Driving Miss Vodka
It was a joy to ride and a greater joy to drive — each time I started the engine of the Hyundai Accent Hatchback.
I spent most of the time with the Accent Hatchback within the confines of Metro Manila — and I was impressed with how easy the handling of this baby is.
Vodka, my ever-faithful doggy companion and riding buddy, rode with me on some of the days that she could. She took to the front seat like it was hers for the sitting.
It was love at first sight for me with the Hyundai Accent Hatchback. The Accent style sort of grows on a person. So much so that I spent a few quiet minutes just taking in the look and style of this cool little baby.
Yet, it is nowhere near flashy. I like that it keeps a low-key appearance. Steel wheels and hubcaps suggest there’s nothing special going on, and only a pair of discreet CRDi badges gives any clue about the performance hiding under its hood. One could say that the Accent is a hot hatch hiding in plain sight.
Inside the Accent is the very minimalist silver-on-black theme. Muted gray-accented fabrics and golf ball-dimpled black plastic speak a simple design language. It’s classy and tasteful — at least for my taste.
While it may not seem big from the outside, the cabin and cargo space were perfect for what I loaded into them on that Sunday I drove to Pampanga.
First Vodka and I opted to stop by our fave sweets place at Nepo Mart. We bought ourselves those old-style homemade yema balls dipped in arnibal (caramelized sugar). Okay, fine, Vodka didn’t get to eat any of the yema. But I had a blast.
Once I had my sugar fix, I drove Vodka to Clark, where I did some shopping for human treats.
Vodka is such a sport so it was easy to carry her around for shopping in the grocery. I ended up with lots of bags of groceries, which I loaded into the trunk. No sweat. I also opted to load the car with a few gardening tools that we needed at home. Still, there was good space for all that I bought.
Engine runs
I was really impressed with how quickly the 1.6-liter CRDi engine responded each time I drove off. It’s tame below 1,500 rpm, but once the boost kicks in, it has the measure of most 2.0-liter gasoline engines. The diesel engine was really quiet and never made driving feel like a chore, which can sometimes be the case with diesel engine cars.
I guess it can also be attributed to the great suspension of the Accent that makes driving this car easy.
What else was there to like? Well, the Hyundai Accent hatch CRDi has strong ABS-equipped brakes, power windows, remote locking, and steering-wheel audio controls.
The Accent CRDi is a perfect car for lovers of speed, like me. Although I made sure to stay within driving speeds when on the SCTEX and NLEX, still I couldn’t help but put more pedal to the metal when the opportunity presented itself. I was driving a four-speed A/T Hatchback and I was happy as happy could be when I got the chance to step on it.
The wheel and tire package is great, making the car drive smoother. And with the torque of the diesel, you won’t miss those two extra intermediate gears all that much. The Accent diesel engine is made for more economical drives during the long-haul trip I made. I really love how this simple Hatchback with its diesel engine lifts the Accent from middle-of-the-pack to top-dog status, at least in my book.
Aside from the trip we made out of town, I spent most of my time with the Hyundai Accent within the Metro. I enjoyed how easy it was to park the Accent, to overtake even in tight situations and to get into small spaces, which can happen when one is fighting it out in traffic during rush hour.
The Accent did my bidding at each stop and go moment, never letting me down — no matter what kind of car, truck, bus or jeepney got in the way. A real and true pal, this Hyundai Accent.
The Accent 1.6- Diesel is one little fantastic car. Performance is strong and it is surprisingly smooth and quiet for a diesel, especially one in this size. This is one car drive I am going to remember for many years to come. I might not remember the Hyundai Accent for its styling, but I will remember it for how greatly it performed when I got into the driver’s seat. And, for a driver like me, at the end of the day, that is all that really matters.
