Chrysler Pacifica

Chrysler Pacifica at a glance

The Pacifica is built on FCA's front-wheel-drive RU platform with a transverse engine and extensive use of high-strength steel. More Chrysler models are listed in our Chrysler catalogue, and the company's background is covered in our history of the Chrysler Corporation.

Exterior

Some details recall the Chrysler 200 saloon, but the Pacifica is a completely different car. Its designers aimed for smooth, soft lines. The V-shaped grille carries the Chrysler badge in the centre; on the hybrid the grille has curved slats. The headlights of the original car use halogen bulbs, with LED daytime running lights along their lower edge. The slightly bulging front bumper has an additional lower grille for engine cooling, an open, central mount for the front camera and sensors, and halogen fog lamps at the sides — LED fog lamps on the top-spec version.

In profile, a curved line runs from the fog lamps over the arches to the rear lights below the side windows, with a second horizontal line at the level of the door handles. The rear side doors slide backwards, and their handles are placed close by for convenience. The mirrors sit on the doors rather than in the corner of the windscreen. Base versions have no door mouldings; the others have them as standard. Depending on the trim, the roof is plain or has a panoramic glass section over the first and last rows, along with roof rails and a shark-fin antenna. Standard wheels are 17-inch alloys, with 18- and 20-inch wheels optional. Ground clearance is a modest 130 mm.

The rear looks part crossover, part hatchback. Half the tailgate is glass, topped by a spoiler with a third brake light and wiped by a rear wiper. The tail lights are split between a large section on the tailgate and a smaller one on the body pillar. Between them are the Chrysler badge, the tailgate handle and the rear camera. Owners appreciate the huge tailgate, which makes loading almost anything easy.

Interior

The driver faces a comfortable three-spoke steering wheel with many buttons, mostly for the infotainment. The instrument panel has an analogue speedometer and rev counter with attractive lighting and a large display between them that also shows navigation prompts. The driver has plenty of space, and everything looks appealing.

The pre-facelift centre console has an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen with iPhone integration, flanked by air vents. Below are the climate and system controls. To the left sit the rotary gear selector and the parking-brake button, followed by storage compartments and a glovebox. The armrest has a box and two cupholders. Active noise cancellation is fitted.

With three rows in a 2+2+3 layout, the Pacifica seats seven; an optional middle seat in the second row increases that to eight. The seats offer light side support — no surprise in a family car — and soft-touch plastics, aluminium and leather are used throughout. Even with every seat in use, the cargo area holds 915 litres. Folding the second and third rows gives a flat floor and 2,478 or 3,979 litres respectively (the centre section of a three-seat middle bench does not fold).

Engines and transmissions

The petrol V6 uses about 10.8 l/100 km on the combined cycle and is paired with a nine-speed automatic. Despite its family role, the Pacifica drives much like a car: it reaches 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and has a top speed of 209 km/h.

The plug-in hybrid combines a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 with two electric motors and an electrically controlled continuously variable transmission. Its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery sits under the floor beneath the second row and can be charged from a socket in about two hours on a suitable charger. The car can cover about 53 km on electricity alone, and Chrysler quotes a highway consumption of 4.7 l/100 km in hybrid mode.

Chassis

The suspension is fully independent: MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link rear axle, with gas-filled dampers, steel springs and anti-roll bars. Rack-and-pinion steering with electric assistance makes this large car easy to drive. All four wheels have disc brakes (ventilated at the front), supported by ABS, EBD and other electronic aids.

Safety and equipment

As a family vehicle, the Pacifica places great emphasis on safety. It has Lane Departure Warning Plus, Full Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus, a parallel and perpendicular parking assistant and ParkSense parking sensors — in all, more than 100 safety and security features.

A well-equipped Limited version has cruise control, six airbags, a nine-speaker audio system with subwoofer, electric seats with memory, a rear camera, climate control, heated front and rear seats, keyless entry, tyre-pressure monitoring, USB, AUX and Bluetooth, xenon headlights with automatic levelling, rain and light sensors, stability control, blind-spot monitoring, leather upholstery and a panoramic roof. Options include a surround-view camera, collision avoidance, lane keeping, automatic parking and rear-seat screens.

The 2021 facelift

Exterior

The facelift gave the Pacifica a new face: a larger grille with a three-dimensional mesh in chrome or black, new LED headlights and a reshaped bumper with new fog-lamp sections and L-shaped inserts. The sides changed little, but six new wheel designs in 17, 18 and 20 inches were offered. At the rear, the tail lights are now connected by an LED light bar, the bumper was retouched and a small spoiler was added; the exhaust exits under the rear floor.

Interior

The updated Pacifica introduced the fifth-generation Uconnect system with a 10.1-inch touchscreen, running an Android-based operating system. Chrysler says it is five times faster than before, with a more responsive touchscreen and Amazon Alexa. TomTom navigation receives map updates over Wi-Fi, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot is available, and a smartphone app can start the car remotely and show vehicle data. A digital instrument cluster sits behind the three-spoke wheel, and the FamCAM interior camera lets the driver watch children in the rear seats on the main screen, with pinch-to-zoom.

The new top Pinnacle version has six seats trimmed in Caramel Nappa leather and an optional Pinnacle Ultra console between the front seats with two tiers, a wireless charging pad and a 12.1-litre storage bin. The second- and third-row seats offer reclining backrests and generous personal space, and cargo volume is unchanged.

Technical changes

The petrol V6 and nine-speed automatic carried over, as did the plug-in hybrid with its 16 kWh battery. The main news is all-wheel drive, available from June 2020 for the petrol version only. It uses a simple drivetrain with a multi-plate clutch that engages the second axle when required — for example when the front wheels slip, when the wipers switch on or when the driver accelerates hard — and brake-based simulated differential locks. AWD versions have retuned suspension, ground clearance raised by 20 mm and a rear anti-roll bar.

Rivals

The Pacifica competes with the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Kia Carnival, Volkswagen Multivan, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Toyota Alphard and Lexus LM.