SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get at home.

Unlike most car reports, what you read in these pages will not be a faithful reproduction, albeit slightly reworded, of what appeared in the manufacturer's press release. We look for background material, user experience and whatever else we can find that's beyond the obvious. Our guiding rule is that you will be able to tell that the car was actually driven.

*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.

*Pre-owned: Our tests go back quite a few years, so if you are looking for something pre-owned, you might well find a report on it in here.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted are those ruling at the time the reports were written.


Hyundai hatches a new Accent line for 2014

Fair value family hatch

Posted: 2 September 2014

Hyundai hatchback fans looking for a neat medium sized 1600 priced around R240 000 may have been feeling a little deprived; especially since sister company Kia introduced its Cerato hatches in May 2011. Better late than never, Hyundai corrected the oversight this past April by introducing a pair of 1600 cc Accent Fluid five-doors to supplement its sedan range. That’s the upper grade most retail buyers choose anyway so your only choice, at this stage, is four-speed automatic or six-speed manual.

While converting the sedan into a hatchback, Hyundai cut 255 millimetres off its length, made it 13 mm lower and lost 19 litres of boot space. That’s about the same volume as those dinky little microwave ovens you used to buy for R499 at supermarkets. Having put that into perspective, all other measurements and specifications are the same.

The 1591cc, all-aluminium Gamma engine still puts out a creditable 91 kilowatts and 156 Nm, sprints to 100 km/h in 10,2 seconds and goes on to190. The automatic takes 1,2 seconds longer through the traps and loses 6 km/h at the top end. McPherson struts with stabiliser bar, coil springs and gas dampers keep things tidy up front while a coupled torsion beam with similar springs and shocks does duty at the rear. Brakes are discs at both ends; 256mm vented in front and 262mm solid units at the back. Stylish alloy wheels are fitted with 195/50 R16 tyres and the spare is a fully sized alloy unit too. The turning circle is about average for a car this size, at 10,4 metres.

Standard kit includes ABS brakes with EBD, six airbags, electrically assisted power steering, fabric upholstery with manual adjusters, powered exterior mirrors, electric windows all around with one-touch up and down and anti-pinch for the driver, front fog lamps, onboard computer, a backup warning system, central locking with autolock, child-proof locks at the rear, one-touch, triple-flash indicators, filtered, manual air conditioning and a six-speaker music system with auxiliary, iPod, USB and Bluetooth. Unfortunately it plays only MP3 tracks – my iPod with MP4 tunes was ignored.

The test unit’s six-speed stick shift box had longer top-gear legs than the five-ratio sedan I drove in 2012, so 120 km/h in sixth needed about 3250 rpm rather than 3500 last time. It still showed decent roll-on ability and was pleasant to drive under freeway conditions. We’re sort-of comparing pink apples with green ones, but both cars returned average fuel consumptions of 6,9 litres per 100. I obviously cannot guarantee that test conditions were identical but they were close enough.

Suspension was quite firm but compliant, the car drove eagerly and the gearbox was pleasant to use. Pedals are well spaced and a rest for the clutch foot is provided. Vision out to the front and sides was excellent but wide rear pillars with small glass inserts, and a rather narrow back window, restricted the view to the back and rear/sides.

Getting practical, the hatch opens down to upper thigh level to reveal a loading lip about 22 centimetres deep. A light, four securing rings and a nook for small items are provided. The seatbacks fold 60:40 and leave a noticeable step. Taller passengers in the back should find adequate head and knee room although foot space under a fully-lowered driver’s chair would be limited. Storage space is at a premium too, with just one seatback pocket, no door bins and not a cupholder in sight. There are three head restraints, two full belts and a lap strap for Malcolm in the middle.

Those in front are better cared for with a deep box under the adjustable armrest, a pair of cup holders, two open trays, sunspecs box, fair door bins, a big glove box, a cigar lighter and a separate 12-volt socket. The steering wheel adjusts up and down only but there are satellite buttons for the various music controls and telephone. Dash and door surfaces are of hard plastic and general fit and finish is quite good.

This Accent is reasonably well appointed, without being over-loaded, so it represents fair value for its price.

Test car from Hyundai SA press fleet

The Numbers
Price: R234 900
Engine: 1591 cc, DOHC, D-CVVT 16-valve, four-cylinder
Power: 91 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 156 Nm at 4200 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10,2 seconds
Maximum speed: 190 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6,9 l/100 km
Tank: 43 litres
Luggage: 370 – 1345 litres
Warranty: 5 years/150 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals


What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.