Her + His Car Reviews
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited
There are two sides to everything, right? To keep our car reviews innovative and interesting, we provide an animated, insightful, detailed and sometimes uncouth two points of view on the same car from - Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $48,280 | $48,280. Not cheap, but worth every penny! |
| Performance | |
| The new Pacifica has 3.6 liter V-6 engine that delivers 287 horsepower in the road - strong and steady. The FWD, nine-speed automatic transmission is seamless. Handling of this new model was responsive. | A real road king. And sitting in the back two rows with that terrific panorama sunroof-which stretches completely over the back two rows? A real treat! Felt secure, easy to handle and powerful the whole way. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 18 city/28 highway/ 22 overall miles per gallon | Power came from a 3.6 liter V-6 with a nine speed FWD automatic transmission which had a 22 miles per gallon rating with 18 city and 28 highway. The government says you will spend $1,250 more in fuel costs over five years compared with the average new vehicle. And the annual fuel cost is $1,650 based on $2.45 a gallon gasoline. It cost $7,000 over five years for gasoline, and mileage estimates are based on 15,000 miles per gallon for five years. The Pacifica uses 4.5 gallons of gasoline for every 100 miles driven. |
| The Car | |
| No doubt, the design and engineering team at FiatChrysler were intent on delivering a new experience. We believe they more than achieved this objective. The new Pacifica runs sportier and lower to the ground appealing to a younger audience and those who traditionally would check the box of "SUV" first. But the Pacifica makes its case for "first in the running" and for so many reasons. Throughout the 2017 Pacifica minivan the look is refined. Leather trimmed captain seats not just for driver and passenger, but for second row, too. The cabin is attractive, luxurious and quiet. Very well appointed throughout the vehicle. Space and room inside the car is noticeable; very well laid out. The color combinations are attractive, contrasting and eye-catching. With elderly passengers, we were disappointed that another set of handle grips were not placed at the top of the passengers inside roof. We saw this as an oversight. |
The Pacifica is stunning in so many ways--looks, performance, appointments, and the endless list of equipment you get on it as part of the base price. The option availability is plentiful, too. I cannot imagine there is a piece of equipment or features that you can't get on this car. Chrysler is once more in the position of having the ultimate minivan, and it is arguably more desirable than all of its competitors. |
| Safety | |
| Advanced Airbags and Bolster Inflatable Knee Airbags, Side Curtain Airbags in all Rows, LATCH Anchor system, ParkView Backup Camera, Blind Spot and Cross Path Detection, ParkSense Park Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Security Alarm, Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System, Remote Start, Keyless Enter-n-Go, Remote Keyless Entry (one of my favorites), Hills Start Assist, Capless Fuel, Active Grille Shutters, Tire Inflator Kit - but No spare Tire. | Standard safety equipment includes advanced multistage front airbags; driver knee inflatable bolster airbag; passenger inflatable knee bolster air bags; supplemental side curtain airbags in all rows, supplemental front seat mounted side airbags, LATCH Ready child seat anchor system; ParkSense Rear Assist with Stop; ParkView Rear Backup Camera; Electronic Stability Control; Security Alarm; Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System; Remote Start System; Hill Start Assist; Capless fuel filler; Active Grille Shutters for maximizing fuel economy; and Hands-Free Sliding Doors and Liftgate Backup Camera. |
| Technology | |
| Hands Free sliding doors - on both sides, and a Litigate. Integrated Stow-n-Vac in the Trunk area. Fabulous 2nd and 3rd Row Stow and Go Seats, Power 8-way Driver and Passenger Seat. Ahhhh. Ventilated and Heated Front seats for all climates. Passenger and Driver Stow n Assist. U Connect with 8.4" Navigation screen. Sirius Satellite radio with 1 year subscription; and Travel and Traffic like with 5 year subscription - coming to you live via a 760 watt amplifier and 20 (did we say Twenty?) Harmon Kardon Speakers. Rain sensitive windshield wipers. Auto high bean control. Advanced brake assist. Lane departure warning Plus. Parallel and Perpendicular Parking Assist. U Connect Theater and Sound Group with Blue ray / Dvd player / Usb port and 3 Channel video remote control and 3 channel wireless headphones. | Standard features on our Pacifica Limited include Stow n' Vac integrated vacuum; Active Noise Control System; 2nd row and third row Stow n Go seats, power eight way driver seat, power folding third row seat, ventilated front seats; heated front seats; UConnect 8.4 NAV, Sirius XM Satellite radio with a one year radio subscription; Sirius XM five year Travel Link Subscription, Sirius XM Traffic/5 year traffic subscription; aluminum polished wheels, Tri-Pane panoramic sunroof; high density discharge headlamps; power folding mirrors, exterior mirrors with turn signals, and LED fog lights and taillights. And if you want to get the best mileage possible, you can choose a plug-in hybrid version that offers 30 miles of all-electric driving. The Pacifica uses Noise Cancellation technology so all that din from the street and sounds from the engine are kept to an absolute minimum. and every seat in the Pacifica has been fine tuned by sound specialists to "immerse you in multichannel life-like sound," the Pacifica brochure says. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| Made in Windsor, Ontario, the new Pacifica is a winner. A more muscular, sportier profile on the outside allows for broader appeal. The modularity of quickly converting the back seat and integrating them into the floor is a breeze. The middle seat is done with a tad bit more effort, but that is because of the captain's chairs. All told. The cargo space behind the second row is about 140 cubic feet, a tad bit less than the Toyota Sienna. Interestingly, FCA has partnered with Google and they are working on the all new 2017 Pacifica Hybrid minivans. Working with Google on 100 of these models will give FiatChrysler and edge over the competition in gaining traction towards delivering self-driving vehicles. The engineering teams of both companies are working together over the next seven years in southeastern Michigan. |
The Pacifica first and foremost, is one stylish minivan. It has many of the markings and flavorings of the Chrysler 200 intermediate, which itself is one of the more attractive designs in the minivan segment. It doesn't look boxy or staid, instead, it has a low, slinky profile, a roofline that doesn't look like a repeat of something everyone else has, and a very elegant interior that outshines everybody else in the minivan market, as far as I'm concerned. While Kia's Sedona is also a classy number, to be sure, with a second row captain's chairs arrangement that looks fresh out of an international-going jet, Pacifica's take on interiors is sleekly contemporary, with a mix of color schemes and materials that catch the eye and hold your interest. The two tone effect inside is especially nice with suitably soft surfaces where it counts. The Pacifica offers seating for as many as eight people, and offers a hands-free rear liftgate and power sliding side doors. The real proof of the pudding with Pacifica is a really, comfortable ride and almost completely no vibrations and other disturbances from the road coming into the cabin to make things tough. This is a highway cruiser par excellence, and your family will be quite well cared for on the road. And talk about quiet inside! That whole feeling is magnified even greater by some of the other features offered by the Pacifica. If you order the UConnect Theater with its two 10 inch touchscreens, USB connectivity and streaming media feature, you will get an Are We There? App that allows them to play games like tic-tac-toe, the license plate game, backseat bingo or checkers. Oh yes-- there's also an estimated time of Arrival feature for the kiddies! And if you want easy, spacious conversion for cargo or stowing power, look no further than Pacifica's Stow n' Go system in which second and third row seats fold into under floor bins in seconds. |
| Warranty | |
| 3 Year or 36,000 Basic Limited Warranty. 5 year or 60,000 Limited Powertrain. | Pacifica has a five year or 60,000 miles powertrain limited warranty, and a three year or 36,000 mile basic limited warranty. |
