The car that established Hyundai in South Africa more than a decade ago, the popular Hyundai Accent, has gone the full circle with a complete new look.
Making its local debut in South Africa, the new Accent will be available with the latest technology petrol engine, manual or automatic transmissions and an extremely well equipped standard and high specification level.
With European styling the main focus on the new range, providing a stylish blend of refinement, toughness, build integrity and quality, longevity and flexibility, the 2006 Hyundai Accent is technically still a compact sedan.
The 6th generation Accent is one of the roomiest in its class, featuring a host of safety, luxury and convenience characteristics adding the kind of value for money Hyundai customers in South Africa have grown accustomed to.
With its European styling, the new Accent boasts standard equipment levels only found in top of the range competitors in higher priced categories. Its interior space can be compared to that of cars in a bigger category, with the word ‘compact’ only evident in the ergonomic layout of the controls, equipment, switchgear and instrumentation.
The new Accent is such an improvement over the current model that it can’t fairly be compared to its predecessor, but rather to offerings from other manufacturers in the same segment. More than a successor, the new Accent takes Hyundai right to the forefront.
A gutsy new 1,6-litre engine featuring advanced CVVT powers the 2006 Accent, in either the manual or the automatic models, with performance and consumption figures delivering a tangible improvement over its competitors.
Its distinctive exterior styling puts the new Accent in a class of its own. With Hyundai’s new compact sedan, the name may be the only thing you recognise. It leads its class in engine performance, interior space and safety thanks to decidedly upscale standard features, safety equipment and stylish details.
“The new Accent with its combination of smart engineering and exhaustive quality testing, raises the bar for Hyundai, delivering a higher level of value and sophistication in the compact car class,” says Hyundai Marketing Director, Stanley Anderson.
Externally, the aerodynamic design features follows flowing lines from the new headlamps integrating the indicators into the wraparound clear housings.
The grille is much bigger and designers used a combination of bright metal work to finish it off. The hood is slightly raised hood with spaced character lines flaring towards the outer perimeters of the sedan along the A pillars up to the roof and down to the rear with its short overhang.
Open the boot and you will be surprised by the deep luggage space, stretching far into the car. With 60/40 split rear seats, the new Accent can even take loads of unusual size. A full size 14″ spare wheel stored under the cargo floor matches the standard rims of the Accent, eliminating the need of urgent replacements in the event of a damaged wheel.
From the side the new Accent brings a new, smoothly rounded distinction to this class. Big single-unit light housings front and rear assure outstanding visibility and give the new sedan a big car look without spoiling the exterior styling often caused by light clusters that are too big – or too small – for the body. The exterior appearance is complemented by larger body colour bumpers.
Inside the new Accent boasts style, comfort and harmony with everything from a fully adjustable driver’s seat and steering column to comprehensive safety features, including airbags, and a host of creature comforts with air conditioning and power windows front and rear all part and parcel of the package.
Deluxe cloth trim for the seats matches the moulded door panels, with a two-tone instrument panel completing the robust feel.
The 1,6-litre DOHC CVVT engine delivers 82 kW with 145 Nm of torque, enabling the car to a top speed of 190 km/h and 176 km/h for the auto.
Hyundai Automotive has introduced a 5 year / 150 000 km warranty and a 2 year / 45 000 km service plan for the new Accent.
Hyundai Accent in detail
ENGINE
Built on the world’s most advanced production lines, the new 1,6-litre petrol engine offers advanced technology and robust power.
The 1,6-litre DOHC adds CVVT (Continuous Variable Valve Timing) to double overhead camshafts with four valves per cylinder. The result is a free-revving engine which totally matches any driving mood. Whether brisk acceleration or smooth, long distance power cruising, the CVVT optimizes every drop of fuel.
The engine displaces 1 599 cc delivering 82 kW of power at 6 000 rpm. Maximum torque of 145 Nm is delivered at 4 500 rpm.
OUTSTANDING SAFETY
Hyundai’s new Accent, available in South Africa, has redefined safety in its segment for compact cars.
Boasting safety levels normally associated with more expensive cars or cars in a bigger segment, the new Hyundai Accent has comprehensive active and passive safety features ensuring the best of all worlds – firstly helping to avoid most dangerous situations, and secondly protecting its occupants in an unavoidable event.
Manufactured utilizing a uni-body construction, the new Accent’s features include pre-programmed and carefully designed crumple zones front and back, absorbing most of the energy in the event of impact from any direction. Side impact beams in the doors give added protection in the event of cabin intrusions.
Each of the three models for the South African market has a driver’s airbag, anti-submarining seats, height adjustable front and rear headrests, height adjustable front seatbelts, three-point inertia seatbelts front and rear (lap belt middle rear), and a seatbelt pretensioner for the driver. The high-spec models also have a front passenger airbag with on/off switch and seatbelt pretensioning for the front passenger.
As far as active safety is concerned, the new Accent range offers ABS brakes for the high-spec models (10″ ventilated discs in the front; solid in the rear) with 10″ ventilated front disc and 8″ rear drum hydraulic brakes of the standard version.
Standard in all models is power assisted steering (turning circle is a mere 5,05 m) through a tilt adjustable steering column (3 turns lock tot lock), fully adjustable driver’s seat and driver aids such as front fog lights, rear window demister, and side indicator lenses (white).
Security for your new Accent is catered for through central locking with ignition key reminder, remote keyless entry for the high-spec models and a transponder immobiliser for the whole range.
Added safety for rear seat passengers is provided by child locks on the rear doors.
THE NEW RANGE FOR SOUTH AFRICA
Three models, all powered by the same new 1,6-liter four-cylinder 16V engine, will be replacing the Hyundai Accent, the car that has helped to establish the brand in South Africa a decade ago.
Hyundai’s new Accent, available in South Africa from August 2006, is powered by the latest version of the Hyundai 1599 cc four-cylinder DOHC power plant, the so-called CVVT (Continuous Variable Valve Timing).
The new Accent’s spirited 1,6-litre 4-cylinder engine with DOHC and CVVT is one of the most powerful in its class, delivering the responsive power that city streets and the South African open roads were made for.
The engine delivers a gutsy 82 kW at 6 000 r/min with its maximum torque of 145 Nm available at 4500 r/min.
The new power plant utilizes multi-point electronic fuel injection for increased power, and a double overhead camshaft and continuous variable valve timing for a wide torque band, giving the car the utmost drivability in traffic, uphill and on twisty mountain passes.
Coupled to a five-speed manual transmission or an automatic four-speed, the engine enables the new Accent to a top speed of 190 km/h (manual) or 176 km/h (automatic), making it ideal for the open road in the absence of restricting speed limits (or speed traps…)
The 1 580 kg Accent takes a mere 4,3 seconds to accelerate from standstill to 60 km/h, and 10,2 seconds from 0 tot 100 km/h (5,2 and 12,0 respectively for the slightly heavier automatic version).
All models boast McPherson type strut suspension in the front with coupled torsion beam axle suspension in the rear, both using gas shock absorbers for sure footed handling and a comfortable ride.
All models are fitted with 14″ steel rims, including a full-size spare wheel, shod with 185/65R14 rubber.
The new Hyundai Accent heralds a new era when it comes to its comprehensive list of standard convenience equipment.
All models have air-conditioning, electric windows (front and rear) and power steering as standard.
The list of standard features also includes:
- radio / CD
- cup holders (front and rear)
- courtesy lights in the cabin and boot
- body coloured bumpers
- body coloured exterior door handles.
- body coloured electric exterior rear-view mirrors (manually controlled for the standard version)
- Deluxe interior cloth
- digital clock
- map pockets in the plastic moulded door panels
- map pockets in front seat backs
- map reading lights
- 60/40 split folding rear seats
- remote cable fuel flap release
- remote cable boot lid opener
- intermittent windscreen wiper action
- roof antenna
- seat back hooks for grocery bags
- sunglass holder
- sun visor vanity mirror and card holder
- tachometer (rev counter)
- tilt-adjusted steering column
