2007 Hyundai Entourage
Expert Review

Is it time to bemoan the passing of minivans as a popular American family vehicle?

I hope not. Immensely practical and convenient, minivans may not be the "next thing" that they were in the 1980s. While no longer a growth segment, minivans are still far from dead.

In fact, Hyundai only recently joined the minivan segment, introducing its first minivan to U.S. consumers in the 2007 model year.

The 7-passenger Hyundai Entourage is nicely done, with pleasant styling inside and out, six standard airbags and top government safety rating, plentiful amenities, an easy-to-live-with interior and a strong, 250-horspeower V6 engine.

And with a government fuel economy rating of 18 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway, the Entourage can be more fuel-efficient than nearly any sport-utility vehicle that offers seating for at least seven people, according to U.S. government figures.

No bargain pricing
Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price of nearly $24,000 for the new Entourage might seem a bit high at first blush. Indeed, the top Entourage—a Limited model—had a starting price of more than $28,000 at introduction.

And in the Hyundai lineup, the Entourage is the third-highest-priced vehicle, after the luxury-oriented Azera sedan and upscale Veracruz crossover.

But in typical Hyundai fashion, every Entourage includes a generous number of standard features that can be extras on other minivans. Such items as keyless remote entry, traction control and a full complement of airbags are standard on even the base Entourage.

The Entourage also comes standard with Hyundai's industry-leading powertrain warranty lasting 10 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first, and bumper-to-bumper coverage that goes for five years/60,000 miles.

Meantime, the Entourage earned the federal government's top safety rating in crash testing: Five out of five stars for front- and rear-seat passenger protection in frontal and side crashes.

Nothing really "mini" here
Hyundai and Kia are owned by the same South Korean car company, so it's perhaps not surprising that the Entourage is based on the Kia Sedona, which was revamped for 2006.

This means that on the outside, the Entourage is dimensionally about the size of a Honda Odyssey minivan. It also has many features found in the Odyssey but at a lower starting price. Note that when the Entourage debuted for 2007, the 2007 Odyssey had a starting retail price of more than $25,600.

One example of the copycat features found inside the Entourage are the third-row seats that flip and fold into a cavity in the floor with ease, leaving a flat, spacious cargo floor at the back of the vehicle. This feature was first used in the Odyssey years ago.

Hyundai officials also installed a fold-down tray/cupholder area between the front seats like that in the Odyssey. With this tray folded down, a minivan driver can stop the vehicle and move from the front seats to the back, if need be, without getting out of the van—at least if he or she isn't very large.

Many expected minivan features included
Hyundai officials weren't shy about cherry-picking the best minivan features from other competitors, too.

The Entourage comes with a standard "conversation mirror"—a convex mirror above the rear-view mirror that helps the driver see what rear passengers are doing without having to turn around. This was first introduced in Ford's Windstar minivan years ago.

All Entourages have two separate seats for the second row, avoiding the more plebian-looking second-row bench seat. Chrysler minivans made these separate second-row seats popular.

And windows on the two second-row, sliding doors of the Entourage go up and down to allow pets and children to get fresh air.

Good power
The test Entourage impressed with its engine power.

There's only one powertrain—a 3.8-liter V6 developing 250 horses and 253 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm mated to a smooth-shifting, 5-speed automatic transmission. This combination moves the rather heavy Entourage, which weighs at least 4,400 pounds, in responsive fashion.

The test van hustled into lane openings when I accelerated, and it didn't hesitate in passing other vehicles, even on hilly roads at highway speeds.

I liked the engine sounds, too, which had a confident, almost sporty sense.

The transmission, by the way, is a Shiftronic, which allows a driver to manually shift gears sans a clutch pedal for a sportier experience. This feature is in Kia's Sedona, too, but it isn't found in the Odyssey.

Odds and ends
The ride in the test Entourage kept most bumps away from passengers. Riders didn't feel the bumps, but at times, they heard them coming from underneath the vehicle.

There also were some bobbing and diving body motions of the Entourage in curves and stopping maneuvers.

The interior was quite quiet, save for some minor wind noise that developed at highway speeds.

Leather-trimmed seats in the uplevel Entourage Limited were comfortable. But the leather itself didn't have the soft feel of upscale leather and could have been mistaken for vinyl.

On and off, the tester developed a squeak in one of the rear seats after the van had been on rough road surfaces.

And window buttons for the second-row doors were a big reach for second-row passengers, because the buttons were on the metal pillar by the driver seatback.

But I appreciated that the Entourage floor is flat, everyone has a height-adjustable, lockable head restraint, and there are two glove boxes—one atop the other—in the dashboard in front of the front-seat passenger.

At 5 feet 4, I also had easy entry into any of the seats of the Entourage and a good view out and a bit above the cars. I never did see the end of the hood, though, so I had to estimate it as I parked.

Maximum cargo volume is a commendable 141.5 cubic feet, and the Entourage can tow up to 3,500 pounds.