   2013 Hyundai Accent vs 2014 Nissan Versa Note. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Lesley Wimbush
I have a long-held fondness for “cheap and cheerfuls” – those economy hatchbacks that are the unsung heroes of the roadway and the bread and butter of our industry. For every lushly outfitted Audi or Bimmer I drive, I temper with a dose of economy car reality. Because let’s face it folks; these are the cars that most of us can afford.
In one form or another, there’s been a version of what I like to call these “honest cars” in my driveway for the past two decades. And though it might sound crazy to the enthusiasts who think our jobs consist mainly of blatting around the Nürburgring in the latest Carrera – we look forward to and take these cars just as seriously as those worth six figures.
Here are two such examples.
Autos.ca Editor Jacob Black and I spent the day pitting these two reasonably priced cars against one another, on the highway and through subdivisions, gauging their ease of connectivity and the roominess of both trunk and rear seating space in an effort to decide which one offers the best bang for the buck.
In one corner, we’ve got the smallest offering available from Hyundai – the Korean juggernaut whose ascendancy from dismally miserable to one of the top five automakers in the world has probably surprised even them. I’ve driven the Accent in most of its recent iterations, and the current one is by far the best.
In the other – the latest version of Japanese automaker Nissan’s little Versa. The Versa Note has been re-proportioned to make the most of its conservatively sized footprint while offering a bounty of technological goodies.
Opinions on appearance being subjective, there are equal points in favour of the design of both cars. Both Jacob and I preferred the sharply sculpted lines of the streamlined Accent to the softly rounded Versa – which Jacob referred to as “dorky” but could also be viewed as “cute”. While the Accent hunkers down and gives at least a mild impression of sportiness, the Versa is tall and upright with an expanded greenhouse.
Inside, both cabins illustrate what creative minds can do with budget materials.
While neither are bound to win any accolades for luxury or quality, there’s no law saying that economical has to mean “depressingly ugly”.
But the Versa manages to inject a little more fun-to-funky in the layout and use of materials. “It is also equipped with a set of door handles that look sensational – seriously, these are sexy little door handle units,” noted Editor Black. While both cars feature predominantly inexpensive plastics and cloth upholstery, the Versa Note throws in some contrasting seat panels, silver trim and a pale headliner that increases the open and airy roominess of the cabin.
  2014 Nissan Versa Note & 2013 Hyundai Accent. Click image to enlarge |
The Accent however, has a nice, leather-wrapped steering wheel that feels much better in the hands than the rubbery plastic helm of the Versa. While it might not boast the overhead space of the Nissan, the Accent GLS has a standard sunroof that prevents the dark cabin from seeming confining.
The Accent features cruise control and Bluetooth. It doesn’t have, nor does it offer a navigation system, though – a serious drawback these days in any segment.
One of the Versa Note’s biggest selling points is its surprising list of technology features from the 5.8-inch touchscreen: navigation, 360-degree “Around View Monitor” back-up camera, Bluetooth, and in some markets, Google send-to-car-maps, traffic and weather info, XM satellite radio, hands-free text messaging, in addition to more mundane features like push-button start and heated seats.
  2014 Nissan Versa Note & 2013 Hyundai Accent. Click image to enlarge |
Both cars offered equal room up front. But move to the back, and the Versa is more accommodating with 965 mm of legroom vs the Accent’s 840.
Pop the rear hatch and the Versa Note has a compact trunk space, whereas the Accent’s is such a voluminous space – I figured I could easily stretch out in it – and did just that.
Both sets of rear seats fold flat, but where the Accent has an overall cargo space of 1,345 L, the Versa Note’s overall capacity is 1,500. That’s a lot of groceries.
    2014 Nissan Versa Note & 2013 Hyundai Accent. Click image to enlarge |
Jacob spent a good 20 minutes muttering and cursing while gauging the child seat installation effort, finally concluding that “I found it much easier to install my child seat in the Versa Note than the Accent. This is despite the silly, silly placement of the LATCH clips in the Nissan – they are right between the seatbelt clips, which makes it hard to navigate with the LATCH clips on the child seat. I found I was hunched over and banging my back on the door frame of the Accent – no such drama in the Versa Note.”
Personally – I’m grateful I have cats.
Neither car was what I’d call sporty, but the Accent’s suspension was firmer than the Versa Note’s, which was rather soft. There isn’t a huge amount of body roll, but the Note is built for comfort, not agility.
The Accent’s powertrain far outclasses the Note’s too. Underhood the 1.6L four-cylinder engine featuring direct injection and variable valve timing puts out 138 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Note, on the other hand has 109 hp with 107 lb-ft. Due to its low weight and continuously variable transmission (CVT) that’s programmed to make the utmost of this tiny powerplant – the Versa isn’t as much of a dog as you might suspect – it actually moves along in a fairly sprightly manner.
  2014 Nissan Versa Note & 2013 Hyundai Accent. Click image to enlarge |
And this combination returned just over 7 L/100 km during our day of driving, compared to the Accent’s 8.3.
While the Hyundai’s engine does tend to get buzzy when pushed, the Versa Note’s CVT moans and groans like a Hereford at calving time. Aside from the soundtrack, it’s a fairly smooth operator, though, with none of the rubber band tendencies once associated with CVTs.
There’s little feedback from the rather light steering, but I personally preferred the Accent’s heavier helm.
It’s probably a good thing that the Note’s not overly powerful, because its braking hardware consists of 10-inch rotors up front and archaic 8-inch drums in the rear. Yet they work just fine, and with the easy to modulate throttle pedal, the Versa is quite easy to drive smoothly.
Surprisingly, the Accent features standard four-wheel disc brakes across the trim lineup. Up front are 10.1-inch ventilated rotors, and behind 10.3 inch solid discs, providing excellent stopping power.
While both cars are really maneuverable in tight spaces and quite easy to park – visibility, especially given the back-up camera, is much better in the Nissan.
Nissan’s ace-in-the-hole is its value for price. While the Hyundai Accent GLS 6AT topped out at $18,949 all in, the Versa Note SL started at $18,298 with an extra $720 for the Technology package for a total $19,018.
Factor in freight, taxes and air, and both cars are almost evenly priced.
The Accent is backed up by Hyundai’s impressive 5 year/100,000 km warranty – compared to Nissan’s 3 years/60,000 km.
In summary, Editor Jacob Black concluded: “In the end, I would rather live with the Versa Note than the Accent. You get more of the features that matter, and more size. The interior is nice to be in purely because of that endearing simplicity. It’s cheap, and it owns it. The Accent tries a little too hard to be a little too much.”
Either one of these little cars returns decent value for the money.
Personally – I could live with the Versa without too much objection, other than the barnyard sounds emanating from the drivetrain. But the Accent is more to my taste – simple, nimble and just a bit more responsive. Throw in that solid warranty, and it gives good bang for the buck.
Pricing: 2013 Hyundai Accent 5-Door GLS
Base price: $17,449
Options: Automatic transmission $1,200
Freight: $1,495
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $20,244
2014 Nissan Versa Note SL CVT
Base Price: $18,298
Options: Technology Package: $720
Freight & PDI: $1,567
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $20,685
