2007 Hyundai Entourage SE/Limited

The Entourage is Hyundai’s first minivan and it’s a winner. The Entourage is based on the Kia Sedona minivan, which arrived in North America earlier this year as a 2006 model. Performance is excellent; fuel economy only OK. The base Entourage GLS is equipped with many comfort and safety features including 6 air bags and stability control. The top of the line Limited comes with power side doors and lift gate. Big screen DVD is optional. MSRP: $24,495; EPA mileage 18 MPG city/25 highway.

First Glance

Big, Big, Big! Hyundai’s first minivan ain’t no mini minivan. It’s huge -- the Double Wopper of minivans, bigger even than Honda’s enormous Odyssey. I can’t, for the life of me, imagine why any normal family would actually need anything so big, unless they’re fielding their own football team. Surely to goodness this is the final word in the minivan size wars. I mean the road systems in most North American cities are already at or beyond their design capacity.

Although it’s big -- maybe too big -- the Entourage is a very attractive automobile. Unless you take a more than casual interest in automotive matters, you could easily mistake the new Entourage for the Honda Odyssey. While there are a number of design differences between the Odyssey and the Entourage, they’re subtle and often hard to identify. You really have to see the two vehicles side-by-h’each, as they say in Newfoundland. But here’s one way to tell them apart: the Entourage’s power side doors (standard on the top-of-the-line Limited) slide in an exposed slot; the Odyssey’s in a concealed slot.

The interior space is well thought out. It’s both comfortable (even for third row occupants) and very functional.

• Visit the 2007 Hyundai Entourage SE/Limited Photo Gallery
• Another opinion: 2007 Hyundai Entourage GLS Review

Continued below…

In the Driver's Seat

Its name says it all: The Entourage is a vehicle for folks who travel with a posse -- either a lot of kids or a very extended family. But really, most people don’t have a daily need for so much interior space. I mean, who drives around with six passengers? You can spend many days on the road before you’ll pass a vehicle with four seats filled let alone seven. The problem here is that there’s a certain minimum amount of tin required to cover all this interior space. Extra metal means extra weight and extra wind resistance, which means the Entourage uses extra fuel.

But for those who have a genuine need for all those seats, this is one super vehicle. There are places for seven adults. The third row has three seat belts (though if your passengers are members of the local McDonalds Appreciation Society, there may only be room for two). Unlike many so-called 7-seaters, the Entourage has ample room in the third row for adult legs and feet.

The nicely thought-out interior is plain but not in the slightest Spartan. It’s actually quite comfortable and very, very functional. Of course, all manner of electronic toys to keep both driver and passengers amused are available. Many are standard issue.

On the Road

Despite the Entourage's long wheelbase, its turning circle is delightfully small, giving the Entourage exceptional maneuverability. Still, I never quite got used to the Entourage's size; I kept running the rear wheel up against the curb when I was parallel parking.

Fuel economy was not all that good, particularly in city driving, which shouldn't be that surprising: Under the hood is a 242 hp 3.8L V-6 with variable valve timing. Coupled to an ultra smooth 5-speed automatic, it’ll pull the Entourage to 60mph in under 9 seconds. All that power takes an inevitable toll on city mpg though. Remember: when you own all those horses you still gotta feed ‘em, even if you rarely if ever take them out of the barn.

On the open road, the Entourage is a relaxing automobile to drive because it’s so very capable. It’s quiet and it tracks well, easily shrugging off wind gusts created by passing (or being passed by) big trucks. Few recognize Hyundai's quality improvements over the past few years, but it's safe to say that the Entourage should provide its owner with trouble free driving for many years.

Journey’s End

Like a great number of auto journalists, I like minivans. I’m glad they’re cool again. Well, OK, kind of cool. How they can get so much useable space on a regular passenger car chassis is something that never fails to amaze (and delight) me.

However, as the philosopher Karl Popper said, anything taken to an extreme point flips and produces the opposite impact from the one originally intended. A joke carried too far becomes not at all funny. A few drops of cool water on the forehead can be pleasant; a few million torture. You get the idea. My point is the Entourage may just be too big, even for our still relatively uncrowded roads. All that bulk is simply not necessary. The Mazda5, for example, can carry six adults (and their legs) but it takes up a heck of a lot less road space. And being smaller and lighter it doesn’t require as much horsepower and therefore can go a heck of a lot further on a gallon of ever-more-expensive gasoline.

As far as vans go, the Entourage is great. In fact, it's as good as the Honda Odyssey, which I think is the best van in the business -- and it costs thousands less. If lots of space is what you need, then the Entourage is the van to buy.

• Visit the 2007 Hyundai Entourage SE/Limited Photo Gallery
• Another opinion: 2007 Hyundai Entourage GLS Review