2008 Hyundai Entourage Manchester NH

See Our Inventory of the 2008 Hyundai Entourage Manchester, NH

2008 Hyundai Entourage Overview

The Entourage has just enough room for six in pleasant yet functional surroundings. (Seven is a squeeze.) It has a five-speed automatic transmission to help get the best fuel economy and performance out of its V6 engine. Its ride is comfortable, and yet the Entourage has no barge-like tendencies when it comes to handling.

The Entourage offers the same kind of safety equipment you'll find on the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. Established life-savers that come standard on the Entourage include electronic stability control (to control skids), and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Side-impact air bags inflate from the front seats for torso protection, and air curtains cover the side windows for vital head protection in a rollover or side-impact crash. Front-seat active head restraints move forward in a rear-end crash to minimize whiplash injuries.

2008 Hyundai Entourage Lineup

The Limited model comes leather seats, heated front seats, a power tailgate, premium scuff plates, and all of the content of the GLS Popular Equipment and Premium Packages except the rear-seat entertainment system. The Ultimate Package for the Limited model adds the rear-seat entertainment system; plus tilt/slide glass sunroof; power front passenger seat; power adjustable foot pedals; integrated memory system for the driver's seat, outside mirrors, and foot pedals; and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink.

The new Popular Equipment Package adds dual power sliding doors, power rear quarter glass, power driver seat, back-up warning sensors, and steering wheel audio controls. The also-new GLS Premium Package  includes the Popular Equipment Package; plus a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with an eight-inch LCD monitor; a 660-watt Infinity audio system with CD/MP3 changer, Logic 7 surround sound, and 13 speakers; dual-zone automatic climate control; leather steering wheel and shift knob; heated side mirrors; compass; trip computer; automatic headlights; dual illuminated vanity mirrors; tinted glass; fog lights; and 17-inch alloy wheels

Interior of the 2008 Hyundai Entourage

The Entourage has active head restraints that are designed to reduce neck injuries by moving forward to cushion the head in a rear-end crash. In crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Entourage moved ahead of all the other minivans by getting a Good rating in the rear-impact crash test. The Honda Odyssey got a Marginal rating for rear impact while the Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest got Poor ratings. All four earned Good ratings in frontal and side-impact protection.

Hyundai rates the cargo capacity behind the third row at 32 cubic feet. That's about twice the size of the trunk of a mid-size sedan, but such calculations typically involve stacking stuff to the roof. With the third row folded flat, the cargo capacity is rated at 80 cubic feet.

Flexibility is a good thing for anybody planning to sit in the third row. The third row is designed for small to mid-size children. It is worth noting that Hyundai measures what appears to be a generous 34 inches of third-row legroom with the second-row captain's chairs in their forward-most position. The reality is 27 inches of third-row legroom if the people in the captain's chairs insist on pushing all the way back.

Driving Impressions of the 2008 Hyundai Entourage

The Entourage's five-speed automatic can be shifted manually by tapping the gear shift lever. This can be useful in mountain driving when the driver could easily shift to a lower gear helping to slow the vehicle. But it's mostly there for the driver who from time to time simply enjoys controlling the shifting or using it to reduce hunting in heavy traffic or on winding roads.

Like most modern minivans, the Entourage is front-wheel drive, and with all the serious mechanical pieces up front that puts a lot of weight in the nose. That contributes to a locked-down and reassuring feeling on the interstate. But it also means the Entourage pauses a bit when asked to change direction and head into a turn. This isn't a problem, but the Honda Odyssey, which is also front-wheel drive, responds more crisply, but the downside to the Odyssey's quicker reflexes is its stiffer ride.

The Hyundai Entourage is a lovely highway cruiser, quiet and stable. It handles rough surfaces well, which is a good plan for a vehicle intended as a people carrier and not a sports sedan. But a particularly deep pothole sends a quiver through the body that suggests the structure isn't as solid as it could be. Driving the Honda Odyssey on the same roads shows it has a better structure. On the other hand, the Odyssey does not ride as comfortably.

Summary

The Entourage is Hyundai's first minivan, and a remarkable vehicle with good safety equipment and good crash protection at a competitive price. Short-term studies have shown Hyundai's quality has improved considerably, but the unknown is its long-term durability. Meanwhile, Honda and Toyota are known quantities. For consumers the issue is whether all the Entourage's attractions offset that unknown factor.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com