Hyundai Entourage

Hyundai’s first minivan, the Entourage, which earned top marks when first introduced last year, keeps pace in 2008 with even more value and equipment options to suit the needs for families on-the-go. Sporting a powerful 3.8-liter V6 engine and a five-speed automatic transmission

Hyundai Entourage

Add to that standard safety features like electronic stability control (ESC), six air bags, active front seat head restraints, a top five-star crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) and a TOP SAFETY PICK rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) – the best rating ever for a minivan – and you’ve got a vehicle that continues to be a frontline contender in the minivan segment.

* Replacement of SE trim level with a new Popular Equipment
* Package option on the GLS, which includes dual power sliding doors, power driver seat, back-up warning sensors, steering wheel audio controls and power rear quarter glass
* New GLS Premium Package includes a rear-seat entertainment system with eight-inch LCD monitor
* Standard Infinity® AM/FM/CD-changer/MP3 audio system with Logic 7® Surround Sound on Limited trim level
* Optional Bluetooth hands free phone connectivity

The Entourage’s GLS Popular Equipment Package is new for 2008 and offers a high level of convenience and safety features for less than a comparably equipped 2007 Entourage SE. (The SE trim level is discontinued for 2008.) This high value package includes backup warning sensors to enhance driver awareness when the vehicle is in reverse; steering wheel audio controls to minimize driver distraction; and dual power sliding doors with power sliding windows, power rear quarter glass and power driver seat. This new optional equipment package delivers desirable safety and convenience features to make the GLS trim level a versatile alternative to the higher priced competition, the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. In fact, the Entourage equipped with the Popular Equipment Package is the lowest priced minivan the offer power sliding doors and backup warning sensors.

The new GLS Premium Package for 2008 adds exterior and interior trim enhancements, along with thoughtful features, including fully automatic front-dual automatic climate controls, Infinity AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio and a eight-inch DVD rear seat entertainment system.

For 2008, the Entourage will continue to feature the popular standard equipment offered when the vehicle was introduced last year, like the Hyundai Hideaway™ third-row seat, a simple-to-use 60/40 split fold-into-the floor seat that offers flexibility for up to seven passengers. Entourage’s flip and fold second-row seats add to the vehicle’s space and versatility, providing easy access to its third-row seating.

At 202 inches long and 78.1 inches wide, the Entourage is truly full-size. In fact, these larger dimensions and efficient packaging deliver an interior volume of 172 cubic feet – more than Honda Odyssey.

The Entourage exemplifies Hyundai’s leadership in standardizing the industry’s most effective safety technologies. Entourage features six standard airbags, including side air curtains for all three rows of seats. The combination of side and curtain airbags, which help protect the head and body during side impacts, can reduce fatalities by more than 45 percent, according to the IIHS.

In addition, all Entourage trim levels come standard with ESC, one of the industry’s most effective life-saving technologies. ESC compares the driver’s intended course with the vehicle’s actual path, then brakes individual front or rear wheels and/or reduces engine power as needed in certain driving circumstances to help correct understeer or oversteer. IIHS studies show vehicles equipped with ESC experience 56 percent fewer fatalities in single-vehicle crashes. The Entourage, Veracruz, Santa Fe, Tucson, Sonata and Azera all have lifesaving ESC as standard equipment. In fact, 73 percent of all Hyundai vehicles in 2007 were equipped with standard ESC. Hyundai boasts a higher percentage of standard ESC installation than Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota or Honda.

Ventilated front (11.7-in.) and solid rear (11.9-in.) brake rotors are standard and are coupled with a four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that includes Brake Assist, a technology that provides maximum braking force when a panic stop is detected. The system also utilizes Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) to which varies braking force at each wheel based on road conditions, speed and axle loads to enhance the capabilities of ABS.

All seating positions feature three-point seatbelts and adjustable head restraints. Convenient Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) points allow child seats to be secured in the second- and third-row seats. The active head restraints on the front row combined with the shingle type adjustable head restraints for all other occupants support the neck and reduce whiplash related injuries common during a rear impact. Together, these advanced features have earned Hyundai an unsurpassed rear impact performance rating of “Good” (the highest rating) along with a TOP SAFETY PICK distinction from the IIHS.

Entourage’s advanced all-aluminum 3.8-liter DOHC 24-valve standard V6 engine produces 250 horsepower and 253 lb.-ft. of torque, which means Entourage has more standard horsepower and torque than Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Town and Country. The V6 engine features timing chains with no scheduled maintenance, instead of the belts typically found on many V6 engines that need replacement at set intervals. Despite its impressive output, the Entourage is environmentally friendly with its Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) certification.

Complementing the powerful V6 is an equally advanced five-speed automatic transmission. Offering smooth shifts and optimized ratios, the Entourage’s transmission also includes an overdrive lock-up torque converter for quiet, efficient highway cruising. A SHIFTRONIC feature allows drivers to change gear manually, on steep grade for example by moving the gear selector into a separate gate. Pushing the selector forward or pulling it rearward will shift the transmission up or down sequentially, adding to driver control. The shift lever is mounted below the ventilator system controls for easier reach and a clear LCD readout on the instrument panel alerts the driver as to the gear in use.

source : Hyundai