Mountain Wheels: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica packs in people, amenities

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Arrow01

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While car enthusiasts may deride the minivan — no matter how fancy a guise it turns up in — as the antithesis of motoring excitement, parents who’ve suddenly been confronted with the reality of troop and gear transport understand their appeal.

It’s with the overwhelmed and outnumbered (but still style-conscious) parent in mind that Chrysler has reinvented its own very long-standing and successful minivan program and crafted the 2017 Pacifica.

Still a minivan, in every way, but one that modifies that beloved and ancient Dumpster-inspired minivan profile into a sleek, modern and somewhat lowered profile, and then packs it to the gills with family-friendly amenities. And reuses the name of the largely unappreciated crossover Chrysler, marketed a decade ago. The company has also tried to address those stereotypes by adding comedian (and father of five) Jim Gaffigan to the Pacifica’s marketing campaign, including a series of web videos ironically highlighting many of the family-friendly features.

We got to tool around in the $42,270 L-Plus, the fourth most well-appointed of five different Pacifica models (base price is $28,595), and while the vehicle’s minivan-ness is still very present in its ride and demeanor, things have certainly been modernized.

The Windsor, Ontario-made Pacifica comes with one engine choice, an updated 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 that delivers a strong 287 horsepower (similar to the engine that amply propelled the bulkier Dodge Durango up the hills in a recent test), producing a class-leading 28 highway MPG. An entirely new vehicle architecture has shaved 250 pounds from previous Chrysler minivans, helping with the efficiency.

Pacifica is front-wheel-drive only, though future variants could conceivably offer mountain-friendly AWD; the van’s adaptable platform also means a hybrid version later this year, with a 30-mile all-electric range and an associated 80 MPGe rating in-town.

Chrysler has updated its initially problematic nine-speed transmission to produce smoother and more intelligent shifting; with new rear independent suspension, the Pacifica rides with less heft and bounce and while not a performance machine in any way, suggested itself to be considerably more pleasant and smooth than minivans of days gone by. Electronic noise cancelling in the cabin keeps Pacifica more quiet than past vans.

With room for as many as eight passengers, capacity and keeping-them-occupied amenity is absolutely the Pacifica’s forte, and the new minivan has certainly come up with a gigantic laundry list of cool bits for the efficient and relatively pain-free hauling of children, and the occasional adult.

Case in point: The new, optional seat-back touchscreens come pre-loaded with a bunch of games, including “Are We There Yet” (offering realtime arrival and speed data, like an old Frontier Airlines seatback screen, to your kids’ persistent queries) or “Backseat Bingo,” which encourages them to look up from their own devices and actually count cows and Volkswagens as you motor along. Brilliant. The system also allows simple HDMI or USB input to allow different games or movies on both screens, with wireless headphones and a touchpad remote to further occupy your rear passengers.

And then there’s the Stow ’n Vac system, a full-blown shop vacuum with a 12-foot hose (and a 12-foot extension) for tackling the dry detritus of roadtrips, emptying into a dishwasher-safe bin in the back.

True to Chrysler minivan traditions, the Stow ’n Go seating even more efficiently collapses and entirely disappears into the Pacifica’s floor — simply yank a couple of cords or power it away on the higher-end models — leaving a relatively gigantic flat space that’s big enough to stack 32 sheets of half-inch 4x8 plywood sheets, or whatever unit of cargo measurement you’d like to substitute. Seats also fold and articulate in 243 configurations, allowing an endless mix of seating and cargo.

Side and rear doors now open with a touch of the handles and, like other manufacturers, Chrysler also features hands-free opening — kick your foot under the vehicle and the sensor will open ’em up for you.

Safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and automatic braking, lane-departure warnings and a 360-degree backup camera system, plus a parallel and perpendicular parking assistance system.

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/23522565-113/mountain-wheels-2017-chrysler-pacifica-packs-in-people
 
Ratings and Review: The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica sets new standards for shuttling American families - New review from August

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/latest-reviews/2017-chrysler-pacifica-ratings-review-article-1.2748942


Minivans are perfect for parents raising children. No other type of vehicle makes life easier quite like a minivan does, thanks to the handy sliding side doors, the roomy seating, and cargo carrying capabilities that not just rival but eclipse even the largest of SUVs.

The problem is that minivans typically supply as much style as the box on wheels that they are, and when you’re run ragged by kids, commutes, and crazy schedules, you just don’t want to drive something that looks the way you feel. Drab. Exhausted. A shell of your former vibrant and effervescent self.

2017-Chrysler-Pacifica-Limited-Gray-Front-Quarter-Right
See those sliding side doors? They make minivans like the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica perfect accessories for parenting, saving backs when loading little ones in cramped parking spaces. (CHRISTIAN WARDLAW)
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Fear not, fellow mommies and daddies. Chrysler understands, and given that it created the minivan back in the early 1980s, it ought to. Granted, during the past decade Chrysler did little to change perceptions of the boring, soulless minivan, foisting upon us the uncompetitive snoozefest that was the Town & Country. But now, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has arrived, and it is terrific.

With family visiting from out of town, I figured the time was right to put the Pacifica to the test. For most of hundreds of miles spent covering ground from San Diego to Santa Barbara, I had people placed into each of the three rows of seats. There were runs to the beach. Runs to the airport. Runs to college campus tours. Runs to California theme parks and museums. And the new Pacifica took it all in stride, making a hectic week so much easier.

Design: 8.7 rating

2017-Chrysler-Pacifica-Limited-Gray-Rear-Quarter-Right
Chrysler takes a new approach with the Pacifica’s rear styling, sweeping the rear windows up toward the roof and wrapping the back glass and taillights around the corners. Like it or not, it gives the Pacifica a distinctive look. (CHRISTIAN WARDLAW)
Kia’s Sedona remains my favorite minivan from a design standpoint, both inside and out, but the Chrysler Pacifica is a close second. It has genuine style, especially when loaded up in Limited trim like my test vehicle ($47,280 as tested, including the $995 destination charge).

While sitting at the local car wash, getting the Pacifica spruced up for a photo shoot, a Toyota Sienna Limited painted a nearly identical color was parked right behind the Chrysler, nose to tail, clearly underscoring just how stylish the Chrysler really is. From the shapely curves and creases to the upswept rear windows and wraparound back glass and taillight elements, the Pacifica is an appealing minivan. The Limited’s 20-inch aluminum wheels look terrific, too. I’m not a fan of the downward curve connecting the profile character line to the rear bumper, but otherwise I think Chrysler nailed the exterior design.
 
Minivans have never been much cool. Minivans are about practicality. It might not look as fancy as your car but it's necessary and gets the job done.
 
Having a van years ago with kids it sure is refreshing to see the Chrysler Pacifica offers luxury comfort n practicality
 
AWD is a must and hopefully Chrysler will be able to add it in the future
 
I really want to test drive one. I think it goes without saying that on this forum everyone understands the practicality and the importance of owning a minivan when you have a larger family or just a very active and social family
 
Anyone who has taken their kids and there friends for a day trip or an entire weekend knows the mini van rocks it
 
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