Hyundai Entourage Earns Good Ratings in All Institute Tests

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.

"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."
 
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 continues Hyundai’s leadership in standardizing the industry’s most effective safety technologies. The new 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(1). 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(2).
 
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, a level unsurpassed by any non-luxury brand.
 
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 by safety- focused organizations such as IIHS.
 

Building a Tradition of Safety Leadership

 
Hyundai’s commitment to standardizing key safety features began with the application of standard side airbag protection across its lineup in 2003 — making it the first non-luxury brand to achieve this level of passive safety technology. In 2004, Hyundai introduced the Tucson, the
first under-$20,000 SUV with standard ESC and six standard airbags. And in the spring of 2005, Hyundai introduced the all-new 2006 Sonata, the industry’s first and only mid-size sedan with standard ESC and six airbags, all at a starting price well under $20,000.
 

Standardizing the Most Effective Safety Technologies

 
The all-new 2006 Azera full-size premium sedan took Hyundai’s safety package one step further. Azera integrates standard rear seat-mounted side- impact airbags to the already impressive package found on Sonata and Tucson, bringing the total number of airbags to eight. It also features anti-whiplash front active head restraints and ESC.
 
The redesigned 2006 Accent set a new benchmark in the entry-level car category by being the first vehicle in its class with standard ABS and six airbags.
 
Even Hyundai’s sporty Tiburon coupe already comes complete with standard ABS and seat-mounted side-impact airbags.
 
The completely redesigned 2007 Santa Fe SUV, will also lead its segment in standard safety features including ESC, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags for all three rows and active front head restraints, when it goes on sale this summer.
 
Hyundai’s all-new 2007 Elantra, just revealed at the New York International Auto Show, features segment-leading standard safety technology, including six airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes, active head restraints and ABS.
 
"Other manufacturers have recently introduced all-new products and have chosen to make side air bags or ABS expensive options, to give the impression of a low starting price," said John Krafcik, Hyundai’s vice-president of product development and strategic planning. "Our
customers tell us overwhelmingly that they expect effective safety technologies to be standard in every car, and we agree. From the premium Azera full-size car to the entry-level Accent, each new Hyundai model is equipped to lead its segment in the standard application of the industry’s most effective safety technologies."