Hyundai Entourage: The vanishing minivan

Hyundai is dropping one of their entourage: the Entourage minivan, that is. Sales were slow, with 17,000 units a year at its peak, and the minivan market has been slumping for years.

Our feelings are a bit mixed on this news. Too many people shun minivans because of their “soccer mom” image, even though a minivan is the most efficient and cost-effective way to carry a large family comfortably.

On the other hand, the pleasant Entourage didn’t quite measure up to the class-leaders--the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey--in handling or fuel-economy. (In typical Hyundai fashion, it did undercut them in price.) The biggest concern: reliability has been well below average in our 2008 Car Reliability Survey.

But don’t fear--if you still want an Entourage, you can buy a Kia Sedona. It’s identical, save for fascia styling and interior details. Kia, the “sporty brand” in the Kia/Hyundai corporate umbrella, keeps their minivan while practical Hyundai moves on to focus on cars and crossovers.

--Tom Mutchler

Comments

[Derrick G]

I think maybe they're jumping the gun on this one. Sales for 2009 are far outpacing last year. I think much of that may be coming from Chrysler as buyers are scared away by their financial issues, as the Sedona's sales are also way up YTD vs. '08. March saw few sold, but then again that may well reflect dwindling inventories. I couldn't find many in my area. Hyundai says it saves money that be used to develop other cars, but I can't see how much a new grille and some taillights can cost.

[GV Giant]

Being both an owner and an apologist for the Kia Sedona, I just don't see the Entourage being missed all that much.

I took a long look at that minivan, but whether it was the packaging of the options and trim lines, available incentives, whatever, everything always pointed much more clearly to the Sedona.

But compared to the still-popular Chrysler/Dodges, either one of these vans (and I guess there will only be one now) runs circles around them. And with a Toyota getting to be SO expensive, and the incentives on the Sedona SO good at this time, if the reliability ticks up (which I am guessing it will do this Fall, as Hyundai/Kia has been working hard on that), you will have a hard time justifying the cost of those others listed above.

I could not be happier with the Sedona, especially for price paid. And having owned three of them, I have never EVER had a problem with any of them.

[Denis Coderre]

Own a 2007 fully loaded(except leather) Entourage. I'm at 100,000 km (that's about 60,000 miles). I'm extremely pleased with this vehicule. No problems at all except a preventive AC compressor replacement under warranty by dealer ( bearing makin g unusual noise). Having been an owner of a 2001 Honda Odyssey and a 2004 Toyota Sienna, I am well placed to compare both vehicules with the Entourage.

The Entourage is the narrowest of the three, but just as long. The handling of the Odyssey is car-like (true to Honda). The Entourage is very close in handling. The Sienna's handling is the worst of the three. However it has the most comfortable seats followed by the Entourage and Odyssey.The road noise of the Odyssey is still a major problem. Th Entourage is best at ths level. I particularly love the power range of the Entourage, the 250 horses of that engine are a treat to push.It is closely followed by the Odyssey. The 17 inch wheels of my Entourage makes it very pleasnt to drive. I also enjoy the traction control system which works beautiffully in our rugge canadian winters. Overall Iam fully satisfied and would surely buy another
Entourage. The 5 year 100,000 km warranty, the lower price, the 60 month 0% interest rate and overall please of use makes this a great purchase.

[Jonathan Eakin]

I have owned three Honda's and a Toyota. The new models were pricey so we took a chance with Hyundai. We purchased the '07 entourage Limited new in August '06, it now has 56000 miles. The belt idler/bearing was replaced to fix a noise and the automatic sliding doors needed a couple visits to the dealer. Other than that it is a pleasure to drive. I have driven Odyssey's, they do feel more "car like" however this class of vehicle is still 4500LB plus, the Entourage/sedona does an admirable job of sticking to the road and feels heavy as it truly is yet very secure in the handling dept. The stability control is standard, the safety ratings were a year ahead of the market. The 250HP engine and 5spd transmission are perfectly matched to the application, powerful and smooth shifting. On the highway we get between 22 and 25. We are very happy with the van.

[Jerry]

I have owned two Honda Accords, a Toyota Corolla, a Chrysler Town and Country, and I currently own a Ford F-150. I can honestly state that my Entourage is the worse vehicle that I have ever purchased. I have less than $30K miles and it appears to be in the shop for something to get fixed (not maitenanced) every few months. If I had to do it again, I would go back to my Town and Country.

[Robert Dooley]

I have a 2007 Hyundai Entrourage and the vehicle has been to the dealer for wind and road noise 4 times. I like the vehicle and wounder if this noise is something you need to live with or is there a fix. Every time I take to the dealer they act like this is the first entrourage they have seen with loud road noise. Any advise would be great.

[D Russell]

I have a 2007 Entourage Limited which I find to be a very comfortable and nice looking vehicle. However,like many of the bloggers above I have experienced almost all the same issues: Rattling noise coming from front end, electronic doors that don't work, check engine light that comes on; and at the moment, the car won't always start (not the battery). But the worst thing about the minivan is the gas mileage! I get about 14.5-16 miles per gallon! Does anyone else have the same problem?

[Joe Dale]

I have a 2007 mid level Entourage. It has 30,000 miles on it and it runs fine and my average fuel use is 19 mpg. I also followed the break in period, even though a Hyundai mechanic said not to worry about that.That is the same as the Toyota & Honda. I think Consumer Reports scared buyers away with their change in rating.My last 2 vans were Chrysler products and i will NEVER purchase a Chrysler product again.