This guide is a compiled list of the top-performing 2008-model year minivans in J.D. Power and Associates’ key automotive research studies. The studies include the 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), the 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, and the 2007 Initial Quality Study (IQS). All models are listed alphabetically by manufacturer.
Honda Odyssey: After nearly a decade on the market, the Honda Odyssey continues to set minivan benchmarks with its consumer-friendly utility, fuel-efficient powertrain, and 8-passenger capabilities. As a result of high owner satisfaction with the vehicle’s performance and design, the Odyssey was ranked highest-in-segment in the 2007 APEAL study. The Odyssey continues to prove reliable down the road, as is evident by its top-three segment ranking in the 2007 VDS, a study that measures owner-reported problems with their three-year-old vehicles. Among several other improvements, the 2008 model receives a new version of Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management technology, which helps the minivan earn EPA fuel-economy estimates of 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway, placing the Odyssey among the Top 3 in efficiency for its class.
Get more information on the 2008 Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage: Released in 2007, the Hyundai Entourage is a traditional front-wheel drive (FWD), 7-passenger minivan with a 6-cylinder engine. It was designed specifically to compete head-to-head against the best offerings from Honda, Toyota and Chrysler. To accomplish this objective, the Hyundai Entourage offers a high level of standard equipment, a strong powerplant, and comprehensive safety equipment. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the Hyundai Entourage a “Top Safety Pick” for 2008. In the 2007 APEAL study, the Entourage ranked among the top three models in its segment. Fuel economy, with the standard automatic transmission, is estimated by the EPA at 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway. The SE model was discontinued for 2008, and Bluetooth was added to the options list.
Get more information on the 2008 Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona: An all-new design in 2006, the Kia Sedona is a traditional, 7-passenger FWD minivan powered by a 6-cylinder engine. Unlike other minivans on the market, the Sedona is offered in both long- and short-wheelbase models (Chrysler is the only other minivan manufacturer to offer this option) with an EPA fuel-economy rating of 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway. Consumers have been pleased with the performance and design of the Sedona, according to the 2007 APEAL study, in which the Kia minivan ranked among the top three models in its segment. The Sedona also achieved a top-three-in-segment ranking in the 2007 IQS. The Kia Sedona was crash tested by the IIHS and named a “Top Safety Pick” for 2008. Most of the changes for the 2008 Sedona were cosmetic.
