Hyundai Accent Viva
List price (ex-showroom,Mumbai) Rs 7.06 lakh
Top speed 184kph (est)
0-100kph 12.65sec
kpl 8.1 (city), 12.8(highway)
For Interiors, after sales service
Against Not as sporty as it is made out to be.

You've got to hand it to Hyundai for the way they market their cars. Even the Viva, a variant of the well-established Accent, is launched with a marketing blitz and pizzazz that makes other car launches pale in comparison. You just can't miss the ads on TV, in print, or on the huge hoardings all over town. All this hype and hoopla seems to be working. There's been a huge response for the Viva and Hyundai can't make enough of them to meet initial demand. So does the Viva live up to its hype? Or is it just a youthful iteration of the original piece?

The new Accent Viva is basically a sportier version of the Accent Tornado. The main difference is at the rear where the conventional three-box design gives way to a fifth door or tailgate. There's no doubt that the stubby and taut rear section, 50mm shorter than the regular Accent, looks neater in comparison. There's also an interesting ribbed effect at the bottom of the rear bumper. The rest of the Viva is largely unaltered except for a new toothy grille borrowed from the Korean Accent. Front bumper area is also different and comes with round fog lights that give a 'stretch' effect. Overall, the alterations look convincing and make the stock Accent look positively docile in comparison.

Climb aboard the Viva and you're greeted by the familiar well-finished Accent dash. In fact, the insides are identical to the Tornado, right down to the leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. The only thing to remind you it's the Viva is the sporty red trim and rear wiper controls.