Entourage anyone?
 

I haven't read much commentary here about the Entourage. Anyone here
own one? I've owned Chrysler minivans for 12 years now, but do not care
much for the new design they came out with in 08. I'm wondering about
the Hyundai, but haven't taken a real close look yet.

Comments or experiences?

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Own the ... well either twin sister or kissin' cousin, the Kia Sedona. And
actually, the 2007 is my third one.

While Consumer Reports may or may not be your favorite magazine, they JUST
released a report on the new 2008 Chrysler. To say the least, they were NOT
impressed with it, even with the pleasant new (and VERY welcome) 4.0L V6
engine. Handling is not up to the standards of the other minivans, and not
even up to previous Chryslers, and braking is MUCH worse than in previous
models.

What is worse is that you have to spend thousands more $$ to get that 4.0L
V6 engine, along with tons of options you may or may not want. For
Hyundai/Kia (and all the others), they only come with one very impressive
engine - all models get that.

As opposed to the Chrysler/Dodges, the Hyundai/Kia is fairly impressive. It
is competitive in most areas with the other minivans. But Hyundai and Kia
offer their minivans for thousands less than the others.

Bluntly, I got into Kias back in 2002 because even that was more minivan
than I could afford, but it was the only one that could even came close.
But I wouldn't trade them now (except for newer models) for any other make
and model. For the money, you can't do better.

Test drive one, and then see what kind of a deal you can make - compared to
other brands you will be stunned for what you can have this minivan for.

Hyundai or Kia? Whichever one has a better dealer and a better service
department. Those are important.

Hope this helps.


"Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
news:K8C6j.1046$2n4.27245@news1.epix.net...
>
> I haven't read much commentary here about the Entourage. Anyone here own
> one? I've owned Chrysler minivans for 12 years now, but do not care much
> for the new design they came out with in 08. I'm wondering about the
> Hyundai, but haven't taken a real close look yet.
>
> Comments or experiences?
>
> Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Reply to message from Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> (Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:
21:14) about "Entourage anyone?":


MW> I haven't read much commentary here about the Entourage. Anyone here
MW> own one? I've owned Chrysler minivans for 12 years now, but do not
MW> care much for the new design they came out with in 08. I'm wondering
MW> about the Hyundai, but haven't taken a real close look yet.

MW> Comments or experiences?

Excellent minivan (based on my test drive and close inspection. The
Chrysler products still don't compare - even Consumer Reports alludes to
this.

Bye
Wayne Moses <wayne.moses@comcast.net> Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:18:18 -0600

=== Posted with Qusnetsoft NewsReader 3.3

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Wayne Moses <wayne.moses@comcast.net> wrote in
news:1197202896@wayne.moses.comcast.net:

> Reply to message from Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> (Sat, 08 Dec
> 2007 13: 21:14) about "Entourage anyone?":
>
>
> MW> I haven't read much commentary here about the Entourage. Anyone
> here MW> own one? I've owned Chrysler minivans for 12 years now, but
> do not MW> care much for the new design they came out with in 08. I'm
> wondering MW> about the Hyundai, but haven't taken a real close look
> yet.
>
> MW> Comments or experiences?

We love ours. We bought one the first month they went on sale. We have
almost 18,000 miles on it now and still enjoy it as much as the day we
got it. We were hit by a tractor-trailer on our way home from vacation
in July, and all 4 of us walked away without even a scratch. Mind you,
it was a low speed crash, but it was also a tractor-trailer!! The final
cost to repair was just over $10k!! Since then, we've put about 4,000
miles on it and have no issues with the repairs either.

But it isn't perfect. A few sqeaks and rattles have developed inside
the cabin. Mostly from the large, adjustable front tray that sits
between the driver and front passenger. I've been able to quiet it
myself without any problems, but it can be annoying if it happens on a
long trip.

While the engine and tranny are smooth 95% of the time, if you get
towards redline, we have a weird vibration that develops. Kind of a
hum. Luckily it has plenty of power at lower RPM's, so you don't need
to wind her out much.

The passenger side sliding door has done some weird things from time to
time. Like close almost all the way, open about 6" and close again
without any obvious cause.

Oh, here's another weird one....when you have the sliding door windows
open (even a crack) the doors will not slide all the way open. They
still open 90% of the way, but they won't finish, and the alarm beeps to
tell you the door has something blocking it.

Overall, we get almost 17 MPG, which I think is pretty good for this
vehicle.

If you have any other specific questions...fire away!

Eric

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Rev. Tom Wenndt wrote:
> Own the ... well either twin sister or kissin' cousin, the Kia Sedona. And
> actually, the 2007 is my third one.
>
> While Consumer Reports may or may not be your favorite magazine, they JUST
> released a report on the new 2008 Chrysler. To say the least, they were NOT
> impressed with it, even with the pleasant new (and VERY welcome) 4.0L V6
> engine. Handling is not up to the standards of the other minivans, and not
> even up to previous Chryslers, and braking is MUCH worse than in previous
> models.
>
> What is worse is that you have to spend thousands more $$ to get that 4.0L
> V6 engine, along with tons of options you may or may not want. For
> Hyundai/Kia (and all the others), they only come with one very impressive
> engine - all models get that.
>
> As opposed to the Chrysler/Dodges, the Hyundai/Kia is fairly impressive. It
> is competitive in most areas with the other minivans. But Hyundai and Kia
> offer their minivans for thousands less than the others.
>
> Bluntly, I got into Kias back in 2002 because even that was more minivan
> than I could afford, but it was the only one that could even came close.
> But I wouldn't trade them now (except for newer models) for any other make
> and model. For the money, you can't do better.
>
> Test drive one, and then see what kind of a deal you can make - compared to
> other brands you will be stunned for what you can have this minivan for.
>
> Hyundai or Kia? Whichever one has a better dealer and a better service
> department. Those are important.

Thanks. Yes, I subscribe to CR and just read the report. I'll admit to
also being skeptical of CR as well as I've personally driven many of the
vehicles they test (I travel a lot on business and rent a variety of
vehicles), and I often disagree with their results. However, I don't
much care for the looks of the new van. They have made it look like an
SUV and I'm not an SUV fan. And if the brakes really are worse, then I
don't want one.

My Hyundai dealer is closer than the nearest Kia dealer so I'll probably
lean that way. I'm not in the market immediately, but my current Dodge
van has nearly 100,000 miles now and the AC compressor just failed and
that will likely be a very expensive repair ... once they find a
compressor as there is a nationwide back order for some reason..

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Eric G. wrote:
> Wayne Moses <wayne.moses@comcast.net> wrote in
> news:1197202896@wayne.moses.comcast.net:
>
>> Reply to message from Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> (Sat, 08 Dec
>> 2007 13: 21:14) about "Entourage anyone?":
>>
>>
>> MW> I haven't read much commentary here about the Entourage. Anyone
>> here MW> own one? I've owned Chrysler minivans for 12 years now, but
>> do not MW> care much for the new design they came out with in 08. I'm
>> wondering MW> about the Hyundai, but haven't taken a real close look
>> yet.
>>
>> MW> Comments or experiences?
>
> We love ours. We bought one the first month they went on sale. We have
> almost 18,000 miles on it now and still enjoy it as much as the day we
> got it. We were hit by a tractor-trailer on our way home from vacation
> in July, and all 4 of us walked away without even a scratch. Mind you,
> it was a low speed crash, but it was also a tractor-trailer!! The final
> cost to repair was just over $10k!! Since then, we've put about 4,000
> miles on it and have no issues with the repairs either.
>
> But it isn't perfect. A few sqeaks and rattles have developed inside
> the cabin. Mostly from the large, adjustable front tray that sits
> between the driver and front passenger. I've been able to quiet it
> myself without any problems, but it can be annoying if it happens on a
> long trip.
>
> While the engine and tranny are smooth 95% of the time, if you get
> towards redline, we have a weird vibration that develops. Kind of a
> hum. Luckily it has plenty of power at lower RPM's, so you don't need
> to wind her out much.
>
> The passenger side sliding door has done some weird things from time to
> time. Like close almost all the way, open about 6" and close again
> without any obvious cause.
>
> Oh, here's another weird one....when you have the sliding door windows
> open (even a crack) the doors will not slide all the way open. They
> still open 90% of the way, but they won't finish, and the alarm beeps to
> tell you the door has something blocking it.
>
> Overall, we get almost 17 MPG, which I think is pretty good for this
> vehicle.

What is your driving mix? My wife drives our van about 50-70% highway
and the balance in town and we average 21 MPG or so, a little lower in
the winter. We get 25 on the highway. Have you taken any long trips to
get enough tankfuls on the highway to have a feel for mileage there?

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

"Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
> van has nearly 100,000 miles now and the AC compressor just failed and
> that will likely be a very expensive repair ... once they find a
> compressor as there is a nationwide back order for some reason..
>
> Matt

Figure $400 to $600. You can get a rebuilt for reasonable cost, but the one
I had was replaced twice under warranty and failed again after. It was
cheaper to replace the car at that point.

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> wrote in
news:ekS6j.1060$2n4.27377@news1.epix.net:


> What is your driving mix? My wife drives our van about 50-70% highway
> and the balance in town and we average 21 MPG or so, a little lower in
> the winter. We get 25 on the highway. Have you taken any long trips
> to get enough tankfuls on the highway to have a feel for mileage
> there?

My wife drives it primarily during the week, and while technically it is
almost 100% highway, unfortunately it is usally in moderate to heavy
traffic. As an example, it's an 11 mile communte that can take anywhere
from 15 minutes to about an hour. Longer in bad weather. The longest was
over 2 hours in a heavy snow storm once.

So most of its use is city.

On our trips to Ocean City, MD, and Virginia, we average around 22 MPG or
so...a little better to VA. I think our best tank so far was 24.2 MPG, but
I'm not looking at the numbers right now.

Eric

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
>> van has nearly 100,000 miles now and the AC compressor just failed and
>> that will likely be a very expensive repair ... once they find a
>> compressor as there is a nationwide back order for some reason..
>>
>> Matt
>
> Figure $400 to $600. You can get a rebuilt for reasonable cost, but the one
> I had was replaced twice under warranty and failed again after. It was
> cheaper to replace the car at that point.
>
>

I was guessing $600 so looks like I'm in the ball park.

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Eric G. wrote:
> Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> wrote in
> news:ekS6j.1060$2n4.27377@news1.epix.net:
>
>
>> What is your driving mix? My wife drives our van about 50-70% highway
>> and the balance in town and we average 21 MPG or so, a little lower in
>> the winter. We get 25 on the highway. Have you taken any long trips
>> to get enough tankfuls on the highway to have a feel for mileage
>> there?
>
> My wife drives it primarily during the week, and while technically it is
> almost 100% highway, unfortunately it is usally in moderate to heavy
> traffic. As an example, it's an 11 mile communte that can take anywhere
> from 15 minutes to about an hour. Longer in bad weather. The longest was
> over 2 hours in a heavy snow storm once.
>
> So most of its use is city.
>
> On our trips to Ocean City, MD, and Virginia, we average around 22 MPG or
> so...a little better to VA. I think our best tank so far was 24.2 MPG, but
> I'm not looking at the numbers right now.
>
> Eric

That sounds a fair bit worse than our Chrysler minivan, but we have the
small 3.3L engine and I believe the Entourage is a little larger than
that. My 96 Chrysler did even better routinely getting 27 on the
highway, but the 03 van isn't quite as good.

My Sonata fuel mileage is disappointing for the car and engine size as
compared to GM and Chrysler cars so I guess it isn't surprising that the
Entourage is lower than similar minivans. I guess you have to figure
you save enough on the purchase price to pay a little more for fuel.

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Matt Whiting <whiting@epix.net> wrote in
news:YDY6j.1072$2n4.27432@news1.epix.net:

> That sounds a fair bit worse than our Chrysler minivan, but we have
> the small 3.3L engine and I believe the Entourage is a little larger
> than that. My 96 Chrysler did even better routinely getting 27 on the
> highway, but the 03 van isn't quite as good.
>
> My Sonata fuel mileage is disappointing for the car and engine size as
> compared to GM and Chrysler cars so I guess it isn't surprising that
> the Entourage is lower than similar minivans. I guess you have to
> figure you save enough on the purchase price to pay a little more for
> fuel.
>
> Matt

Hey, I certainly wasn't claiming it was a fuel miser, and I agree that it
could and should be better, but I actually thought it would be a little
worse than it is.

It also seems that each year these vehicles get heavier and heavier with
all of the safety and other "features".

And it is a 3.8 V6, just so you know.

Eric

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Backorder? HHHmmm....

Sounds like the ol' Ford F53 Motorhome chassis fuel pump nationwide
backorder...

At least that's what I heard. Mine's a NAPA.

--
Steve, 2008 Sonata SE

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rfs/463926931.html



"Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
news:5iS6j.1059$2n4.27385@news1.epix.net...
> Rev. Tom Wenndt wrote:
>> Own the ... well either twin sister or kissin' cousin, the Kia Sedona.
>> And actually, the 2007 is my third one.
>>
>> While Consumer Reports may or may not be your favorite magazine, they
>> JUST released a report on the new 2008 Chrysler. To say the least, they
>> were NOT impressed with it, even with the pleasant new (and VERY welcome)
>> 4.0L V6 engine. Handling is not up to the standards of the other
>> minivans, and not even up to previous Chryslers, and braking is MUCH
>> worse than in previous models.
>>
>> What is worse is that you have to spend thousands more $$ to get that
>> 4.0L V6 engine, along with tons of options you may or may not want. For
>> Hyundai/Kia (and all the others), they only come with one very impressive
>> engine - all models get that.
>>
>> As opposed to the Chrysler/Dodges, the Hyundai/Kia is fairly impressive.
>> It is competitive in most areas with the other minivans. But Hyundai and
>> Kia offer their minivans for thousands less than the others.
>>
>> Bluntly, I got into Kias back in 2002 because even that was more minivan
>> than I could afford, but it was the only one that could even came close.
>> But I wouldn't trade them now (except for newer models) for any other
>> make and model. For the money, you can't do better.
>>
>> Test drive one, and then see what kind of a deal you can make - compared
>> to other brands you will be stunned for what you can have this minivan
>> for.
>>
>> Hyundai or Kia? Whichever one has a better dealer and a better service
>> department. Those are important.
>
> Thanks. Yes, I subscribe to CR and just read the report. I'll admit to
> also being skeptical of CR as well as I've personally driven many of the
> vehicles they test (I travel a lot on business and rent a variety of
> vehicles), and I often disagree with their results. However, I don't much
> care for the looks of the new van. They have made it look like an SUV and
> I'm not an SUV fan. And if the brakes really are worse, then I don't want
> one.
>
> My Hyundai dealer is closer than the nearest Kia dealer so I'll probably
> lean that way. I'm not in the market immediately, but my current Dodge
> van has nearly 100,000 miles now and the AC compressor just failed and
> that will likely be a very expensive repair ... once they find a
> compressor as there is a nationwide back order for some reason..
>
> Matt
>

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

"Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
> My Sonata fuel mileage is disappointing for the car and engine size as
> compared to GM and Chrysler cars so I guess it isn't surprising that the
> Entourage is lower than similar minivans. I guess you have to figure you
> save enough on the purchase price to pay a little more for fuel.
>
> Matt

I have a LeSabre with the 3.8 V6 and the Sonata with the 3.3 V6 and both get
identical mileage. The Sonata is faster and handles better though.

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Matt Whiting" <whiting@epix.net> wrote in message
>> My Sonata fuel mileage is disappointing for the car and engine size as
>> compared to GM and Chrysler cars so I guess it isn't surprising that the
>> Entourage is lower than similar minivans. I guess you have to figure you
>> save enough on the purchase price to pay a little more for fuel.
>>
>> Matt
>
> I have a LeSabre with the 3.8 V6 and the Sonata with the 3.3 V6 and both get
> identical mileage. The Sonata is faster and handles better though.
>
>

I had a Park Avenue rental car that got identical mileage to my 2.4L
Sonata on the highway! I drove that car to Boston and back from Elmira
and it got over 30 MPG at 70+ MPH. It was faster and larger than my
Sonata yet got the same mileage. I was impressed. I'm not sure the
engine size, but I think it was a 3.8L.

Matt

Re: Entourage anyone?
 

The buzz I see is that rattles and squeaks are the number one complaint. I
think I've only seen one or two in service like this.

There's a safety reason the sliding door won't open fully when the window
is down. It prevents someone being injured in the event a body part is
through the window when the door is opened. In fact, the reason you hear
the blockage alarm is that there's an arm that comes out and blocks the
door.

--
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