2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Is By Far America’s Most Fuel-Efficient Minivan

Minivans available today compete within a design formula that sees them all within a couple mpg of each other in the low 20s, and then you have the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid in a class by itself.

Release by the federal government of its 32 mpg rating in hybrid mode and 33 miles gas-free electric range puts the seven-passenger family hauler ahead of even small-engined, midsized sedans and utterly dominates minvans by every other automaker.
On Nov. 30, Chrysler issued a press release boasting some of the numbers, but it held back the 32 mpg rating in hybrid mode, and really, it was being too modest.

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The 2017 Chrysler Pacific Hybrid has been rated at 84 MPGe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and will be able to drive a total of 566 miles.

On electricity alone, the van will be able to travel a total of 33 miles thanks to its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack stored under the second-row floor. Recharging this plug-in hybrid minivan takes about two hours with a 240-volt (Level 2) charger, while the standard 120-volt charger takes 14 hours to fully recharge.

That system is paired to a 3.6-liter V6 which handles driving duty when the electricity is all gone. That same V6 powers the rest of the non-hybrid Chrysler Pacificas in which it is rated at 18 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.

The EPA also gave the Pacifica Hybrid a score of 10 in its Green Vehicle Guide, the highest rating possible.

Chrysler attributes much of the van’s mix efficiency and power to its eFlite system, which uses a one-way clutch to allow the Pacifica’s smaller electric motor to deliver torque to the wheels. In most hybrid systems, the smaller electric motor acts only as a generator.

The Pacifica Hybrid will start at $41,995 in the U.S. before federal tax credits are removed. Once factored in, the Pacifica Hybrid will sell for $34,495.

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