The minivan boom has come and gone, but there is still a large enough market for Hyundai to want a piece of the pie. The 2007 Hyundai Entourage is the first minivan Hyundai has sold in the U.S., the result of an odd on-again, off-again program that was not exactly confidence-inspiring.
Hyundai announced that it would build a minivan in 1998, for sale in 1999. But 1999 came and went, and 2000, and by 2001, Hyundai finally admitted it wouldn’t build a minivan after all. But in 2004, Hyundai reconsidered.
Really, it wasn’t that big of a deal: Since 2001, corporate cousin Kia has sold the Sedona minivan. It should not have been that difficult to take the Sedona and tweak it into a Hyundai, and in the end, that’s what happened. We got a brand-new Sedona for 2006 and, not coincidentally, a Hyundai for 2007.
Even in base trim, the Entourage seems a little more upscale than the Sedona. The base Entourage starts at about $25,000, and the Limited starts at $28,795. With options, the test vehicle listed for a heady $32,920.
Under the hood there’s a 3.8-liter, 242-horsepower V-6 rated at 18 miles per gallon in the city, 25 on the highway, with a five-speed automatic transmission. All Entourage models have the same powertrain. It’s nicely executed, on par with Honda and Toyota.
The Koreans are accomplished copycats, and inside, you can tell Hyundai has paid close attention to Honda, Chrysler and Toyota. The third row of seats folds into the floor, but the second row has to be removed if you need that cargo space. On the Limited, side doors and the rear hatch are power-opening.
On the road, the Entourage rides and handles as well as any minivan, and the engine has plenty of muscle. Inside, luxury features abound, such as leather upholstery and a rear-seat entertainment system. Still, for almost $33,000, the Entourage lacks a navigation system and satellite radio.
You have to wonder if Hyundai is launching the loaded Entourage Limited as a test balloon. Hyundai has built its very solid reputation on being a lower-priced alternative to Honda and Toyota, when what Hyundai really wants is to be considered the equal of Honda and Toyota, in both quality and price. A very comparable Honda Odyssey EX minivan, with leather upholstery and equipment similar to the tested Entourage, lists for $32,945, just $25 more than the Hyundai.
There’s no denying that Hyundai is on a roll, but is the company ready to take on the Japanese head to head?
I’ll be watching with interest to see if consumers are willing to pay the price. And, rest assured, so will Toyota, Honda — and Hyundai.
Base price: $28,795.
Price as tested: $32,920.
EPA rating: 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.
Details: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive minivan with a 3.8-liter, 242-horsepower V-6 engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission.
