Hyundai Entourage Earns Points for Safety and Value

The Hyundai Entourage has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) highest honor — the gold "TOP SAFETY PICK" award — the best rating ever for a minivan in a recent evaluation by the Institute. Entourage is also the first Hyundai to receive a gold award for good crashworthiness ratings, while offering a pricetag $1,400 less than its highly-touted competitor Honda Odyssey LX.

The Entourage achieved this award by receiving a "good" rating for front, side and rear crash protection.

Standard Safety Features
The all-new 2007 Entourage features six standard airbags, including side air curtains for all three rows of seats and Electronic Stability Control. Head- and torso-protecting side impact protection and active driver aids such as ESC have been proven to be extremely effective in reducing fatalities on the nation's roads:

Head-and Torso-Protecting Side Air Bags — The (IIHS) reports a 45 percent fatality reduction among drivers involved in driver-side collisions when protected by a combination of torso-protecting side air bags and head-protecting side air curtains.*

ESC — The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports a 35 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for passenger cars, and a 30 percent reduction in fatal single vehicle crashes in cars equipped with this technology. For SUVs, the numbers are even higher, with a 67 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for SUVs and a 63 percent reduction in fatalities.*

ESC compares the driver's intended course with the vehicle's actual response. ESC then brakes individual front or rear wheels and/or reduces engine power as needed in certain driving circumstances to help correct understeer or oversteer. Entourage joins Santa Fe, Tucson, Sonata and Azera in Hyundai's growing lineup with standard ESC — a commitment to this sophisticated and effective automotive safety technology that is unmatched by any other non-luxury automotive brand. By the end of 2006, vehicles representing approximately 70 percent of Hyundai's sales volume will come equipped with standard ESC.

Front (11.7-in.) and rear (11.9-in.) disc brakes are standard and are coupled with a four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that includes Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) to optimize brake performance even with differing vehicle loading.

All seating positions feature three-point seatbelts and adjustable head restraints. Front seat active head restraints help prevent whiplash by automatically reducing the space between a front occupant's head and the head restraint during a rear collision, and are highly recommended.

"We are thrilled that Entourage is the gold standard for safety among minivans," said John Krafcik, Hyundai's vice-president of product development and strategic planning. "This award demonstrates our growing leadership in occupant protection, and complements our industry-leading position in the standard application of the industry's most effective life-saving technologies, such as Electronic Stability Control."

*1) Braver, E.R. and Kyrychenko S.Y. 2003. Efficacy of side airbags in reducing driver deaths in driver-side collisions. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

*2) NHTSA's Light Vehicle ESC Research Program, June 9, 2005, Dr. W. Riley Garrott, Garrick J. Forkenbrock; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Research and Test Center.

(Source: Hyundai Motor America)