maruti Suzuki Omni, bring the ownership experience of Mr. Manu Sharma, owner of a Hyundai Accent.
Mr. Manu Sharma owns a pale green 2004 petrol Hyundai Accent GLS. It is a 4-cylinder 1495cc engine, which produces a power of 95PS and a torque of 123Nm. The present mileage figure that Mr. Manu gets is 12 Kmpl.
The Hyundai Accent has features like power windows, power steering, central locking and Air Conditioning. The upholstery is done in fabric and taking the duration of ownership in mind, the car boasts of a well maintained interior.
The table enlisted below gives details of specifications and key features of this car compared to the presently available Hyundai Accent Executive. The changes that Hyundai has introduced over the long period are not substantially different from the previous generation excluding some improvements in the interior fit and finish and the different features offered.
Technical Specifications of Hyundai Accent
| Hyundai Accent Executive | |
| Parameter | 1.5LPetrol |
| Enine capacity in cc | 1495/4 cyl |
| Power in BHP | 95bhp @ 5500rpm |
| Torque in NM | 125Nm @ 3500rpm |
| GearBox | 5/M |
| Deimesions in MM | |
| Length | 4250 |
| Width | 1670 |
| Boot space | |
| Wheel base | 2440 |
| Height | 1370 |
| Ground clearence | 172 |
| Tyre rating | 175/70R13 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | NA |
| Average Mileage | 13KMPL |
| Gross Weight (Kg) | NA |
| Kerb Weight | NA |
| Ex Show room price | 5.1Lakh |
Features of Hyundai Accent
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| Key features | |
| Body color bumper | |
| Body color door handles | |
| Tinted glass | |
| Rear defogger | |
| Leather wrapped steering wheel | |
| Air conditioner | |
| Front and rear power windows | |
| Power steering | |
| Tilt steering | |
| Central locking | |
| Keyless entry | |
| Immobiliser |
Below is the brief conversation with Mr. Manu Sharma
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Question: Since when do you own the car, what motivated you to Go for the brand and model?
Answer: I have been driving cars for 10 years now and have owned Maruti Omni and Hyundai Santro. I wanted to upgrade from the Hyundai Santro with a sedan car. The Hyundai Accent perfectly fitted my requirement. It came in my budget and was a better upgrade from driving a small car.
Question: Can you explain your experience with the earlier models compared to the present one?
Answer: Maruti Omni was the very good utility vehicle. We used it for a period of 4 to 5 years. The flexible seating capacity and the legroom for the rear passengers makes it an ideal big family car. For 3 years, we used it without any alterations. We got a mileage of 16 Kmpl. However, as our frequency of travel increased and the trend of fitting LPG kit which promised of better running cost came up, we decided to get one fitted on our car too. The installation was done at an authorized centre. We used the Omni in LPG for more than a year. Initially, it indeed proved to be an economical decision but then later we got tangled in issues like bad pick-up, frequent starting problem and foul smell. This happened until we finally decided to get rid of it in exchange for a used Hyundai Santro.
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Hyundai Santro, This car is a great car for the good performance and comfortable drive it offers. One could frequently drive it up to speeds of 120 km/h. With foldable seating and hence expanded luggage space, we have made maximum usage of the same .The rear seat is comfortable for three persons and there is good enough leg space for front seats. We used the Santro for 3 years and were happily satisfied with it. In our attempt to upgrade to a better car, we came across my friend’s Hyundai Accent. I was aware of its good condition and thought of it as a great bargain.
Question: Tell us something about the present status of your car
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Answer: I bought Accent from my friend who had driven it for 1,00,000 kms ( yes !! 1 lakh ).Though I knew it is in good condition, I was bit concerned as it was already driven for over 1 lakh km. Now it has done 1.2 lakh kms without any problem at all. Awesome power!! I have tried driving Tata Indigo, Maruti Suzuki Swift Desire but when you drive those sedans after driving Accent, you will feel Accent has awesome power than others. The steering quality is very good, it is as easy as driving a hatchback. Smooth pick up, good visibility, good leg space and comfortable seating are boosting factors. Even suspension quality is fantastic. The overall drive feel won’t be affected with minor luggage. Overall it does give satisfactory performance.
Questions: How is the performance of Hyundai Accent compared to earlier cars?
Answer: Compared to Hyundai Santro, it is a sedan with higher power and bigger dimensions, it offers better comfort. The styling, comfortable seatings, interior fit and finish and separate luggage space make it a worthy upgradation both with respect to usage and image of ownership. These days, we give more importance to utility and comfort. People do ask me on why I don’t upgrade from the Hyundai Accent.
With all these appreciations and satisfactions with Hyundai Accent, We hope it gives good performance at least for another 30K kms.
Question: How about cost per service, is it a pocket burner?
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Answer: Compared to Maruti, I think Hyundai servicing costs are little expensive, but we can identify the difference with the quality of servicing offered by Hyundai over Maruti. My periodic service costs are around Rs.5k + oil charges, which is ok for a car that has run for 1.2 lakh kms.
Question: Any accident repairs done, insurance claimed?
Answer: As I am an experienced driver, I do take care to drive at safe speed during city driving and taking out from parking lot etc. So far, there have been no accidents. Only two minor scratches are present on the body and are there since the time we bought it. It is not visible due to frequent washing and polishing of the vehicle.
Question: Any mileage issues that you faced with your car?
Answer: Mileage is less for a car with so much power, I get around 10 kmpl in city conditions and 13 kmpl on highways and my dad gets around 12 in city. This is due to the different driving styles. If anything motivates for the replacement of the car, it could be the mileage issue. We were not satisfied with the performance of LPG fitment for Maruti Omni; we won’t be trying the same for Accent. We have plans to continue to use it for some time until we get a suitable replacement.
Question: Can you tell us about your experience on long drives
Answer: We have taken the vehicle on many long drives for a distance of 100kms and more. It gives a comfortable ride, no much stress and many of the times I could drive it at a speed of 140 kmph without any feel of vibration or unpleasant excessive noise. After 140Kmph, however, the vehicle vibrates a bit. Steering is one of the major advantages in Accent with which we could steer it easily in narrow space. Even the AC is quite efficient and gets effective in short duration of time. Long drives have always been awesome with no problems.
Question: Any brake down faced and how was the problem solved?
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Answer: No Brake down faced till now.
Question: Any good and bad experience at service station?
Answer: Service quality is good with respect to workmanship. I did not face any problem with service. The service people do give high importance to quality of work and delivery in time. However, the service cost is bit high compared to other cars. Earlier when we owned Omni, we could get it repaired even in local garages and get best quality service. With Santro also we could get it repaired at any local garage. Now with the Hyundai Accent, the cost of spares and need of giving it to the best hands to keep it under best of condition motivates more people to give it to a authorized service center and they do charge more for labor charges and hence overall billing would be on higher side.
Question: How do you rate the overall ownership, would you recommend the same to others?
Answer: We are satisfied with the performance of the car. Though cost of service is a bit high, it was never a problem for us. The ever increasing cost of petrol and in such a scenario, getting a mileage of around 10 kmpl, daily users will find it very expensive as tentatively each km will cost around Rs.7. Experience with this car will be awesome. I was skeptical of issues like parking and turning radius before buying this car. But I don’t think it’s an issue any more. We can definitely go for a sedan compared to a small car.
Question: If given an option to go for a new car, which brand and make would you choose and why?
Answer: Currently we don’t have any plans of going for another car. However, we have experienced good performance with the Hyundai Accent. Our family also has grown, which has made us thinking of opting for a SUV/MUV in sometime. Tata Sumo Grande MKII would be our first choice for its power, performance and good styling.
Rival Chart of Hyundai Accent
| Accent Petrol | Manza Petrol | Swift Dzire | Fiesta | Logan Play | Aveo | |
| Executive | Safire Aura with ABS | Zxi with ABS | Sxi | 1.4 GLX(Petrol) | 1.4 LT | |
| Parameter | ||||||
| Enine capacity | 1495 | 1368 | 1298 | 1596 | 1390 | 1399 |
| Power in BHP | 95/5500rpm | 90/6000rpm | 87/6000rpm | 101/6500rpm | 75/5500rpm | 94 |
| Torque in NM | 125/3500rpm | 116/4750rpm | 113/4500rpm | 146/3400rpm | 110/3000rpm | 127/3500rpm |
| GearBox | Manual 5 Speed | Manual 5 Speed | Manual 5 Speed | Manual 5 Speed | Manual 5 speed | Manual 5 Speed |
| Deimesions | ||||||
| Length | 4250 | 4413 | 4160 | 4286 | 4247 | 4310 |
| Width | 1670 | 1703 | 1690 | 1686 | 1740 | 1710 |
| Boot space | NA | 460 | 440 | 430 | 510 | 400 |
| Wheel base | 2440 | 2520 | 2390 | 2486 | 2630 | 2480 |
| Height | 1370 | 1550 | 1530 | 1468 | 1534 | 1505 |
| Ground clearence | 172 | 165 | 170 | 168 | 172 | 181 |
| Tyre rating | 175/70R13 | 185/60 R15 | 185/70 R14 | 175/65 R14 | 185/70 R14 | 185/60 r14 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | NA | 44 | 43 | 45 | 50 | 45 |
| Average Mileage | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14.4 | 14 |
| Gross Weight (Kg) | NA | 1585 | NA | NA | 1600 | NA |
| Kerb Weight | NA | 1115 | 1035 | 1130 | 1080 | 1095 |
| Ex Show room price | 5.2 | 5.26 | 5.86 | 6.9 | 5.35 | 7.02 |
Conclusion:
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Hyundai Accent has attained a very popular status. A major credit goes to the quality of the product that Hyundai offers. Hyundai Accent owners are generally very happy and satisfied with their cars. This fact is proved when the prices of Hyundai Accent are seen in used car market. Hyundai Accent demands a price of Rs 1.50 Lakhs onwards in the used car market depending upon the condition.
The above interview is with respect to Hyundai Accent, which has run for more than 1 Lakh kms. The main intention behind this interview is to give the reader an exact idea of the condition and the real time experience felt by the owner. You can find other user reviews on Hyundai Accent in the following link User Reviews of Hyundai Accent.
