Before you buy an Accent

The process of selecting a car is probably as exciting as the prospecting of owning one... Surely since you wont spend lakhs of rupees every other day, its a thing most of us decide upon after thorough inspection and survey... When I bought my Swift two years back, I had searched through all of mouthshut and other sites to read reviews of people who have already owned the car rather than believe on what the dealer tells you... I am glad I made the perfect choice... Its now been months together that I have been trying to shortlist a new car... I had been too tempted by the Accent for the pride of owning a Sedan... The others in contention for me were - the Dzire, SX4, Verna amongst the sedans, and Ritz, A Star amongst the hatches... Yes, I still considered the hatchbacks as they are some great offerings as I found out... I discarded the Dzire as I already own a Swift... The SX4 and Verna tought good, are too big for me! They look monsterous and would be a headache to maintain them - not to forget the parking troubles and drivabiity... The Accent seemed the obvious choice as it looked very very sleek and sophisticated, priced well below the competitors... The one thing that always bothered me was that the Accent is a dated product and very probable that Hyundai discontinued it or at least upgraded it with the new norms due soon... I still was willing to overlook it as I read some great reviews for it here... I took a test drive and here is what I found out.... I would first talk of the pluses... As soon as I put my eyes on it, I was bowled over buy its majestic and elite look in its champagne gold colors... It looks awesome... The interior provided quite good leg space... The drive was good in one aspect - that the pot holes are absolutely negated by this car... It rides smooth without a hitch... But that was about it... The first flaw I found in the car was that the car just doesnt have any power in the second gear! It was a very sluggish engine... Each time I came across a breaker, I had to go down to the first gear to pick up the car! Yes, at higher speeds beyond the 3rd/4th gears the car has no problems... But its second gear pickup was a total disappointment! Maybe because I am used to a Maruti - I never really need to go to the first gear at all after the initial startup! The second issue was the seats... The seats of the car are quite hard compared to those of the Maruti stable... Also, the placement of the rear seats is very erect rather than a tilted slanting backrest... Only after a 10 minute drive I felt the strain... The other issue with the car was its horn... The horn is placed in the centre of the steering wheel and it is so so hard to sound that you need to take your hand off the rim and explicitly make an effort to blow the horn with all your force of your palm! It was extremely inconvenient... The interiors of the car are nothing to talk about - they are very basic and dated... Besides this, I would end on a good note for the car - its drive is quite easy for a sedan... I had expected it to be difficult to handle being a big car... But it provides quite good view at the rear and sides, and also its turns and cuts are easy to manouver... To sum it up, I had read at many places that buy the Accent with your eyes closed... I would say you rather not... Do have a look at the options for sure... If you wish to own a sedan just for the name of it, yes its a good choice considering its pricing... But I would rather go in for a hatch like the Ritz or A Star - believe me, they are far better products in their technology, comfort and ownership - just that they are hatches... They are far superior as products to the Accent...StyleSluggish engine, uncomfortable seats