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2006 Hyundai Accent Road Test

Accenting Your Wardrobe or Accentuating Life

The 2006 Accent brings Hyundai one car closer to completing of its 24/7 program - a plan that institutes 7 new vehicles in 24 months. The new car is slightly bigger and a great deal better in every way - something truly exciting in the subcompact segment.

For good reason Hyundais executive staff and dealers are also getting excited about the new entry.

"The Accent has always been a popular vehicle, but recently, this segment has become highly competitive," commented Robert F. Cosmai, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. "We believe drivers will once again embrace this all-new Accent with its segment-leading standard safety features, increased interior space, and content that is typically not available in this segment, all of which

The new car is slightly bigger and a great deal better in every way. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

should accelerate this Accent to the front of the pack."

Ive always thought of the Hyundai Accent as a great car. In fact, its even on my list of "fun" vehicles - an exclusive list that many cars dont make due to its strict criterion. And now, with the all-new, redesigned 2006 model, its just that much better.

I recently attended the launch event for the Accent, incidentally on my birthday - sorry, a woman never reveals her age - and what better way to spend

Ive always thought of the Hyundai Accent as a great car. In fact, its even on my list of "fun" vehicles. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

a birthday, or for that matter a birthday week, than in the company of fellow colleagues testing out a batch of fun little cars? Well, maybe the time would be more enjoyable with Fernando Alonso or Jenson Button, but Im sure my time will come. While the Accent might not be the most exhilarating car on the face of the planet, it is very important to the Hyundai family and due to its low window sticker, much more relevant to the majority of consumers than some high priced exotic. To illustrate how important this vehicle launch was, there

To illustrate how important this vehicle launch was, there were three men in blue, er, yellow, escorting the Accent entourage out of town. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

were three men in blue, er, yellow, escorting the Accent entourage (not refering to the upcoming on-again, off-again Hyundai Entourage minivan) out of town. I thought, "All this for a pack of subcompacts?" Yes. Perhaps the police knew that a clan of crazy journalists couldnt be trusted on their own, even with barely more than 100 horsepower each at our disposal, and might run amok while racing around town. Hmmm... most likely not. The police escort was there to keep us in line, literally, for our voyage to the ferry terminal, so that we could uniformly load onto the ferry and embark on our Pacific Northwest

The exterior boasts some healthy new curves and a few fresh features. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

island adventure.

While police escorts and birthday banter makes for interesting gossip column fodder, Im sure its the car you want to hear about. At first glance, the redesigned Accent is easily recognizable. The exterior boasts some healthy new curves and a few fresh features, like a chrome-accented grille, aerodynamic headlamp clusters, larger wheels and tires, and body-colored door handles and mirrors. While it might not look all that much larger from the outside, it is. The wheelbase has increased by 2.3 inches and the track has been widened to 57.9 inches in the front and 57.5 in the rear, making a total increase of 1.4 inches.

Not only have its outside extremities been stretched, but resultantly its larger

The Accent has class leading ponies thanks to the revamped 1.6-liter, 16-valve, DOHC engine. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

inside too. The Accent has class-leading interior volume, with 104.6 cubic feet (100.9 cubic feet in the previous model year). The drivers seating position has also been raised by 2.0 inches to optimize visibility and comfort. Furthermore, the new Accent comes with a two-tone color scheme and large analog instrumentation, tilt steering, and best of all, an 8-way adjustable drivers seat with fold down arm rest. Its combination of features makes the Accents interior cozy and convenient at the same time.

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