Coming from a car snob like me it will sound crazy.....Hyundai Entourage. /thread.
Trust me, We had two Hondas and I thought they were the best. We picked up a 4mo old program SE trim for nearly $8k below sticker. $19,400 with 4,000 miles on it. Loaded and amazingly nice.
We've had it one year now and have had zero issues. Drive a new Oddy to and this side by side and tell me if you see the price delta. I doubt you will. The only thing going for Honda...at the time...was resale. In our case, we plan on keeping it for a while and I opted for my savings today vs 7-8-9 years from now.
Snipped from my contributions on "the other Mazda board" regarding a similar topic:
Show me $9,600 betterment over the Entourage and I'd be surprised. Are there better vans? Sure, the Toyota is the king, but the price delta for a ******* van.....stupid as the people who pay the difference IMO. They didn't build them with every single amenity as the competition for a reason...not everyone wants a $38k-$44k minivan. I loved how the Honda guy said the Oddy would hold it's value longer....I know....and I agree...my Accord sold for great money...but I'll take my $9,600 now thank you very much....especially in todays market.
What most folks do want is a powerful van, with great mpgs with top safety ratings, with plenty of features and backed by great build and the strongest warranty around. It's called value. I don't need a minivan that corners harshly...I want my kids to ride in a plush vehicle, not one that resonates the bumps inside. I like having a manu-matic shifter on a tranny that is buttery smooth. Now I can hold the gears on my own as I merge or pass vs an abrupt or in some cases a lazy down-shift like the others offer.
Power...on par HP and Torque wise 250hp/253lbs., mpgs right in line with Honda....16/23mpg.... Safety...highest ranking of ALL minivans made...even the new Chrysler didn't score as well; features....The Hyundai has 6 disc infinity sound system with subwoofer...and it's sweat sounding, DVD Video for the the kids, backup system, power doors & lift-gate, tri-zone HVAC, 17" Alloys, adjustable foot pedals, power seats with memory, bluetooth phone, projector beams headlamps & projector fogs too. Warranty....hmmm...I wonder why Chrysler and GM had to upgrade their previous 3/36k to what the Koreans were game enough to offer out of the gate 10/100k. Hell, Honda doesn't even offer a roadside assistance should my wife get a flat. Hyundai backs our van with a 5yr plan, strongest around....but hey, with Honda, they do have a very nice Navi...I had one in my Accord and loved it....but that was 5yrs ago......it's 2008 and excellent portable navi units abound for mere hundreds of dollars...who the hell is stupid enough to pay $2k for one built in anymore?
BTW, Kia and Hyundai are pretty much exactly the same vehicles. They are built on the same exact assembly lines just during different manufacturing times. Trim levels are a little different with Kia being the lower level. Similar to GMC vs Chevy. Otherwise, they are the same.