2007 Hyundai Entourage Limited Road Test

After spending a week living life with the new Entourage, I'm starting tochange my attitude towards minivans, and for that matter, towards the Hyundai brand in general. I used to own a minivan (a 1994 Plymouth Voyager), and it got our family of four to Florida and back for several vacations. It went through the wear and tear of small children and harsh winters, and we ended up shipping it across the country when we moved. About a year later, with over 125,000 miles on the odometer, it finally died. We paid it homage by donating its body to science – well, we donated it to the firefighters, so they could practice auto extrication. That minivan served us well, but I wasn't too sad to see it go. I was ready for a change, ready to grow up a bit into a different mode of transportation. Now, four years later, I find that the minivans of today are much more luxurious, with even more functionality and convenient features.

As two of the two domestic players fade out of the minivan segment, Hyundai is ready with a serious contender. (Photo: Hyundai)

Although my minivan era has come to an end, I still appreciate why these vehicles are perfectly suited to the modern family. The minivan's appeal is in the unique combination of comfort, cargo and passenger capacity, safety and convenience, with relatively good fuel consumption.

Hyundai has really ramped up the quality of its vehicles in recent years and is now an impressive force to be reckoned with. I was ambivalent about the brand, but I now believe that the South Koreans are onto something. The Entourage is a great example of a well-appointed minivan, with all the bells

3.8-liter V6 makes 250 hp. That's not quite class-leading, but it's near the top for sure. (Photo: Hyundai)

and whistles; it boasts a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and still manages to price out well below the competition. There is good value here.

Model year 2007 marked the Entourage's entry into the market. The timing couldn't be better, as GM is unofficially in the process of eliminating its lineup of minivans and Ford has already killed off its Freestar. This gives the new kid on the block more than a fighting chance to establish itself. I think the Entourage will give its competitors a good run for their money.

With a 250-hp 3.8-liter V6 engine providing 253 lb-ft of torque down low in the rev range, the Entourage has more power than a minivan deserves. From standstill the acceleration

On the move, the Entourage delivers a supple ride so you and your entourage are always in comfort. (Photo: Hyundai)

is strong and brisk. Once you're moving, and especially on steep inclines, the five-speed automatic transmission hesitates a bit before downshifting for extra power. The Shiftronic feature, which allows you to shift through the gears in manual mode, is no more responsive, and I have to wonder why this is even a feature at all on a minivan. I used it a couple of times, but found it to be virtually the same as automatic mode. During the week that I drove the Entourage on a mix of city and highway roads, with the majority of time on the former, the fuel consumption averaged 19 mpg, which is better than advertised – Gotta love that!

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