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Hyundai Entourage: Test Drive Reports
Drove a loaded one. It drives very nice and looks great. Although I didn't drive the Kia the same day, my overall impression IMO is the Hyundai seems to drive a bit smoother and I like the steering better than the Kia. Entourage, IMO is nicer looking outside & inside because of chrome accents.
Here are the negatives - I agree with others that posted here or on Kia - the power driver seat does not go back far enough. I'm about 5'11" and my leg was too bent instead of being stretched out more the way I like it. So I wouldn't buy it for that reason. It wouldn't feel comfortable on long trips. I drove it for an hr and my leg felt weird/tense/cramped when I got out. IMO-poor design. The seat has so much room behind it when all the way back, so a longer seat track could have easily been the better choice.
Also, some little picky stuff, but to me important on a brand new vehicle: the radio switches on the steering wheel can not scan the stations. All it does is go to 3 AM presets, 3 on FM 1 presets and 3 on FM 2 presets - the sales guy confirmed that. Now with all the great safety features on this car, for safety reasons, they could have at least included a scanning feature.
And of course, for those that want everything in the "family vehicle" used for vacations, etc. - why is there not an option for a Navigation system? If anyone has every used a factory installed NAV, you'll never want to go back to road maps. Plus it's safer listening to the NAV directions and faster than using a road map. There doesn't seem to be much room on top of dash for a portable dash and I don't want one sticking to the windshield.
For those that are shorter than me and don't need or want all the bells and whistles, this is a great choice for a minivan. They did a real nice job on their first minivan. Good luck with your car shopping.
Here are the negatives - I agree with others that posted here or on Kia - the power driver seat does not go back far enough. I'm about 5'11" and my leg was too bent instead of being stretched out more the way I like it. So I wouldn't buy it for that reason. It wouldn't feel comfortable on long trips. I drove it for an hr and my leg felt weird/tense/cramped when I got out. IMO-poor design. The seat has so much room behind it when all the way back, so a longer seat track could have easily been the better choice.
Also, some little picky stuff, but to me important on a brand new vehicle: the radio switches on the steering wheel can not scan the stations. All it does is go to 3 AM presets, 3 on FM 1 presets and 3 on FM 2 presets - the sales guy confirmed that. Now with all the great safety features on this car, for safety reasons, they could have at least included a scanning feature.
And of course, for those that want everything in the "family vehicle" used for vacations, etc. - why is there not an option for a Navigation system? If anyone has every used a factory installed NAV, you'll never want to go back to road maps. Plus it's safer listening to the NAV directions and faster than using a road map. There doesn't seem to be much room on top of dash for a portable dash and I don't want one sticking to the windshield.
For those that are shorter than me and don't need or want all the bells and whistles, this is a great choice for a minivan. They did a real nice job on their first minivan. Good luck with your car shopping.
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Comments
PROS: Roomy, lots of storage, roadhandling was great (see cons for braking concerns), 2nd row windows power down, a/c unit, headspace (my hubby is 6' 3"), leg space
CONS: Brakes felt non-responsive to the touch(felt I had to really press hard to get them to grab safely), No navigation system offered, DVD system from factory does not have gaming ports or wireless headphones (or headphones, period), no rear back-up camera
I would think that they would offer a special incentive to current Hyundai owners to try to get these out on the road. Apparently they are not (as of yet).
Hyundai makes a great car, but they really need to think about that navi system. It's an amazing feature. :shades:
Contrary to your brakes comment, the brakes in the loaded model I drove were great. Very responsive - I made an emergency stop coming down a curvy road where all of a sudden, there was an unanticipated stop sign. I even commented to the sales guy "well we know the brakes are good".
Regarding DVD - I did observe when the screen is down, it's in the way of a clear view from the rear view mirror. I had to push the screen up to have an unobstructed view.
I'm pretty sure all screens will obstruct the rear view at least partially...
In regard to the nav system, there is an alternative to waiting for the Hyundai factory installed nav systems in the 2008 model year. I was advised by Hyundai marketing in Calif that a dealer-installed nav system would be available by the end of the year. In addition, there are several after-market, in dash double din nav/radio systems available which would be installed in place of the factory radio. They can be purchased with modules that will allow a back up camera and easy connection to iPod. Different costs and features that you can choose. The $2000.00 paid for a Hyundai nav system in metalgate's Sonata will buy a Pioneer system with 30 gig hard drive (7" touchscreen, voice directions, double CD slots, etc).
My understanding is that while the Entourage has electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), it does not have the electronic brake assist that the Sedona has.
In regard to leg room, I have read competing opinions from people 5'11" to 6'4" or more. Based on manufacturers' website measurements (not sure if points of measure are the same or if power vs. manual seats make a difference), Entourage and Sedona have front leg room that is not the best but not nearly the worst:
Sienna 42.9
Entourage 41.7
Quest 41.7
Odyssey 40.8
Grand Caravan 40.6
I saw the issue with the DVD player, but the system (a comment to another poster) did not have gaming ports OR wireless headphones.
Yes, I work for a Hyundai dealer, and yes I have one in stock with this equipment (actually this is #2), so this should be pretty accurate.
Hope this helps!!!
Overall, the outside of the van is very plain and blend, styling isn't bold at all - but inside the van, it feels really upscale and well assembled. Door closes with a good "thump"?, the leather-wrapped steering wheel has a quality feel - though the leather seats is not the best leather I've seen.
Power seat controls are on the door - gotta get used to it; every outboard passenger have access to manually open/close his/her own window by power switches placed in all 3 rows - something you will not find on any other minivan.
Some other minor details:
- The sun visors feel good, and Entourage is perhaps the only minivan who still provides a visor extender, and large visor mirrors.
- The middle seats can't be put together to form a bench as in the Odyssey (or as Sienna which is difficult).
- No storage under front passengers seat, even though the seat is not powered even on the high-end model.
- But 2 roomy glove boxes, plus additional bins inside, provide you with organized storage room, as is at the bottom of the dashboard. In overall, the interior mimic the Sienna, with the dash shifter (alto not gated, which I prefer), the bins around the shifter, cup holders - they're missing the door armrest storage of the Sienna, though. (Hyundai did smarter by placing the A/C vents on the 2 sides of the dashboard, so the audio system is not placed as high as in Sienna, and the climate controls are not as low as in Sienna, which is usually blocked by the shifter in the Sienna.)
- I also don't like the way the armrest on the door is designed (and many Hyundais, for that matter). The curve down makes it uncomfortable to use as a good armrest, and it's not too easy to close the door (the Azera do have better design).
- The rear seats fold into floor very similar to Sienna - which is not the most practical way. The Odyssey and DCX vans are more logical and comfy.
Bottom line: it looks like a winner.