2012 Hyundai Accent SE Five-Door

When I first saw the marathon blue 2012 Hyundai Accent SE that I was going to drive I thought, “Who's car is that?” I was supposed to get an Accent, one of those tiny tin cans from Korea purchased by those desperate to repair their credit. Yet, there in front of me was what looked like a slightly more rounded-off Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix-size wagon thing. Last time I drove a Hyundai Accent it was downright dinky, and it sure as heck was not a wagon.

Did I say wagon? Hyundai, and every other carmaker in the world with such a configuration, calls it a “five-door,” which is clearly a more exciting moniker, evoking the kayaking/hang-gliding/pool-snorkling active lifestyle that these owners no doubt lead. Wagons are what your grandparents drove in Mad Men.

Of course, I remembered, the “five-door” debuted at the New York auto show in April, alongside the “four-door” (what's wrong with “sedan” and “wagon?” Don't get me started.). I was planning a family trip the coming weekend that would have to accommodate two adults, two kids, one dog and a healthy pile of stuff. I had assumed we'd take our Volkswagen van. But when I saw how big the Accent was, I changed my plans. Sure enough, come Friday after work, the Accent five-door stood packed, fueled and ready to go. No one complained, not even the dog.

That's because the EPA classifies this as a compact, and Hyundai proudly points out that the Accent five-door's 21.2 cubic feet of cargo area is more than that of the Matrix, the Audi A3, the Dodge Caliber and the five-door versions of the Subaru Impreza and the Mazda 3.

First leg of the journey, completed at a freeway average of 80 mph, El Accent went 138.8 miles and returned 32.2 mpg, more than its city rating of 30 mpg but considerably less than its highway rating of 40 mpg. I was clearly driving too fast and was too loaded (that is, the car was loaded, I was sober as a concours judge). The second leg was 210.2 miles of mountain driving on very curvy roads in second, third and fourth gears. That returned 30.5 mpg. The last 190.5-mile tankful, completed on flat, straight highways and freeways, should have been closer to the EPA's 40-mpg figure but was only 34.0. Driving a constant 55 mph on flat, straight superhighways would surely result in a better highway figure, I figured.

In the mountains, it was as fun as anything in the compact and subcompact classes except maybe a Honda Fit or a Mazda 3, but I haven't driven a Fit in quite a while so it might surpass even that watermark of tossability. Second and third gears were too far apart for most of the curves I was negotiating. There was not much torque available below 3,000 rpm at the higher elevations, despite the sophisticated 1.6-liter, gasoline direct-injection four-cylinder engine with CVVT (imagine GDI in a car that costs $15,925). The power and torque curves did widen out a little as we got closer to sea level.

The last day I had it I put the Racelogic box on it and gave it a few launches to see whether it was quick. When I first drove this car, I thought the clutch engagement of the six-speed manual was awkward; it took a while before I could do it smoothly. But after a week I was used to it and it wasn't a problem. Engaging the clutch at about 4,500 rpm with a good amount of wheelspin seemed the quickest way off the line. I kept getting a slight bog after the 1-2 shift and as a result probably lost about three-tenths of a second.

I got a few 9.0-second 0-60s but you, with your better technique, will surely get into the eights because you rule. One thing that did help was that second gear was good for about 64 mph. That's a long gear. I had noticed earlier while driving through those tight mountain curves that the distance between second and third gear was too far; I had to keep rowing up and down. But when going for a 0-to-60-mph time, I could use the entire tachometer--the soft redline is 6,750 rpm and the hard redline is 7,500 rpm. That's a heck of an engine for the money.

Then I stomped on the 10.1-inch front vented, 10.3-inch rear solid discs and hauled the whole thing down from 60 mph in an entirely reasonable 128.4 feet. A few days before I had also stomped on them when traffic stopped suddenly on I-5, and it did a fine job of stopping the fully loaded rig well short of the shiny Ford Edge in front of me.

Anyway, a week's worth of high-speed hauling made me love this thing. I tend to love cars that are efficient. Yes, that makes me a communist weirdo. But who can argue with a car that will do all of this and stickers for $16,685? The Accent five-door had more standard features than Hugh Hefner's most recent spouse: AM/FM/XM/CD with six speakers, steering-wheel-mounted controls for the stereo and cruise control, Bluetooth, power everything and even fog lights and a rear spoiler. All of that for $16,000. The GS five-door starts at $14,000, and Hyundai is still offering that 10-year powertrain warranty. What's not to love?

2012 Hyundai Accent SE Five-Door

Base Price: $16,555

As-Tested Price: $16,685

Drivetrain: 1.6-liter I4; FWD, six-speed automatic

Output: 138 hp @ 6,300 rpm, 123 lb-ft @ 4,850 rpm

Curb Weight: 2,430 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 34/32.2 mpg

Options: Carpeted floor mats ($95); iPod cable ($35)