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2007 Hyundai Entourage Preview

Taking on the Establishment Once Again

Hyundai has been shaking up the automotive establishment since it came on American scene in 1985, but unlike the early days, when its rather poorly executed Excel fought for market share against Chevys equally awful Chevette, Dodges only slightly better Omni and Fords similarly uninspired Escort (among others) at the bottom rung of the feeding chain, todays comparatively premium offerings are among the most competitive in their respective segments.

And since that car company came to town, with only one car in a single segment, Hyundais reach has grown to encompass nine vehicle classes, starting with the subcompact Accent four-door sedan, and followed by the compact Elantra sedan and five-door, compact
John Krafcik, Hyundai vice president Product Development and Strategic Planning unveiled the all-new 2007 Entourage at the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday, February 8, 2006. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
Tiburon sports coupe, midsize Sonata sedan and full-size entry-level luxury Azera sedan in the car segment, plus the compact Tucson and Santa Fe crossover utility vehicles. What vehicles segment isnt it in?

Well, theres quite a few actually, and it seems that the South Korean company, finding success by building vehicles better than
With the new Entourage, shown here on its stand at the Chicago Auto Show, Hyundais North American lineup grows into double digits. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
many of its rivals, with more features for lower prices, and even producing them in the U.S. for North American customers, is about to fill in some of the white spaces with all-new vehicles. Oh sure, a new three-door Accent has been announced, but its not like we didnt expect this, being that Hyundai has offered an entry-level hatchback for as long as, well, the Pony; but the Entourage, first written about in these pages last spring
Hyundai has never been in the minivan game, at least not here in North America. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
(see automotive news section of this website for June 7, 2005: Hyundai Minivan to Finally Arrive is Spring of 2006) is something entirely new.

Hyundai has never been in the minivan game, at least not here in North America. Elsewhere, like in its home market of South Korea or in other Asian markets, plus Australia, South Africa, etc, its Trajet has been available for some time, but here in the U.S., where minivans have long been important on automaker sales charts, theres been no such vehicle. This will end
The new Entourage (shown) borrows much of what it needs from the recently released 2006 Kia Sedona minivan. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
later this year, however, when the Entourage will push Hyundais lineup into double digits, and join Kias Sedona as the second Korean minivan to ever be offered on North American shores - unless youre counting the Kia Besta that was sold by Mazda Canada in the 80s, prior to the Japanese automaker offering its MPV.

But unlike those days, when Kia and Hyundai were arch rivals fighting over the same customers, the two companies are now joined at the hip, Hyundai having purchased Kia lock, stock and barrel a number of years ago, and as
The Entourage is up against some incredibly stiff competition. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
a result of doing so, is now sharing general architectures, drivetrains and additional components between models. Where the Accent and Rio are built off of the same platform and powered by the same engine and transmission combinations, and the Elantra/Spectra, Sonata/Magentis, Tucson/Sportage, and so on, are now cooperative Hyundai/Kia projects in one way or another, the new Entourage borrows much of what it needs from the recently released 2006 Kia Sedona minivan.
This is good news for Hyundai, of course, being that the Sedona has enjoyed some very positive reviews since its introduction. Hyundai, which
While some automakers are talking about leaving the minivan segment, Hyundais entry targets the segments best. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
is positioning itself as the more luxury oriented of the two brands, with Kia targeting sportier buyers, will no doubt spiff up anything that may be lacking, in the same fashion the Chryslers Town & Country upgrades the Dodge Caravan.

That last model, of course, has long been the segment leader, offering innovation after innovation in an attempt to stay ahead. Over the years others have tried to compete with varying levels of success, the next highest sellers being GMs various vans, plus Hondas Odyssey, Toyotas Sienna, Mazdas MPV, Nissans Quest, and the aforementioned Kia Sedona. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot Fords Aerostar...
Hyundai is being so bold as to claim that the 172 cubic-feet inside its Entourage is greater than the interior volume of Hondas Odyssey. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
Windstar... er... Freestar... call it whatever star you want, although supernova might be more apropos being that its imploding sales have been so devastating Ford will more than likely kill it off sooner than later, and replace it with something that has greater crossover appeal.

Lasts years stylish Portico Concept had many prognosticators predicting a more crossover-like minivan was on the way, and while such a move remains entirely possible, the new Entourage, the one we know for sure will line up alongside Hyundais nine other models, is pure minivan through and through. Hyundai has had an interesting vantage point over the years, looking and
The Entourages second row features seatbacks that fold down and pedestals that flip forward. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
critiquing from the outside in, and in similar fashion to how Kia was able to come to the North American market with a very competitive Sedona when it first appeared in 2001 as a 2002 model, the Entourage, borrowing much from Kias second-generation Sedona, enters the picture with an extremely competitive product.

First of all, its hardly a minivan at all, but is more accurately mid- to full-size, just like its main rivals. Actually, Hyundai is being so bold as to claim that the 172 cubic-feet inside its Entourage is greater than the interior volume of Hondas Odyssey. Interior spaciousness is critical, as minivan buyers tend to use their vehicles for more than just hauling around family members and their half-pint friends, but often
The Entourage includes a host of active and passive safety features. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
commission them for carting around building supplies and other heavy and/or large-scale loads. Due to this multi-usage a flexible seating system is mandatory, and while the Entourage doesnt feature anything quite as revolutionary as Chryslers Stow n Go setup, that allows all seats to collapse flat into the floor, the new van integrates the requisite flat-folding 60/40 split rear seat, dubbed Hyundai Hideaway, plus a second row with seatbacks that fold down and pedestals that flip forward, or that can be easily removed if needed, to open up cargo space. That second row can be accessed via twin rear sliding doors.

After interior flexibility and overall size, probably the next most important consideration minivan buyers, normally parents with children, would find important are safety features.
The new Hyundai van wont be short on luxury features. (Photo: Hyundai Motor America)
Being a father of three, the fact that the Entourage comes standard with a bevy of state-of-the-art active and passive safety items, such as four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel ABS and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), anti-whiplash active front head restraints, as well as a half dozen airbags that include side curtain-type bags for all three rows, gives me piece of mind. No doubt, the Entourage will garner a five star crash test rating.
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