GTcarz - Automotive forums for cars & trucks.

Actually took two long trips from September 1st until the 10th. One
from NJ to Ocean City, MD (we were there for the entire Ernesto storm
with wind gusts as high as 90 MPH). Then home for about 2 days, and
another trip to Richmond, VA.

Being a first-time minivan owner, most of my raves about the vehicle
involve the fact that we were able to put EVERYTHING in the back of this
thing without any problems. Traveling with a 4.5 year-old and a 6-month
old involves bringing just about the entire house, short of the kitchen
sink. In my previous vehicles this involved strategic packing and
loading. In the Entourage, all I had to do was make sure the load was
secure. It was great.

So, to compare the driving and quality of the vehicle to others I own
and have owned, I have to say that (as expected) there are some good
points and bad points. First, the engine makes WAY too much noise. At
least it has some real power to move, but I think Hyundai needs to make
an effort to reduce the engine noise in the passenger compartment. But
that is only under acceleration...at cruising speeds it is fairly
silent.

Second, the Entourage tracks as good or better than anything I have ever
owned. On the highway it is like you are riding on rails. The turns,
however, are another story. But it is a minivan, so maybe I am
expecting more of a car-like ride than I should.

In just about 1000 miles of driving, we managed to average 24 MPG, which
is just what the EPA highway rating is. On the trip to Ocean City and
home I averaged 51 MPH, and the trip to Richmond and back averaged 68
MPH. I won't go in to detail too much, but we barely hit any traffic on
either trip. The Ocean City trip ends in about 25 miles of nothing but
lights and about a maximum of 35 MPH speed limit (except for a few small
sections of 55 MPH). And the trip to Richmond involves traveling
through the DC area, which can crawl, but was rather good this time.

Overall we are getting just a hair over 17 MPG average in the 3800 miles
we now have on the van. I was real happy to see $2.259 gas where were
staying just northwest of Richmond, and I was told that $1.999 gas was
only a few miles away in VA.

Other than the above, the only real complaint I have is with the cup
holders again (like my Sonata). These do seem to hold everything fine,
but the problem is that on some highways with grooved or uneven
pavement, aluminum cans and even some plastic bottles will rattle enough
to give you a major headache. My wife spent a lot of time trying to
find something to wedge in between the beverage and the side of the cup
holder to kill the vibration.

Everything else worked as designed with no complaints.

Eric