2002 Hyundai Accent GS

Econo-boxing has come a long way from its humble beginnings. While burled walnut, supple leather and mega-watt sound systems are still not in the cards, going a few rounds with many of today's budget-oriented transport modules has become a far more bearable and—in many instances—a reasonably pleasant undertaking. Nowhere has the maturation process been more dramatic than in vehicles coming out of Korea. Prime mover in that realm has been Hyundai, whose products have made quantum advances in design and build quality during the past five years while maintaining a solid commitment to price competitiveness.

The GS-level hatchback is positioned between the base Accent L 3-door and GL 4-door sedan.

Anchoring the firm's U.S. lineup is the Accent, offered in basic L 3-door hatchback, mid-grade GS hatch and line-topping GL 4-door sedan trims. To suitably balance amenities with economy, we opted to spend time in a GS variant, which bases at $10,249 plus $495 in destination. Remaining true to the mission, we grudgingly passed on the Accent's rather attractive $400 Accessory Group 3—which brings power windows/locks/mirrors and adds a single-slot CD player to the basic AM/FM/cassette stereo—and instead limited the extras to a mere $60 worth of floor mats.


The biggest single upgrade that comes with stepping from L to GS is found underhood. Like the GL, the GS jettisons the formerly standard and decidedly underwhelming 92-horsepower 1.5-liter SOHC four still used in the L-spec model for a newer, more potent 105-horse/1.6-liter twincam alternative. Besides an extra camshaft and 13 additional ponies in the underhood corral, this bigger engine also cranks out 14 more lb.-ft. of torque, bringing its total to 106 units of twist. At this end of the micro-muscle spectrum, those are definitely meaningful gains. Frankly, even backed by the standard 5-speed manual gearbox, there's not much danger of carelessly tearing up any tarmac. Despite a 6,500 rpm redline—and a 6,400 rpm rev-limiter—the engine has pretty much lost interest by the time the tach needle sweeps by the 6,000 mark. On the plus side, the transmission linkage is fairly crisp and the clutch actuation light and progressive. This collective combo also gets the manually shifted GS up to full cruising speed by the time it exits a freeway merge, and that puts it at least a half step ahead of one fitted with the optional 4-speed automatic.

Stepping up from the base-level Accent L and its SOHC 1.5-liter engine to the DOHC 1.6 yields 13 more horsepower and 14 more lb.-ft. of torque.

Regardless of rank, all Accents share the same basic interior trappings. Standard features include cloth upholstery, dual airbags, front belts with pretensioners, force limiters and adjustable shoulder belt anchors, variable-intermittent front washer/wipers, rear washer/wiper, rear window defogger and a 60/40-split rear seatback. For 2002, the GS also gains air conditioning as part of its basic equipment roster. Setting it apart from both L and GL variants, the GS carries unique instrumentation—highly legible white-faced gauges that turn to cool ice-blue for night-time running replace the more traditional white-on-black units found on its platform kin. The speedometer, tachometer and fuel/temperature readouts reside in a dash whose layout is as conventional as it is unswervingly logical. Twin control stalks on the steering column afford finger-flick activation of the lights/wipers/directionals while a trio of rotary knobs in the center of the dash beneath the radio command the heating/air-conditioning presets.


The Accent's well-formed bucket seats provide surprisingly good comfort and support. On the driver's unit, individual front/rear height adjusters as well as a multi-position lumbar support and a center armrest help compensate for the lack of an adjustable steering column. Aft quarters are a mixed bag, with good headroom and decent legroom even for adults but fixed glass in the quarter windows. As might be expected from its body style, the GS possesses above-average cargo-carrying capability. Its already generous 16.9 cubic-foot rear bay gains even more utility thanks to the split/folding seatback and relatively large hatch cutout.