2007 Hyundai Entourage GLS

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The Entourage might be Hyundai's first minivan and it's the largest vehicle ever to wear the stylized "H" here, but Hyundai's no stranger to large and small passenger vans.

Chances are that if you've travelled abroad – particularly to the Caribbean – you've been in a Hyundai Grace at some point.

Short of the chrome "H" and the ability to shuttle passengers and cargo, the Entourage bears no relation to that model, instead it's more closely related to the current Santa Fe and Veracruz.

Indeed, the Entourage and its Kia twin, the Sedona , have the distinction of being the first minivans to earn a "Top Gold Pick" from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and a five-star rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

As befits the brands, the Entourage is positioned as the more upscale of the two vans, however, beyond minor cosmetic and trim level differences, the Sedona and Entourage are essentially the same, though strangely, only the Kia can be had with a sunroof.

My tester was a top-rung Entourage GLS Leather.

There's little doubt that Hyundai/Kia had the Honda Odyssey squarely in its sights during the design process. Not only do they have a similar overall appearance, they're just as comparable on paper; the Honda possessing incrementally larger interior dimensions within its slightly more compact exterior.

Not that either van could be considered small; these, like the comparable Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest, are ostensibly equivalent to the extended-length minis produced by Chrysler and General Motors.

Strangely, the Entourage does not offer an eight-passenger version; it seems that you're limited to "seven-up."

In current minivan vogue, the third-row seats split 60/40 and fold into the floor, though the removable second-row captain's chairs do not. Access to the third row past the easily folded second-row seats is about average (best suited to the limber and/or young). Once there, the third row's accommodations comfortably fit my 5-foot-11 frame.

A variant of the excellent 3.8-litre "Lambda" V6 used in Hyundai's flagship Azera sedan, drives the front wheels through a smooth five-speed automatic with manu-matic capability.

In Entourage trim, the V6 produces a respectable 242 hp and 251 lb.-ft. of torque, allowing for a 1588 kg towing capacity, and providing for strong acceleration, which is marred only by torque steer at lower speeds.

Wind and road noise are well controlled, and the Entourage's ride is comfy without being sloppy.

To suggest 15 years ago that you should cross-shop a Hyundai with the established Japanese and domestic players would have been slightly laughable. Yet, here is Hyundai, splitting a three-way tie (with its Kia twin and the Nissan Quest) for first place in the minivan category of Strategic Vision's Total Quality Index, an initial quality and customer satisfaction award that suggests this new model is, at the very least, off to a good start.

Certainly the fit and finish appeared to be top-notch; the interior's design is conservative but attractive, and I particularly liked the seat-shaped switches on the door for the driver's power seat.

Only the aftermarket-looking roof-mounted DVD unit detracted from my tester's nicely trimmed cabin – that and the annoyance that the wheel-mounted audio controls don't scan presets or skip tracks, so you have to reach over to the radio – not convenient for compulsive tune switchers.

With a base price of $29,995, the Entourage GL undercuts the entry stickers of the Odyssey, Sienna and Quest, and is even within a few hundred dollars of the current Dodge Grand Caravan, whose improved replacement is expected by the fall.

Despite clever features (such as the Stow 'n Go folding second-row seating), the existing Caravan's sole strength is its price, and much the same can be said of GM's entries in this class: the Uplander and Montana SV6 offer a stout V6 and standard stability control in their extended models for nearly $2,000 less. The Japanese vans have their own relative strengths and weaknesses, but it's obvious that one of the Entourage's biggest competitors comes from within its corporate family. The Sedona starts at $500 less, and matches the Entourage right up to top trim levels.

Ultimately, if after shopping around, you've chosen one of these Korean maxi minis, it boils down to which dealership is more convenient, or which will give you the better deal.

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