Cheap but not so cheerul (Hyundai Accent 1.5 CDX 5dr)

Member Name: benedwards64

Product:	Hyundai Accent 1.5 CDX 5dr
Date:	08/03/09 (147 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extensive kit-list

Disadvantages: Built down to a price. Dreadful to drive and serious reliability issues

The Accent is not a car I would have considered buying - in fact it was given to me! It is a 2001 reg with 50k and full dealer service history, so probably one of the best examples with all the kit included with the CDX trim.
The levels of equipment are very impressive on the CDX, with air con, power steering, ABS, electric windows all round, remote central locking, sunroof and alloy wheels. On paper it really is good value for money - an Escort-sized car for Fiesta money. As an everyday car it is difficult to fault, it has plenty of room for five people, plus an enormous boot. Unfortunately, no-one told the mechanical designers of this fact, as with a full car the rear suspension bottoms out harshly on any small bump, leading to a cripplingly uncomfortable ride for rear passengers.
Unloaded, though, the ride quality is nice and supple, although the less said about the handling the better. The Accent really is a barge, prone to horrible understeer and a really wallowy feel if pushed at all. The 88bhp engine adds to the effect, with a really breathless, agricultural feel to it, that refuses to be revved and makes a real meal of it when you try.
The whole car has a cheap feel to it, you can tell it has been built down to a price with the horrible plastics, dreadfully clunky gearbox that has a throw of about a foot between 1st and 2nd and cheap interior plastics. The seats are also very unsupportive - they are both uncomfortable on long motorway journeys (not helped by the engine and wind noise) and unsupportive through the corners to the point you feel you will fall out of them.
Reliability seems to be an issue as well. With our low-mileage, full service history model we had the engine warning light come on various times, constant random warning lights illuminating and disappearing apparently randomly, worn synchromesh on the gearbox, and I even managed to overheat the clutch going up a slight incline in a line of traffic. The brakes are very strong but have no feel, and the ABS cuts in every time you go over a drain which gets quite wearing after a while. Oh, and the bootlid falls on your head every time as the struts can't support its weight, the alarm will go off for no apparent reason, the radio/cassette (yes, cassette) can't find any radio stations and the driving position on long journeys is cripplingly uncomfortable.
There are some plus points though. Everything, bar the gearbox, is very light to the touch, and the turning circle is second to none which makes parking it a doddle. It is also very practical, cheap to insure, cheap to service, relatively cheap on petrol for such a heavy car, and lets face it, no-one is going to steal it.
However, I really was only too glad to see the back of it. In comparison, I had a Ford Escort afterwards with a 90bhp 16v engine that, despite being three years older and double the mileage, was better in almost every single way. If you want an escort-sized car for Fiesta money, buy an older Escort.

Summary: Cheap to buy and cheap to run, but dreadfully uninspiring and riddled with faults

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