Anybody own or drive one? I drove a brown, automatic one with the low friction 14 inch wheels and thought it was a perfectly competent car. I also thought it was perhaps the most boring thing I've ever driven.
I'm doing a magazine story on new, eco friendly cars and I drove this one. I'd like to know if it really is boring or if it's just a function of the auto and 14 inchers.
I drove a year old one... it was not a bad car. Not sure I liked the hatch/trunk area. I realize that get good aero, you lose some trunk space.. but it was a very odd sized opening with the hatch up
I inherited an '05 and even it is surprisingly good for what it is. Yea it's slow, but it takes 30 dollars at most to fill the tank and its actually kind of fun to drive. On top of that Ive heard of people getting 300k out of them. Hyundai has only gotten better since then
I've driven it in both stick and auto... it's more lively with the standard tranny, but the shifter is fairly rubbery. Nice little car, it would make a great daily.
Are the new ones any better with the 16 inch wheels?
The chassis seemed competent, but the 14 inch tires were horrible.
I own a 2011 and it is a lot of fun. The car seems to stick pretty well through the turns, a little lift on the inside rear tire (not off the ground lift, you can just feel the suspension unloading) despite the very tall sidewall (I'm used to 225/45-17 and 245/40-17). Quick transitions kind of upset the chassis a little bit, though. I have the stick shift and it shifts fairly well, not too rubbery but not as precise as I'd like - I'd say it's a decent compromise for a daily commuter. I have taken it drag racing (yearly charity drag racing event in NH - Ed Day Charity Challenge) and you have to watch the launch or you'll spin the tires. All in all it IS a fun car to drive but there's a few things I'd change - shorter shifter, slight drop on the suspension and an lsd. Do those and I think it would be a whole bunch more fun.
The GS/GLS on 14's is a slushy, boring econobox. THe SE gets the fun stuff. 16's, a real suspension and the other interior goodies. Wife's going to get one for her daily in a couple months. The SE with the 6-spd is where it's at.
'11 is a completely different car, all comparisons to it might as well be comparing the new one to my 2000 with 200k miles and 90hp.
Just drove a rental 2012 rio 5 last week. Automatic with cruise and bluetooth, heated seats and a bunch of other stuff. It's a lot more car than the 2011 accents I've driven feature and appearance-wise, but it still feels "affordable".
The fuel tank seemed small, but I really put on the miles last week.
Fuel economy, according to the trip computer, wasn't a whole lot better than the Sonata I drove last September.
You'll need to log in to post.
