2009 Hyundai Accent Base GS 3-Door

Pros

Price, Warranty and standard features

Cons

High RPMs

Purchased As New

I was blessed by the cash for clunkers program. I got $4500 and $1500 rebate from Hyundai. I paid $6999.97 total driving off the lot!!! I have owned a 2006 Toyota Corolla and loved it. I thought I was really going to be suffering in this little box, but man am I still being impressed. I got the base model with a 5-speed(Which I prefer). The only option mine had was the alloy gas cap cover, which I think is very sporty. The only issue I have had is that the driver's side airbag light started coming on at random times. I was going to call the dealer, but someone at work said they had had similar problems when the weather was wet. Well sure enough I had had the problem in wet conditions. The only thing concerning me is the RPM situation. At 60 mph she turns 3000 rpm and at 80 mph 4000 rpm. Not used to hearing a motor scream so hard, but she is incredibly responsive for such a small car. Overall I am very impressed and Blessed. I would suggest buying this car to anyone....read morehide

Pros

Price, warranty, room, mileage, fun

Cons

None

Purchased As New

I needed a car right away and drive a lot of miles so naturally I was looking for fuel economy. I read reviews and the Accent seemed to fit the bill. I expected a slow, little, boring cracker box. Wow!
I loved it the minute I left the dealership. It's comfortable, fun to drive, and who can beat the warranty and gas mileage. Drive it before you buy a Civic or Corolla. I bought it the same day. I got the popular equipment package for the a/c and stereo, and the 5-speed.
I'm really happy with it....read morehide

Pros

low cost, fuel econ., best warranty, built in XM, extras at base level

Cons

low torque 1st gear, balky standard shifter(must add B&M sport shifter!), hard door armrest

Purchased As Used

Bought a used 2008 GS hatch w/ 13Kmi., and only the A/C and stereo option. Impressed with what you get for the money. Great gas mileage( I don't know what some reviewers are smoking with these low MPG claims!) I measure MPG precisely, and the worst I've gotten is 32.5MPG/suburban commute,errands,running A/C. On a long mostly hwy trip, I got 39.7MPG! And I don't drive slowly.
Interior fit and finish impressive for this class; not fancy but laid out well and sturdy. The XM/CD and six speakers are wonderful.
Seats are comfortable and have seat seat height adj., right fold down armrest, tilting rear seats, cabin air filter, fade cabin lamp, hatch and gl.box lamp.( all amazing for this class car). Great vis. with the large front window. Gauges/controls are visible and ergonomic.
I looked at many other econ.cars- Yaris is too boxy, interior is cheaper, price higher. Versa has quiet ride, but not much road feel and has a pitching reaction to bumps. Fit engine was very boomy, interior had too much retro metallic, wasn't too comfortable. Civic has best handling, but you sit too low, and it's $thousands more than others. For the money, what you get, and the fantastic warranty, I don't think you can go wrong with the Accent....read morehide

Pros

Great value for the $$

Cons

NONE

Purchased As New

I bought a 2009 Accent last month and am very happy with it. It has a suprisingly good ride, great gas mileage ( if you drive 65 MPH on the road you will push up to 40 MPG) and decent stereo. I have read that in mountainous areas the car is underpowered and that could be a factor. I live in Florida and the car has plenty of power. I wanted to buy a Yaris but they are to expensive and smaller than Accent's :-) PS.... Tint the windows!...read morehide

Pros

With a 5-speed manual it has suprising power for a 4cyl.

Cons

Cheap looking dash and likes to eat O2 sensors

Purchased As New

For the $$, this was a no-brainer for a commuter car. I got the base GS 3-door with a 5-speed and paid a whopping $10 out the door. Not many cars can be bought new for that price today.

The 4-cyl it is suprisingly quick. It doesn't match my 12sec modded Camaro by any means, but it loves to operate in the upper RPM range and thus does very well for interstate travel and merging into traffic. It's also a smooth engine and doesn't hiccup or have "dead spots" in the RPM range. With the 5-speed I can drive it like I stole it every day and get an average 32mpg, which is well over the "rated" EPA figures.

The seats are very supportive and Hyundai thoughtfully added a driver-side armrest that's ergonomically perfect. Gauges are clear and easy to read (and it includes a tach). It has a firm suspension. Tolerences are very tight on interior and exterior panels (suprising for an econobox). The result has been no squeaks after 28K miles.

This car does have 3 downsides. I had to have the front O2 sensor replaced 2x under warranty (it likes to eat them).... and one reason the car is cheap is that it has cheap paint. Ballyhoo foreign cars vs American, but after 25K miles the Hyundai has 10x the paint chips of my 3x dometic cars combined. A simple bump against the bumpers will result in a missing chunk of paint. Last but not least, the shifter is nothing short of a spongy rubber band. It feels like a wet noodle and has a good inch of play in the stick after engaging each gear.

Overall, it's a good cheap car for the daily commute....read morehide

Pros

Great MPG even in town, lots of get up and go, easy to park and drive.

Purchased As New

For the price, this is an excellent little car. I get compliments on the style and the color and I love to drive it. I was surprised to find that the acceleration was so good.Haven't taken it on a long road trip yet but looking forward to it when I do. Back seat is a little too small for my teenage son but he says the seats are comfortable. I haul a lot of stuff so my back seats are rarely used anyway. Perfect car for me. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great price....read morehide

Pros

fun car to drive

Cons

none

Purchased As New

very good and safe car for the price,Fun to drive and very easy to park ,able to keep up with outher cars on the road.

Pros

Good MPG, peppy

Cons

None for my purposes

Purchased As New

I purchased my Accent in May 2008. I haven't looked back. I like its styling much better than the other subcompacts out there, such as the Yaris, Versa, or even Scion's hatchback model.

I love everything about the car. Sure, it only comes with 110hp, but I don't expect to be drag racing down the street every time I get behind the wheel.
I live in Seattle, and this past winter we got more snow than we are accustomed to. The car handled absolutely perfectly on the snow; even better than a lot of SUVs and trucks out there. Imagine flying down Hwy 520 in the snow while everybody else is stuck on the side of the road attempting to dig themselves out of the snow or trying to put on chains. I attempted to purchase chains, but after experiencing issues, I opted to continue on as I had and drove around without chains. No problems at all.

The car is standard, on everything. I don't mind. I was looking for an inexpensive vehicle with good safety ratings, that I could maintain and would get me from point A to B safely. And it honestly is great on gas, if only I didn't have such a lead foot. If I opt to drive 55-60mph at highway speeds, I can expect around 380 miles out of a tank. That's 38MPG right there. City MPG isn't fantastic and I average 30-34, but what do you expect from stop and go traffic?...read morehide