Life in friendly north

Saturday, Far North . . . Well, not so far north.

It is decided a trip into town is required, to test the Accent's small town abilities, and to get butter tarts. It's only taken half a tank of gas to go about 300 km, which is probably $30 or so. Town is a slow moving walkable feast - people randomly walk all over the road, tourists park all willy nilly, and everyone talks to each other.

I decide to take a snap of the Accent under one of the town's longest standing landmarks, the General Store. I barge right in with the car, but it's cute enough to get away with it. Jayne and Sarah stand across the street, pretending they don't know me.

The highway into, and hence out of, town is a windy two-laner in great shape. It's a fun ride, and the car handles nicely. It's a blast to drive.

6,362 km - Bimmer boy changes accent

I've been scooting down Hamilton's notoriously tight, and frequently one way streets for the past couple of days. The Accent means the end of 3 point turns - it literally turns on a dime if you should happen to find yourself, er, well, needing to suddenly be facing the opposite way.

I took it to 'work' at CHCH TV. I've adapted easily to going from being a larger vehicle (my van) to being one of the smallest in this sub-compact. I passed a lumbering wide- load model home thing the other day, something I couldn't do in the van. Size matters, all right.

I got my co-host, the notorious Mark Hebscher, to take the Accent for a spin. He's a car hound, and I got sick of hearing about his BMW.

At about 6'3", I was also interested to know what he thought of interior head and leg room. His pronouncement? "Great city car! This thing handles beautifully! It's really only 10 grand?" When you can get a car snob to happily pose for the camera, and re-enter the building shaking his head and exclaiming, "man, that thing is fun!", you've made progress.

Tonight, we pack for the cottage.

6,319 km - Take that, you Civic smartass!

Not much driving today - some of us work in the kitchen, and while the Accent may fit (and actually match - it's the same colour as my walls), I'm sure that's not the test I'm supposed to be putting it through.

A jaunt out to Waterdown put me on Dundas, where a snarky little Civic swung wide around me on a left turn and decided he could take me. Maybe it's the whole standard transmission thing, but, I won. Don't tell my kids.

As a rule I don't use a horn much in a car - people that need a good honking rarely know they're the ones being honked at - but someone on his Crackberry needed a nudge. I hadn't used the horn yet, and found it sounded much like a young lad who hadn't reached puberty. Though upon reflection, maybe this isn't such a bad thing. It seemed more polite, if a little feeble.

I have to admit though, I'm getting addicted to the gas this thing doesn't use. Mini Van Mama is having a blast.

I'll be in Hamilton for the next week co-hosting Live@5:30 on CHCH TV. Maybe I'll let Gerry the security guard take it for a spin....

6,279 km - Accent popular on gas-gouging weekend

I'm not sure if it's because I've gone from a 31-foot motorhome straight into the Accent, but everything feels effortless.

I scooted around yesterday to a couple of meetings, one of which was up the escarpment in Hamilton. The grade requires most trucks to have their four way flashers on, yet my baby had energy to spare. There is the hum noted by my predecessors around 120 km/h (in the name of science, I gave her a nudge just to test the words of everyone else, of course), but it really feels like nitpicking.

We're prepping for a run to the cottage this weekend - the neighbours have all turned out as we take measurements for Smart Food and wine.

With the news announcing that gas is going up at midnight tonight (again), we took our other two vehicles to the gas station. The needle doesn't move on the Accent - the cottage will be the real test.

6,225 km - Happy as a jelly bean

I picked up the Accent from the Star this morning after taking the GO train in from the 'burbs. The driver who had it before me,  the multi-fabulous car owning Robert Herjavec, had me thinking that the wee car would be happy to be back in the hands of, well, someone who would take the GO train out from the 'burbs to pick it up.

First impressions? Adorable little jelly bean. Love the colour - a kind of orangey red.

Second impressions? Herjavec may have looked "almost apologetic when standing between his two Lambos" (according to our exalted editor Mark Richardson in his piece on Saturday), but he was a bit forgetful for   leaving *my* new jelly bean with less than half a tank of gas and  the little extra detritus in the back. See pic, as I rat out a kajillionaire ...  I'm just peeved he didn't sign the cigar box top.

Third Impressions: Hopped on the Gardiner Expressway, instantly liking the feel of this car. It's fun. It's responsive.

Gas - 27 litres to fill.
Note to Mr. Herjavec: You owe me $34.05.

6,155 km - For kids and Company?

So my time with the Accent has come to an end.

I did not get to drive it too much in the last few days as I was travelling.

All in all – this is one great car. I have never, ever in my life had a car that is so good on gas mileage – and I mean I drove it hard (started too fast on red lights, braked too hard, revved too high – all the things you should not do in order to save on gas).

I couldn't tell you the exact fuel consumption, but the needle on the gauge hardly moved. Keep in mind: in most of my cars you can see the gas gauge moving as you’re driving.

The car is fun to drive and impressive in its own way. I would buy this car for my kids or for the Company. For me, I would find it a little hard to drive every day – although that could be because I am getting soft (in all the wrong places) as I get older.

I have to admit that one day I took the car out just to drive it around – it was fun.

For the target market – and the unbelievable price of $10K – this is one of the greatest automotive bargains of all time. My biggest complaints are the same ones I had when I first got in it – uninspired interior design and color and tires that are way too small for driving enjoyment ( I cannot imagine it in the winter).

I thought it would fun to take a picture of it next to my jet.

Again – love the reaction – my pilots were more shocked at this car than anything else I have driven.

5,810 km - Affection grows for little Red Rockette

A few more runs into Toronto (with the windows closed) and I am noticing a fair amount of engine noise as the little four-banger drones away at 120 km/h. The air conditioner is very effective, however, having the interior down to fur-storage temp pronto.

And the radio? Well, let’s just say Harmon or Kardon won’t be losing any sleep over this one.

But in a ten thousand dollar car, that’s nit-picking. As my time with the Accent L draws to a close, I’m finding myself growing quite fond of this diminutive runabout. It really is a nice little car to drive. All the controls work in an easy, fluid way, and there’s nary a squeak, rattle or clunk as the Accent hammers over the worst the GTA has to offer.

In this Tango Red, it’s a cheery sight in my driveway every morning. I especially like the detail in the taillights.

In this time of the automobile being loaded down with more gizmos than you can count, it is strangely refreshing to manually operate the windows and walk around the car to ensure the doors are locked. A bit nostalgic, I guess I’m going to miss my little Red Rockette.

 

5,670 km - A bit thirsty in heat

Put 38.5 litres of regular fuel in the tank at  5670 km after traveling 481 km. That works out to 8.0L/100 km. Frankly, I expected better considering all the sweat (literally) I put into it.

Okay, the A/C is now  going on and windows will be rolled up. Good thing because it’s very hot and muggy today.

My wife took the Accent to work the other day and really liked the way it  drove, but said she would spend the extra $1700 for the next trim level with air, powered windows and locks. She thought this would be an excellent car for a young college student leaving the nest. Her only gripe, and I quote, “The radio sucks.” Tough crowd.

More driving impressions: While the scrawny 14-inch tires don’t provide much grip, the Accent is a zippy handler. Also, the brake feel is very good, although ABS is not available on the Accent hatch, no matter what trim level you specify.

For someone learning to drive stick, the Accent would be a great choice. The clutch is light, smooth and forgiving – likewise the shifter is smooth and foolproof.

5,568 km - Baby Hyundai goes to the THEE-ah-tuh

My time with the Accent coincides with a week of evening commutes from Oakville to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, where I’m filling in for the bass player in the Dirty Dancing Orchestra. I’m having the time of my life ...

As a result, the Accent is racking up plenty of highway klicks. The little Hyundai is stable at speed and will happily follow the 120 to 130 km/h traffic flow. Although not fast, it never feels wanting for power. Much of this is due to the fairly high engine speeds on the highway (3000 r.p.m. at 100 km/h). Kenzie found the engine drone annoying on the 400 series roads, and I would too if I had the A/C on. But with the windows open I can’t hear a damn thing.

I’ll report on this and the sound of the radio when I break down (after the first fill-up) and put on the air.

Notable in this car is the driver’s seat with height adjustment for both the front and back of the lower cushion. How often do you see that in any car, regardless of price? The flip-down armrest is also a nice surprise.

My only real gripe is the armrest on the door whose plastic surface is harder than Chinese arithmetic. A minor distraction is the distortion in the rearview mirror, which slightly squashes the oncoming vehicles into sinister looking predators. Kinda cool, actually.

 

5,462 km - Shopped at No Frills (naturally)

This little red hatch is surprisingly good.

I have a soft spot for small fuel-efficient cars (my first car was a 1968 Austin Mini), and I’m finding the $9,995 Accent a fun and willing ally in day-to-day driving.

It feels very substantial – yes, the doors sound a bit tinny - but structurally it’s a solid little tyke. The 110 hp 1.6L engine is smooth and has plenty of urge. Keeping up with normal traffic flow is not an issue.

 

About the price. You probably know the aforementioned bottom line is a cash-only offer and doesn’t include air con. The Wheels brass broke down and got air, just so they could entice us spoiled journalists out of our Bimmers and Mercs.

But in the interest of journalistic integrity, I intend – and I stress the word intend – to do without the A/C so I can bask (or bake?) in the full-on ten-grand Accent experience. Plus, not using the A/C will more accurately represent the base hatch’s fuel consumption.

Luckily I have long arms, so I can reach over and roll down the passenger window.

Now here’s a question: On the highway, does the extra aerodynamic drag from all the buffeting with the windows down cancel out the fuel-saving benefit of not using the air conditioning?

Here's another question: When I accidentally left the key in the Accent's door while perusing the Mustang Club of America meet (doh!), was it still there when I got back because no one in Oakville thinks the Accent is worth stealing?