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Newsday, Melville, N.Y., Road Test column(Newsday (Melville, NY) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Oct. 20--It's relatively easy to build a cheap car that looks, rides, handles and sounds like one. What separates the small cars that stand out from those than don't is a sense of value beyond their prices -- making a cheap car feel like one that isn't. Honda has done it very well for many years with its Civic and, more recently, its smaller Fit. Ford accomplished it with the Focus, although that model is overdue now for a freshening. The Mazda3 is more fun to drive than one has a right to expect in the under-$15,000 price bracket. Some critics and many buyers are smitten by Chrysler Group's Neon replacement, the inexpensive Dodge Caliber wagon, but a test sample's noisy, sluggish engine, cheap-looking interior, bad ride and poor safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety left me cold. Toyota certainly didn't give buyers more than their money's worth with the tinny little Echo, but it has done better with the successor, the Yaris. The redesigned 2007 Chevrolet Aveo might be a value, but I haven't sampled one yet. And now we have Hyundai's latest effort: the 2007 Accent three-door. On sale since June, it is redesigned, and it followed the also-redone Accent sedan into showrooms by six months. Let's give it a "B." With a better steering system and a more interesting upholstery pattern, it could be a contender -- an "A" car. Someone with a sense of humor has even given this 110-hp. car an exhaust tone that any import car tuner would be proud to call his -- or her -- own. But that sound, for some of you, might be noise; if so, you'll have to reduce that "B" to a "C." Plus, this is a high-revving engine. In the stick-shift Accent I sampled, the engine was turning at 3,500 rpm at 70 mph. Most cars' engines are turning at about 2,500 rpm at that speed. A sixth gear would be welcome but is rare in this price range. The automatic version, however, might be quieter because the final drive gearing is taller. The three or four of you out there who actually adhere to the 55 mph speed limit around these parts will have no problem in any case; at 55, the noise level is moderate, even in the stick-shift model. The rest of you who routinely cruise 10 and 20 mph above the limit might find yourselves popping aspirin after an hour or so on the highway unless you opt for the automatic transmission. Accents begin at less than $11,000 for '07, but, as are most vehicles in manufacturers' media test fleets, the tester was a more expensive variant -- a $14,000 SE. Significant differences include a "sport"-tuned suspension and, it says here, sport-tuned steering. The SE suspension has a 24 percent stiffer front spring rate and 11 percent stiffer rear spring rate, Hyundai says, as well as a larger, 24-mm front stabilizer bar and its own strut valving. Unfortunately, even the sport steering system is overboosted and not very communicative -- something most apparent at highway speeds. The up-level SE also gets four-wheel disc brakes, versus the front disc-rear drum setup in the base car, and bigger, 16-inch, wheels with wider tires rated for higher, 149 mph, speeds -- 205/45 VR16s. (However, to put Newsday's and Hyundai's lawyers at ease, note that Hyundai is not, nor am I, suggesting this car can be driven safely at 149 mph.) Like its sedan brother, the Accent three-door is worth considering if you're on a tight budget and your car has to be new. And especially if you do a lot of driving; if they're even close to reality, the Accent's EPA ratings of 32 mpg city and 35 highway will save you real money over time. As this is written, in early October, gasoline prices are falling, so the timing of the three-door Accent's arrival might seem unfortunate. But don't be lulled if you're considering trading down to a smaller and more economical model; cynics think fuel prices will rise again after the November election. History suggests they'll certainly rise as spring approaches. How high they'll go next year is anyone's guess, but the basic world supply-demand situation underlying the higher prices hasn't changed fundamentally. While Hyundai still isn't shoulder to shoulder with Honda and Toyota in quality by any measure available to us, its warranty is the longest in the industry: five years or 60,000 miles bumper to bumper, 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain, plus 24-hour roadside assistance for five years with no mileage limit. If you're not wedded to the idea of a new car, though, you'd do well to consider a late-model used larger car -- like a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic -- as an alternative to the Accent or any small and cheap new car. You won't get the long warranty, but you will get more car for the money -- and let someone else absorb the depreciation of any new car the moment it's driven off a dealership lot. The successor to the late and unlamented Excel, the Accent is now in its third generation with this redesign. The '07 three-door is 3 inches taller than its predecessor but, says Hyundai, is 7 inches shorter because it's now based on its own chassis, not sharing the sedan's as before. The increased height and decreased length make the car look stubbier than its predecessor, but the height helps provide ample headroom, front and rear. A 2-inch-higher seating position than last year helps ameliorate the feeling of vulnerability in so small a car. The Accent's engine, updated for '07, might be noisy, but it is modern -- 1.6 liters with 16 valves with variable timing, producing 6 more horsepower than its predecessor. While 110 hp. is hardly impressive, this car weighs only about 2,500 pounds. With my tester's five-speed stick shift, the Accent felt peppy enough to be safe. A version with the optional four-speed automatic is apt to be a little slower. In any case, the five-speed is an excellent gearbox. Inside, materials are surprisingly rich in looks (except for the aforementioned dreadfully dull seat fabric). Most controls that are not on steering column stalks are in a center "stack" canted toward the driver and absolutely stupid-proof. Surprises in the upscale SE include heated outside mirrors. Safety is always a concern in a relatively light and small car, but no crash-test ratings are available yet for the '07 three-door Accent from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The four-door Accent did fairly well -- five out of a possible five stars for driver and passenger in a frontal impact; four out of five for the driver in a side impact but just three out of a possible five stars for a rear-seat passenger in a side impact. Note that a rear-seater has no seat-mounted bag to help prevent injury, but the curtain bags do offer head protection back there. Neither J.D. Power and Associates nor Consumer Reports has published reliability ratings yet for the new Accent. All I can tell you is that Hyundais seem to have been improving in recent years. For the economy-minded, the new Accent looks like another winner. 2007 Hyundai Accent SE 3-Door Vehicle tested: Engine: 1.6-liter, four-cylinder, 110 hp. Torque: 106 pound-feet at 4,600 rpm Fuel: Regular Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive Safety: Dual front, seat-mounted side and curtain air bags; four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock; fog lamps Place of Assembly: Ulsan, South Korea Weight: 2,496 pounds Cargo room: Rear seatback up/down, cubic feet: 15.9/NA EPA fuel economy rating: 32 mpg city, 35 highway Price as driven: $14,580 including destination charge Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. 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