Test drive: 2007 Hyundai Accent 3-door
Every few months, some manufacturer adds some standard feature previously unheard of (or at least rare) in a given class of car, and the rest of the manufacturers soon follow suit. An example would be the availability of a nagivation system in the 2006 Honda Civic EX -- won't be long before other subcompacts offer a navigation system too.
It's rare to see such innovation in the least-expensive cars on the market -- yet here's the new Hyundai Accent 3-door, cheapest of Hyundai's cheap cars, with front-seat-mounted side airbags and two-row side-curtain airbags as standard equipment.
This means that new car buyers on a really tight budget will be able to reap the benefits of these important safety devices. Their inclusion has raised the Accent's base price about the US$10k mark, but I think it's worth it. (Honda offers standard side airbags in the Fit, but it's a more expensive five-door; they are an extra-cost option in Toyota's 3-door Yaris.)
Now, I still take issue with the fact that antilock brakes (ABS) are not optional, or even available, in the base-model Accent GS. (They are standard in the more expensive SE.) I think accident avoidance is just as important as accident survival. But as I understand it, ABS has never made a serious dent in highway safety statistics. Side and side-curtain airbags will save lives, and with their inclusion in the Accent 3-door, they'll be saving the lives of our youngest drivers. Kudos to Hyundai for this important advancement. -- Aaron Gold
Hi. I talked with my insurance company. I was excited about getting a 2007 Hyundait Accent, and was told the side air-bags are highly sensitive and go off on bumpy roads and can injure. The insurance guy said he heard of a story where a cop was trying to open a Hyundai and the air bag went off and sent the slim jim through his throat. This was on 20/20? Someone please respond.
I have actually purchased a 2007 Hyundai Accent 3 Door. I have had it on some of the roughest roads, no issues with air bags. Honestly if an car is equipped with side impact air bags, or curtains and the vehicle key is on, if you strike an impact sensor *and there are many* then yes in that case it could happen. Can’t validate whether it did, and people will say a lot of things to disprove one car or another. Trust me, the new accents are litterally the safest and most fuel efficient design they have ever been, and are safer and more powerful than their competition. (That is true, not paritiality) Hope this helps, and if you want to know how they drive, lets just say the manual transmission makes for serious enjoyment, and they ride smoothly. Economy numbers are right, I generally get 30-32 mpg around town, and have gotten upto 38 on the highway.