mmarshall

Try another Hyundai dealership. There's no legitimate reason why you should not be allowed to test-drive an Accent hatch, as long as it is reasonable and doesn't load it up with too many miles.

The rep is indeed giving you B.S. about negotiation. If they want to sell you the car, they will give you a price. See if there are any local Hyundai dealers in your area with a no-negotiable, Internet price (which usually incluses a fair discount). We have some Hyundai shops like here in the D.C. area that do buisness that way, and I have helped a number of friends/co-workers through those deals if they wanted a new Hyundai.

Hyundai/Kia products are actually well-built today....in some ways, IMO, as good or better than their Japanese competitiors. That's why they can offer those long warranties and not lose money.

-J-P-L-

Well, don't let a bad dealer take the Accent off the table as a choice. Check out the next closest Hyundai dealer if you guys are still interested.

The Accent and it's couson, the Rio, have consistently ranked at the top of recent sub-compact comparison tests. Either one would be a great choice. I'd actually go with the better looking, sportier Rio. Go check it out.

If you want guaranteed, long term reliability, the Yaris and Fit are your cars. The Yaris has been a bit criticized though for its overall performance in tests. The Fit is the oldest model in the class, but still a good performer and has the most space.

The Fiesta is a looker and good driver, but a bit cramped inside. It's long term reliability is unproven.

The Sonic is a very good offering, but has the lowest MPG rating, and is also unproven for reliability.

Too expensive when comparing to the standard sub-compact class. They cost as much as the base model Camry/Accord mid-size class.

Mr Johnson

Agreed. Some dealers don't want your business but the car is worth making a visit to another dealer for.

Well we just went through this same list (minus the Yaris) as we were determining whether we should plow more $$ into our old car for the daughters to drive or get a lower cost small car. My sorted list.

1. Accent - Best interior styling and feel(obviously subjective), great gas mileage, features (bluetooth etc..) and warranty for the price
2. Fiesta - Tight on space and a bit down on features for the price but the best handling of the bunch. No issues with the DCT shifting as others have complained. Lower end warranty.
3. Fit - Nice roomy interior. A bit on the cheapish side. Poor gas mileage for the size. Second most fun to drive.
4. Rio - I know it's close to a clone of the Accent but didn't prefer the ride (harsher) to any of the ones ranked above it here. Styling on the exterior and interior was a bit less pleasant.
5. Versa - These next three are pretty far behind IMO. Very cheap interior (but not as bad as the Sonic) but utilitarian. If you add on some options on a higher end model it's not bad and still reasonably priced. Roomy but not much to write home about wrt ride.
6. Mazda 2 - Given that it's a "platform mate" of the Fiesta almost everything else is sub Fiesta on the 2. Worse gas mileage, poor automatic transmission, poor space and by us a poor dealer to boot.
7. Sonic - IMO a terrible interior that could not be saved by a decent ride. A bit too small in the rear in comparison to the others (though not much worse than Fiesta). Decent power and lack of noise.

IMO the Yaris would have probably ended up mid-pack (above the Versa) had we looked at it.

Good luck!

-J-P-L-

Sonic, a terrible interior? Are you sure you drove a Sonic? Worse than the Versa? Are you talking about the new Versa sedan which has the worse interior in the whole industry?

The Sonic's interior is best in class along with the Accent. It was just awarded a spot on Ward's Best New Interior List.

Sciller

iTrader: (2)

The new Hyundai line up is defiantly ...IMO....the freshet and most reliable cars for the money...I would defiantly pick up a sonata turbo for a daily or a genesis for fun IF I didn't have all my money flowing into the sc lol

LexBob2

This week on TV Motorweek tested about 7 subcompacts. The top 3 in order of finish were: 1. Honda Fit 2. Kia Rio sedan 3. Hyundai Accent hatch.

The Kia and Rio were similar, but I think the testers preferred the styling of the Kia.

Mr Johnson

Yep, a Sonic. I heard all the praise and was incredibly unimpressed when I actually sat in the thing. My main issues are the IP gauge cluster looks plain goofy (obviously IMO) and the materials on it are cheap. The center stack has shapes/buttons flaring every which way. IMO terrible. YMMV

Fizzboy7

Agreed. The Sonic's interior is so bad, it's not even in a class of automobiles. It's one below with motorcycles. Horrible decision on GM's part.

mmarshall

Well, I guess each opinion to his or her own, but most reviewers think that the Sonic interior, especially in the upmarket versions, is pretty well-done except for the somewhat quirky motorcycle-style speedo/gauge-pod. I agree.....that's the only thing inside that I would change.

nitsua

So the plan now is to head to another dealership over the weekend to try the hatch to really get a feel for the car. Another consideration is the Mazda 3 and Matrix (got a hookup) which means going a bit larger than sub compact and sacrificing fuel efficiency

spwolf

dont buy into 40 MPG claims, CR tested all of them and best way Yaris at 33 MPG, rest of the pack was between 28 MPG (Sonic) and 32 MPG (Fit).

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

i say go for it. the recent Motortrend ranks the Accent no. 1 in their comparo against the likes of Sonic, Fit, Yaris and Kia Rio.

jli

take a look at the Hyundai Veloster too! if your gf is looking for an automatic, the veloster has dual clutch tran

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i was just in costa rica for 11 days and the rental car was a hyundai accent sedan 'blue' edition (which i think means even smaller engine than u.s., maybe a 1.4?). it was a 5 speed stick too - definitely fun on the really steep hills and twisty roads

so, got to know the car pretty well. it was definitely a base model (no central locking, no cruise, base stereo, etc). it has about 18k mi. on it, of no doubt hard abuse in costa rica's mountainous terrain, passing on 2 lane roads a lot (or you won't get anywhere, lol), and high city traffic.

pros:
comfortable to drive
good stick shift and clutch
quiet and smooth ride
trunk roomy
back seats ok
modern, good looking car inside and out (subjective of course)
suspension seemed basic, but comfortable (don't expect great cornering)
felt and went completely reliably

cons:
front passenger seat seemed lower than driver's with no height adjustment
gutless engine except in narrow torque band (fun on steep hills )
5th gear only good for flat or downhill
ipod connection did not work with ipod nano or new ipad (stereo said reading usb over and over, and never worked)
no matter how many times i tried, and reading the (spanish) manual, i could not set the car's clock. if i got the time set right, it didn't advance time even though the two dots were flashing

overall:
very impressed

as an aside, about every other vehicle in costa rica is a hyundai. they love them, mitsubishi is also big too (esp. with suvs and trucks). toyota and honda pick up the rest. in nicer towns/cities you'll see an occasional audi or bmw. did not see one lexus.