Economy cars

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Hyundai Accent, 2006: The Weekly Driver Car Review

With its new design for 2006, the Hyundai Accent is a formidable player in the compact class. It’s bigger, it has more power and it has additional safety features than its predecessor. Add Hyundai‘s industry-leading warranty and the new Accent is hard to beat as an entry level vehicle that when equipped with every available option costs less than $15,000. My weekly driver was the GLS 4-door model with a  four-speed automatic transmission. The Accent is also available with a five-speed manual transmission, and that’s good news for RVers since Hyundai has approved its flat-towing capabilities Both automatic and manual transmission Accents are equipped with 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engines that have been improved by six horsepower in 2006 to 110 horsepower.

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Suzuki Forenza, 2004: The Weekly Driver Car Review

Like Hyundai and Kia, the Korean manufacturer Suzuki has accepted the difficult task of trying to infiltrate the sub-compact market dominated by Honda, Toyota and Ford. Its new 2004 offering is the Forenza, a front-wheel drive sedan offered in three models, the S, LX and the top-of-the-line EX. All models have a 2.0-liter, 126-horsepower, 16-valve engine. The LX and EX models include 15-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, keyless entry and alarm, power sunroof and fog lights as standard features. The EX model I drove for a week includes standard leather upholstery. Cruise control, air conditioning and AM/FM/CD and cassette system with eight speakers are also among the long list of standard equipment. Still, the Forenza faces an uphill challenge. While

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Hyundai Accent, 2003: The Weekly Driver Car Review

A four-wheel drive sports utility vehicle, with plenty of cargo space and easy access would have been the logical choice. Instead, the three of us, all at least 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, made the drive in a 2003 3-door Hyundai Accent GL. Long-time running friends, we arrived at Pollock Pines, Calif., elevation 4,000 feet, after an hour’s trek on a cool summer morning along Interstate 50 from Sacramento. When we arrived from the flatlands, it was just after sunrise and the dirt parking lot for the recreational retreat was full of SUV’s. Nevertheless, the entry level offering from the South Korean manufacturer renowned for its 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, had surprised us. As the driver, my front-seat was secure for the

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