We’re spending 12 months with this Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, reviewing the full ownership experience with ongoing updates. For 2019, the Chrysler Pacifica is one of our 12 Best Family Cars.
2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid – Long-Term Wrap Up
by Lyn Woodward on September 13, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Final Odometer: 11,362
Latest MPG/MPGe: 53.5
Total MPG to date: 42.82
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
It’s hard to imagine that a year has come and gone with our long-term 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The Brick was a favorite among the Kelley Blue Book editorial staff and will be missed. We put 11,362 miles on it over the course of a year and what memorable miles they were.
Overall, we loved driving the Pacifica Hybrid. The ride quality was comfortable, with a firm enough suspension that didn’t tend to the floaty side of things. With the hybrid motor, acceleration always quick, making the larger vehicle drive much smaller than it actually is. On more than one occasion we used it as a video camera car and with its speed, it easily kept up to other smaller vehicles. Onramps were our strong suit, leaving most folks surprisingly in our wake.
The Pacifica’s hybrid engine was outstanding even when we found ourselves driving in high altitude. When piloting a naturally aspirated non-hybrid version in Yellowstone, the power at 8,000 feet was noticeably diminished on the gas version. If you paid attention in science class, you’ll know that electric motors are unaffected by altitude. Of course, we dreamed of what we’d do with the $7,500 rebate the government would give us for purchasing that hybrid, even though that clearly went to Chrysler. We hope they spent it on putting a Hellcat engine in the Pacifica.
Interior comfort
The captain’s chairs delighted in the support arena, even after one of us had back surgery, and on long commutes there were no sore spots on backsides. We certainly enjoyed the seat heaters on cold mornings in the winter. Cabin noise was moderate. It would get pretty noisy when a fan from the electric motor engaged or when the engine would switch on, but it was never enough to hamper conversation even with those in the third row.
Speaking of, that third row has Chrysler’s Stow n’ Go seats, which are as easy to fold as a lawn chair into the vehicle’s floor, creating oodles of instant cargo space. However, because of the hybrid motor placement under the second row of seats, the stow and go option isn’t available. The second row is available only with conventional captain’s chairs, which weigh 68 pounds each and are cumbersome to remove. (There’s no second-row bench, 8-seat option on the Hybrid). If maximum cargo space is what you’re looking for then the gas Pacifica might be more your speed. Even with no Stow n’ Go second row, Chrysler claims there are 81 different seating configurations for the Pacifica Hybrid. We don’t have enough friends to try them all.
Safety features
We appreciated the full suite of safety features packed into the Pacifica. Often on long commutes the dynamic cruise control and lane-keep assist got us out of a jam. One foible, however, on a steep incline the rear parking assist with stop thought the street was an obstacle and stopped automatically. May that serve as a good reminder that these driver-assist systems are simply that, assists, and still aren’t perfect enough to operate without a human behind them.
Fuel economy
As for the most anticipated result of this long-term test, gas mileage. We managed a cumulative 42.82 mpg, which is a little less than Chrysler’s astronomical estimated 82 MPGe, but in the Pacifica’s defense, it was used for a long commute and without a level two charger. Under the right conditions, we’re confident that number would be closer to the EPA’s. We know this because on more than one occasion we went over 500 miles on one tank of gas, raking in mileage numbers like 48.8 mpg, 60.1 mpg and in one case got up to 69.7 mpg by only using the minivan close to home and charging it nightly.
Where maintenance was concerned, 25 of our 26 days out of service were to blame for an accident when we were rear ended by another vehicle that didn’t see the Pacifica backing out of a driveway. Even a recall for the gas engine automatic restart system and a regularly scheduled oil change only had us out of commission for a day. Otherwise, nothing broke and we returned the minivan in one piece. Phew.
Infotainment
Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system is one of the most intuitive in the business, making it simple for different drivers to hop in, plug in and get going with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We loved using the Uconnect Smartphone app to find out how much charge we had left or checking mileage to fill in the gas log.
We did have some nit-picks that we weren’t crazy about. The gear shifting knob is painfully close to the volume knob and we mistook one for the other on several nerve-racking occasions. Charging wasn’t as easy as we’d like. Not for lack of trying, but the Charge Point stations were simply not located in convenient places near some of our editorial staff. As much as we loved the light grey leather with turquoise blue trim, it got dirty quickly, and we don’t even have young kids with sticky fingers and crayons. (Do kids still use crayons?)
Over the year we had several nicknames for our 2018 Pacifica Hybrid, The Brick, Copper Penny, Rusty and Ginger to name a few, and nicknames mean people like you. We sure will miss you, Pacifica Hybrid. Adieu.
Extra, Extra
by Lyn Woodward on September 6, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 11,003
Latest MPG/MPGe: 53.5
Total MPG to date: 41.7
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
Before we wrap things up on our year-long test of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, I wanted to talk about the extras we got on our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and see if they were worth the cost.
The first package we tacked onto our Pacifica was the Advanced Safety Package. For an extra $995 we got some excellent safety features including, ParkingSense with front parking and rear parking assist. Yes, this alone made the extra cash worth it. The Pacifica is a long vehicle and while visibility is good out of the vehicle it’s still hard to see when parking. The cameras and sensors send out alerts when you’re getting close to curbs and really make a difference in trying to avoid bumping the curb or something else.
Other features such as land departure warnings and adaptive cruise control were key on our really long commutes. While there were times I felt like shutting off the lane departure warning alerts or at least turning them down, I’d be remiss in stating they weren’t extremely helpful. During a long commute it’s easy to zone out or check an occasional text from home and having this feature saved the Pacifica’s bacon more than a few times I don’t doubt.
Appearances count
The second extra we sprung for was the $395 Hybrid Special Appearance Package. This included features that included body color power mirrors, black daytime light opening moldings, and body color door handles. It’s not often a stock minivan turns heads, so we wanted to see if after a year we still liked our Pacifica, so yes, we got the “glam squad” package, and I will say that over the past 12 months I’ve gotten a lot of very positive comments on how this van looks. Add in our killer Copper Pearl paint and the Pacifica Hybrid struck a pretty attractive pose as it drove and hauled.
Add on our optional 18-inch polished aluminum wheels and our black roof rack and if we had kids, we’d have had a lot of swag pulling up in that pick-up line at school.
So, final verdict on that extra $1,390 we spent, we’d say well worth it. If we ever got another one, we’d be sure to get the all black murdered-out package that makes you look like you’re secret service driving around someone important. Oh, wait, you are, it’s your family!
Kids or not, the Pacifica is amazingly useful
by Matt Degen on August 2, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 11,304
Latest MPG/MPGe: 30.7
Total MPG to date: 41.20
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
Our resident minivan has been in our fleet for quite some time now, but despite a few quick jaunts I hadn’t spent much time in it. That changed during a recent weekend when I took our Pacifica Hybrid home and proceeded to rack up miles on it. And man, perceptions or not, I forgot how useful it is to have a minivan.
Even as a guy with no kids, the Pacifica was amazingly useful. My wife and I do have what we refer to as kids — they just aren’t human. Yes, we’re one of those couples who dote on their dogs the way others do newborns.
An excellent choice for dog lovers and shopaholics alike
We had originally planned to use the van for a trip up to Seattle, opting for it rather than an SUV because the van’s low step-in height, easy access through sliding doors and overall roominess. While those plans got nixed, I still ended up using the van for duties like picking up new dog beds and schlepping myself all over Orange County.
Aside from the sheer roominess of this thing – I love that I can buy just about anything and toss it in back – I was super impressed with how it drives. You just wouldn’t think a hybrid van even exists, and that if it did it’d drive as well as this thing.
Smooth, electron-enhanced driving
When I first got in, the Pacifica was fully juiced with electricity, giving it a range of about 30 miles. Those miles went by smoothly and blissfully. When the electrons ran out, it was still smooth sailing. And even though the battery status was a zero, this is a hybrid after all so there’s some electric assist and power in reserve. It’s beguilingly smooth and quick. If you were in the area recently and saw a big orange minivan blissfully blazing from stoplights, it very well could have been me.
Good audio system, too
One other surprise that made the miles fly by: the audio system. Not only does our Pacifica’s Harman/Kardon system sound good, it had the ability to play high-res FLAC files I have loaded on a USB.
Two upgraded audio systems are now available for the Chrysler Pacifica: a 506-watt/13-speaker Alpine unit that has been added for the 2019 model year, or a 760-watt/20-speaker Harman Kardon system that’s previously been available. The Harman system is standard starting on Pacifica Hybrid Limited and higher trims, and optional on higher trims of the standard, gasoline-only Pacifica. Whether you’re like me and love music enough to always have a song playing in your head or simply want to drown out babbling kids, this is the system to get.
Between the Pacifica’s massive and useful space, smooth and efficient manners and great audio system, it proved you don’t have to be a traditional family man to relish driving a minivan.
!Brake!
by Micah Muzio on July 11, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 10,996
Latest MPG/MPGe: 53.5
Total MPG to date: 41.20
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
“ParkSense® Front and Rear Park-Assist with Stop”. That seemingly complicated title is simply the jargony name for parking sensors that beep with increasing intensity when our long-term Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is maneuvered near obstacles. Those audible cues help the driver avoid scuffed bumpers when parking but what if the driver ignores the warning tones?
That’s where the word stop comes into play. “Rear Park-Assist with Stop” can actively intervene if the vehicle thinks a collision is imminent when backing up. That collision could involve a wall, a less-than-obvious pole, another car, or a child in a Radio Flyer wagon. If the system helps avoid an impact with any of these objects, it’s proven its worth.
All that said, the driveway at my house is upwardly inclined. Consequently, with its tail aimed downward just enough, this morning our 2018 Pacifica Hybrid mistook the street for an obstacle when backing out. The brakes needlessly clamped, a warning chime screamed, and the gauge cluster flashed “!Brake!”. Yes, there’s an exclamation point before and after the word “Brake”.
Given its safety benefits, I’m willing to let Rear Park-Assist with Stop intrude with the occasional false positive. That said, the alarming automatic-braking quirk exhibited in my driveway requires further testing. If every departure from my home is punctuated by unnecessary brake slamming and dramatic flashes in the gauge cluster, I might be inspired to deactivate the system. Pro tip: a vehicle safety system is only valuable if the driver is willing to leave it on.
High Times
by Michael Harley on June 25, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 10,202
Latest MPG/MPGe: 60.1
Total MPG to date: 40.12
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
I recently spent several days with the standard Chrysler Pacifica, fitted with a traditional 3.6-liter V6 and a 9-speed automatic transmission, touring Yellowstone National Park.
The park sits atop a plateau with an average elevation of 8,000 feet. Thin air at that altitude punishes naturally aspirated engines with a 24 percent loss of power. The V6, which is rated at 287 horsepower at sea level, was only delivering about 215 horsepower at altitude. Add in four adults with their luggage (a payload of about 1,000 pounds), and the non-hybrid Pacifica was challenged to pass slow moving motor homes on the two-lane roads.
But, after speaking to friends who were driving the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid on the same routes, they had zero complaints. As your physics professor may have taught you, electric motors are mostly unaffected by altitude. This means the Pacifica Hybrid’s Atkinson cycle 3.6-liter V6, which is complemented by two motors (rated at 142 horsepower and 88 horsepower), was able to provide more than ample power while driving on the higher altitude routes – and it delivered about 25 percent better fuel efficiency!
So Much Incentive
by Lyn Woodward on June 14, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 9,747
Latest MPG/MPGe: 60.1
Total MPG to date: 40.12
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
Hybrid technology, whether the plug-in variety or not, is still quite intimidating to some customers. Is it right for your particular lifestyle? How is the car different from what you’re driving now? Hopefully, we’ve been able to answer some of those questions over the course of the past 11 months! (Yes, it’s been 11 months already and the Pacifica goes back at the end of July.)
One thing we haven’t talked about however is that $7,500 tax credit you’re eligible for when you purchase a Pacifica Hybrid. Yes, like a rebate, it’s a great way for the federal government to encourage consumers to embrace new technology that helps the environment.
In addition to that potential $7,500 federal credit, check on the Chrysler website for other incentives that apply to your state. For example, in California there’s an additional $3,500 thanks to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. Incidentally, there are more incentives in the sunshine state than any other in the union. In Arizona, there’s a $75 credit for installing a charging station in your house. Iowa gives folks who install a Level 2 charger in their home $250 back. New York’s Drive Clean Rebate offers $1,100 at the point of sale for anyone who buys or leases a Pacifica Hybrid. And our nation’s capital will reduce your initial registration fee from $115 to $36. So, look at all the money you can save.
Now, the good part, what can you do with $7,500? I have some suggestions I found from Craigslist.
How does a 2015 Ducati motorcycle sound? Not interesting? Okay. How about an Ingersol Rand air compressor? That’s an impressive item to talk about at parties. You could pick up a Canon C300 MkII so you can take lots of photos of you and your family in your new Pacifica Hybrid when you’re on vacation. A Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory pinball machine might not be super practical, but at least you can haul it places in your Pacifica. Oh, just found a HUGE old French oil painting for $7,500 in Pasadena. I bet that’s the real deal, folks.
Well, you don’t need my help spending your hard-earned cash. You know exactly what you want and need. Maybe buying the Pacifica Hybrid can help you get it.
It’s a Gas!
by Lyn Woodward on May 31, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 8,954
Latest MPG/MPGe: 69.7
Total MPG to date: 38.71
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
Well, it’s official, we had to refuel our 2018 Pacifica Hybrid long-term tester, but not before going a staggering 898 miles on one tank of gas. I tried to get it to 1,000 and perhaps I might get there before returning the Pacifica to Chrysler in July, but I think I did pretty well with this first attempt.
The longest we’d gone before was 612 miles with another stint of 537 miles. In both instances, the Kelley Blue Book editorial staff members in charge of the fill ups commented in our log that someone might have messed up. Not so! “Insane range if you’re driving a lot of city miles and recharging. I went 10 full days between fill-ups,” said our Executive Editor Michael Harley. Video Managing Editor, Micah Muzio asked, “Are we missing a fill up? Or is this thing really that efficient?”
The answer to that question depends on how you drive it. As Harley suggests, if most of your miles are close to home, then yes, it really is that efficient.
One note, however, on the downside of any plug-in hybrid and not having to refill the gas tank very often. Make sure not to let it go too long because like those Brussels sprouts in your crisper, gas can go bad. Because it’s mixing with air, if it stays in the gas tank for more than 30 days it can start eating through the tank and gunking up the fuel system. You can either get an additive stabilizer to put into your gas tank, or just make sure you fill up with greater regularity.
Happy Charging!!
Recall Service
by Lyn Woodward on May 23, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 8,878
Latest MPG/MPGe: 23.3
Total MPG to date: 33.72
Maintenance/Service Costs: $2,034.25
Days out of Service: 26
That’s right, still no fill ups, but in the meantime…
So, the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, or as I like to call it, The Brick, got a recall notice. Officially, the notice went out in November of 2018, but we didn’t get ours until March of this year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the recall, numbered 18V740000, is due to an improper engine restart after changing over from the electric motor that might cause a stall or even worse a fire. The former could risk someone crashing into you and the latter, because of unburned fuel in the catalyst, may ignite, increasing the risk of a fire.
For both reasons, I gladly took the Pacifica in for service to Russell Westbrook Chrysler in Van Nuys, Calif., about 15 miles north of Hollywood, and they got it in and out in one day. They had to reprogram what’s call the Powertrain Control Module to make sure the settings were correct as well as inspected the catalytic convertor to make sure it was operating properly. Ours was, so thankfully that didn’t need to be replaced. I’m grateful neither problem presented itself while anyone in the Kelley Blue Book offices was driving the Pacifica, and hope that’s the case for any other owners out there.
Recall notices are a way for manufacturers to get important information to car owners, so it’s never a bad thing to register your car with the manufacturer so they can reach you. Another bonus to receiving recall notices is that if there are repairs to be done, it’s covered by the manufacturer. If you never know it’s an issue, you may end up being out of pocket for something that’s not your responsibility.
While the Brick was in the shop I thought I’d get the oil changed. Thanks to Uconnect, I could see that the oil life was down to 38-percent. Since we were pretty close to our 10,000-mile scheduled oil change service, I thought I’d get it done now so the car won’t be out for another day. Total cost on the oil change was $92.39 and that covered the six quarts of 0W20 synthetic oil and the replacement oil filter.
We also got a multi-point inspection done at no charge and had the tires rotated. Tires are an incredibly important part of a car because they’re the only touch points you have to the road. Getting tires rotated helps keep wear on them even so they last longer and traction is consistent. It may not be terribly convenient, but while the car is in for standard maintenance, you should definitely include it. Plus, it only cost $25.
Total cost for the day of service came to $122.61. That’s cheaper than a massage in most spas and not bad for your piece of mind. Speaking of, on researching for this story I just found another recall for the control arm, the link between the chassis and the suspension, which might separate from the steering knuckle. Sounds like we may have to take another trip into the car spa again soon.
If an owner ever wants more information on a particular recall they can contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-800-434-9153 or online at www.safecar.gov.
Mom With Drive
by Lyn Woodward on May 6, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 8,702
Latest MPG/MPGe: 23.3
Total MPG to date: 33.72
Maintenance/Service Costs: $1,911.64
Days out of Service: 25
Wow, 646 miles since the last fill-up and counting! Yes, I am intentionally milking this for all its worth and seeing just how long I can go before filling the Pacifica Hybrid up. Stay tuned folks, because I still have 175 miles on the odometer, and I’ve got a Level II charger at the office and even though I charge through my regular 120V charger at home, I’m keeping my errands close.
Gas mileage, however, is not what this update is about.
Not long ago, I had to get to the airport fast. A flight was cancelled, and the replacement flight didn’t allow me time to park off site then take a shuttle and risk missing my plane. If you’ve ever headed to Moab for Easter Jeep Safari, you’ll know why you don’t want to be late for that.
So, the alternative was for my mom to drive me and given the state of her car, the Pacifica won out. Only problem is my mom’s daily driver is a 1998 Buick Regal. There is no push button start on her car. Her shifter juts from the steering column like a stalk of celery. And then there’s the plugging it in part. “This is like the toaster in my kitchen,” she said. Sort of.
Key fob foibles
Since the Regal is new enough to have the key fob for remote unlocking, that part was easy. But there are so many other buttons on the Pacifica’s that it warranted additional explaining.
The button below the unlock opens the rear hatch when you click it twice. Convenient. The one next to that will start the car remotely after pressing it twice. Very convenient. Below those are sliding door shortcuts, but which one is which? Orient the key fob the way the car is, lock and unlock representing the driver and passenger seats and that defines your left and right doors. “But you don’t need to do any of that, Mom. Just unlock the door.” I didn’t bother telling her that if she walked up to the car with the key in her hand and simply opened the door it would unlock for her. TMI.
Mom sat in the driver’s seat and surveyed. “Where do I put the key?” You don’t. I instructed her to put it in the center console. Starting a car with a button was a strange concept for my mom. Even more challenging was that the Pacifica’s start/stop button is tucked to the right under the steering wheel, making it impossible to see if you don’t know where to look for it. I would have to keep my fingers crossed she’d remember where that one was.
Shifter secrets
Explaining the rotary dial shifter was the next task. Personally, I’m not a fan. Now my mother isn’t one either. Sorry Chrysler, I biased her.
Truth be told, she did reach for the volume knob once, which is painfully close to it, and it confused her. It confuses me, I reassured her. She definitely had to look at it every time. As I’ve said before, it’s not the instinctive stick shifter or stalk older folks are used to and pulls driver focus. I’ll concede, though, the more I drive the car the more I can feel the three clicks from P to D then then two back to R. Shifting no longer distracts me the way it once did, but it’s taken a while.
A big test was getting it out of my tight apartment building parking spot. Checking rearview mirrors always trumps cameras, but in this case they’re a bonus. “This is a really big car,” she says. I explain that this is why I call it The Brick. But her Regal is no wallflower, and with the help of parking sensors and camera guidelines she backs out of the spot and we emerge from the garage.
Joys of EV operation
Driving instruction was minimal. Other than explaining what the beeping blind-spot detection warnings were, it’s just like driving a regular car. “Why isn’t it making any noise?” That’s because it’s an electric vehicle right now, only using power from the motor and those are quiet. She was relieved to know that there wasn’t 100-percent reliance on the electricity part. Gas engines are a familiar comfort to a lot of drivers. Hybrids are a perfect transition.
She loved the acceleration and how smooth the gearing was on the nine-speed automatic transmission. The Pacifica offers an even, comfortable ride despite its size. Mom dug it.
After I drove us to the airport, it was her turn. She slid into the driver’s seat, adjusted it to her liking and quietly buzzed away.
Like the good student she is, when she got back to my apartment parking spot, she plugged The Brick back in. The Uconnect alert on my phone confirming its return was comforting. She’d negotiated the congested 405 freeway without incident. She and The Brick were safe.
A minute later she texted me telling me as much. “I know.” She was confused. I told her about the app and my notifications. “Oh, this is so much better than my toaster.”
Hi Tech
by Lyn Woodward on April 22, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 8,555
Latest MPG/MPGe: 23.3
Total MPG to date: 33.72
Maintenance/Service Costs: $1,911.64
Days out of Service: 25
As you can see, when we do these updates we include current odometer settings. I almost just got up from my seat to walk all the way outside to check, until I remembered Uconnect. Uconnect is Chrysler’s mobile app that lets you connect with your car. Think it’s just some gimmicky throw-away extra? Then let me help you think again.
Reviewing cars, one rarely gets a chance to use such things as the mobile app as there simply isn’t time, but because The Brick (this is my new nickname for our long-term 2018 Copper Pacifica) is in our hands for a while, we have time to try it out. I downloaded the app from the Apple store then had to get login information through our contact at FCA, but as soon as I got the registered email, password and PIN, access was easy. Face ID with my iPhone Xs makes logging in every time very simple. Unless of course I’m in disguise wearing a hat, glasses and moustache.
From there you can customize your car name, hence The Brick. Modifying which notifications you receive is simple. You can get updates on the vehicle’s health as well as when it gets plugged in. My mother drove me to the airport last week, dropped me off, then parked it back in my space and plugged it in. The second she did I got a notification. She texted me about a minute later explaining the car was back safe, but I already knew! After her initial thought that I was somehow spying on her, she was baffled and amazed. Stay tuned for the next update when I explain what it was like teaching her how to drive the Pacifica.
More than just charge status available
It’s great knowing how much time left until the Pacifica fully charges, but there is other helpful information you can access remotely as well. Tire pressure, oil health (and when it’s feeling like it’s time for a change) and individual trip information and vehicle location are in the palm of your hand. This function is great if you had teen drivers in the family who use the minivan. It’s easy to know when the vehicle is in use and how far it’s gone.
If I’m getting close to the car and it’s parked in a dark spot, I can automatically start the car and unlock it. Great safety feature. I can also access the horn and lights, which would probably freak someone out if they were lingering around the Brick. Certainly, I’ve seen a cat or two scamper out from under it.
Do I use Uconnect every day? No. But it adds value when I do use it, like today when I saved time by not having to go outside. Or does that just make me lazy? Don’t answer that.
And, hey, that MPG up top is from two updates ago. That’s right, I haven’t had to fill up the tank in almost a month, almost 500 miles ago, and I’ve still got 201 gas miles left to use. The Pacifica Hybrid is a mileage machine.
Some Odds and Non-odds
by Lyn Woodward on April 5, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 8,094
Latest MPG/MPGe: 23.3
Total MPG to date: 33.72
Maintenance/Service Costs: $1,911.64
Days out of Service: 25
Non-odd: You might notice that the mileage, MPG and MPG to date don’t change much on these updates. That’s because I only have to change those when the car gets filled up with gas. Thanks to the plug-in hybrid-ness of the Pacifica.
Odd: When I climb over the Hollywood Hills watching the battery drain on the Pacifica is like sand thorough an hour glass. But there’s something else I’ve noticed of late. When I turn the radio off, I’ve started to notice the Pacifica isn’t a quiet little lady. There’s a whirring noise that sounds like a fan in the electric motor but then there’s also a lower droning that sounds like the gas engine contributing the tenor bits of the choral exercise. I’m pretty sure it’s always done that I think I just drown it out normally listening to the Harry Bosch series of novels as I commute through the city.
Odd: Recently, I received notification of a Pacifica Hybrid recall. According to the NHTSA “after the vehicle has been operating in PHEV propulsion mode, the gas-fueled engine may not restart properly resulting in unburned fuel entering the exhaust catalyst.” In layman’s terms this means that we’re running a potential risk of catching on fire. While the recall was announced last fall, we just received notice on it a week ago. This seems as though something of this magnitude should have gone out sooner, but perhaps that means our VIN isn’t really affected and this is more of a precautionary measure. Next week it will go into the shop and I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. Fingers crossed nothing happens before then.
Non-odd: The other night the Pacifica came in quite handy. I met up with some friends at an art gallery opening. In typical LA fashion we all drove separately. When we decided to head out for a bite afterward everyone piled into the Pacifica and we hit up a local Thai restaurant. One passenger commented on how much she liked the steering wheel in the Pacifica. Handsome devil. I like it when everyone wants to come with me. I feel like the school bus driver.
Odd: The more I drive the Pacifica Hybrid the bigger it feels. It might be that I’m driving it more, or that I’ve been driving smaller cars in between, but I find myself being extra cautious going around corners, so I don’t curb the wheels. Maybe I’m just having an Alice in Wonderland moment and everything is going to start shrinking next. Stay tuned.
Chrysler Pacifica Versus…
by Lyn Woodward on March 22, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 7,519
Latest MPG/MPGe: 23.3
Total MGP to date: 33.72
Maintenance/Service Costs: $1,911.64
Days out of Service: 25
It’s been a while since I’ve spent time in KBB’s long-term Chrysler Pacifica. Not for lack of desire, but the minivan’s been quite popular and too busy to spend time with me recently. Happily, I got in it last week. Because our long-term Honda Odyssey leaves us this month, we decided a comparison between the two rectangles on wheels was a good idea, and for my money it reaffirmed something I already knew, how great the Chrysler Pacifica really is.
Getting into the driver’s seat there is no comparison in my eyes. Where the Odyssey feels like an old relative’s long-used Lazy Boy chair, a bit too broad and soft, the Pacifica’s seats feel like higher quality leather and far more supportive, especially when embarking on an extended journey or being stuck in dense Southern California traffic.
The interior layout feels more deliberate in the Pacifica. The infotainment screen is fully integrated into the center stack and its graphics are great. The Odyssey’s are good too, but I do prefer Chrysler’s Uconnect system. If incredibly easy and intuitive to operate and customize sounds is interesting to you, you’ll like it, too. Though I prefer the Odyssey’s push-button shift mechanism over the Pacifica’s rotary dial version.
More in-cabin extras, please
The Pacifica doesn’t compete with the Odyssey when it comes to in-cabin extras such a Honda’s Cabin View and Cabin Talk, allowing the driver to communicate and watch what’s going on behind them, but there’s a part of me that thinks those systems might be more of a distraction for the driver. However, if you’re kids are wearing headphones, it might be better than having a parent yell or throw Pepperidge Farm Goldfish in their spawn’s direction to get their attention. If you do choose the food-fight method, there is a vacuum system in our Pacifica just like the Odyssey. Clean up on aisle all of them.
Perhaps I’m biased with that instant torque the Pacifica’s hybrid motor offers, but the driving experience doesn’t compare for me. Quick acceleration from a standstill in the Odyssey offered tire spin and sluggish throttle response. The Pacifica responded immediately to a lead foot on the floor without complaint from the tires’ touchpoints with the pavement. Once both are up and running there isn’t that much difference. These aren’t exactly powerhouse vehicles, but both do the job efficiently, though points again go to the Pacifica in the fuel economy column with that 33 miles of pure electric operation you can get with a full charge, making its estimated 84 eMPG untouchable. Time to hybridize, Honda!
As for the look of them, that’s going to be up to the owner, but Chrysler’s got some pretty sweet extras to jazz up your van. On a recent 2019 loaner we had an $800 S package that included black leather interior with the S badging embroidered on the headrests, blacked out 18-inch wheels and other murdered-out accents on the roof, grille surround and window moldings. The Odyssey Elite and its floating roofline just don’t bring sexy back to the minivan category. Okay, that’s pushing it, I know, but you get what I mean. Go, Chrysler Pacifica!
Life Happens
by Richard Homan on February 18, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 7,320 miles
Latest MPG: 25.1 mpg
Lifetime MPG: 33.8 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $1,911.64
Time out of Service: 25 days
It’s pretty ugly how much damage a mean old Volkswagen Eos can do to a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Yep, our big Copper Pearl-Coat minivan’s rear got bumped as it backed out of a driveway by a VW Eos that didn’t see it while turning left into traffic from the other side of the street.
Nobody hurt — that’s all that matters — but the area below the Pacifica’s liftgate got pretty mangled when the VW brake-submarined beneath the minivan’s bumper. No warnings went off — that’s not really what the rear cross-path detection sensors specialize in — but the bumper did its job beautifully and absorbed most of the oncoming energy.
Normally, insurance companies would sort this out and the repairs would be done in about a week. Since our long-term Pacifica Hybrid technically belongs to Chrysler, they wanted to step in and supervise repairs. That meant a series of approvals and such that kept the Pacifica out of our fleet for about 25 days.
Total cost for the repair was $1,911.64, the lion’s share of which was taken up by labor — $918.05 — and the rear bumper cover incorporating the ParkSense rear park-assist sensors and tech — $671.00. Fortune favored our Pacifica in that the rear hatch was undamaged and only needed a little touch-up work.
Now back in full-time force, our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited is ready for more action, just not this kind.
Control (Button) Issues
by Steve Lind on February 15, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 7,259
Latest MPG/MPGe: 24.2
Total MGP to date: 34.1
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.0
Days out of Service: 0
After a couple of weeks in the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid I’ve gotten to know it much better and while overall, my impressions are good, there are, like in any relationship, some personality quirks to get used to.
The temperature controls on the touchscreen are a bit tricky to use. You have to move the arrows up and down, which makes for imprecise adjustment. If I wanted even a couple of degrees change, it would take a while to get it just right. The touchscreen is either too sensitive or not sensitive enough and sends the temps from 75 to 68 to Low without hitting anything in between.
While I understand they are regenerative, the brakes on the Pacifica Hybrid are not my favorite. They don’t have a terribly responsive feel in that artificial, stiff way regen brakes feel. Certainly, they do the job, and with kids in the car I’m grateful for that, but as someone who enjoys the feel of driving, I wish they could be improved. I’m sure as the tech progresses so will the execution of said brakes.
I believe this has been addressed in another update, but the rotary dial shifter is a design that should be thrown out with the baby and bathwater. It pulls driver focus from the road in quick shifting situations and can be outright dangerous if accidentally shifting from drive into reverse. Because the volume knob is in close proximity, on more than one occasion I grabbed for the wrong one and started turning up the transmission. This design seems imperfect in my opinion.
Other than the three nit-picks the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid proved to be a great help while my car was in the shop, and if anyone asked me for a recommendation, of the ones to choose from, the Pacifica is the van to beat, my control button issues notwithstanding.
Long-Term Loaner to the Rescue
by Steve Lind on February 8, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 7,124
Latest MPG/MPGe: 24.4
Total MGP to date: 32.6
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.0
Days out of Service: 0
As a Kelley Blue Book employee who doesn’t normally get to test cars in the long-term test fleet I was happy to contribute my thoughts about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan I drove while my car was in the shop.
Usually, I drive a Land Rover, Range Rover, so you can imagine what a wonderful surprise the fuel efficiencies of the Pacifica were. Before the Range Rover, my family drove a Honda Odyssey and loved that car. The Pacifica proved every bit as capable and as great a utility as our old trusty.
The overall driving experience was solid. The Pacifica, thanks to the hybrid’s instant torque, has great acceleration. It handles like a much smaller car especially when turning, and the blind spot warnings and other safety features really inspired confidence. Most of my commuting travel is local, but I didn’t charge it. The editorial staff was interested to see what kind of straight gas mileage it got. 24 mpg is a pretty impressive number for something that can carry that much stuff.
One day I took my sons to a Warriors/Clippers game at the Staples Center, about 50 miles north of the Kelley Blue Book offices in Irvine, CA. Maneuvering through LA congestion was easy. Certainly, my mind was at ease with the boys fully utilizing the game screens on the back of the front seat headrests. This feature sure makes for happy parents during frustrating commutes.
Every time we got into the Pacifica I made the boys use a different seating configuration, just for fun. The third-row stow and go feature made that super easy. They could do it themselves. It’s too bad the second row doesn’t operate in that way, too, though I think it’s because the hybrid battery rests beneath those seats, so they’re fixed.
Out of the gate, my family gives the Pacifica a six-thumbs up. And if I had three thumbs I’d put that one up, too for the very cool Copper exterior color.
Commuter Countdown
by Jason Allan on January 25, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 6,752
Latest MPG/MPGe: 25.1
Total MGP to date: 37.9
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.0
Days out of Service: 0
Riddle Me This
How can it take me exactly an hour to get to the office in the morning, but only eight minutes to get home? Hint: I have school-age children. Ah, the joys of piling bleary-eyed pre-teens into the car while still swallowing that last bite of Cheerios. No, Dad doesn’t like getting up this early either, guys, but we all have responsibilities.
My commute isn’t as far as our Executive Editor’s, but it’s still decent. And even with two school drop-offs extending the route in the morning, our Chrysler Pacific Plug-In covers the entire day on electricity alone. Even if I didn’t have access to a charger at the office, I could return home in the evening with plenty of juice to spare. Now, granted, I don’t pick up the kids from school in the afternoons, but perhaps there’s another experiment due, because I’ll bet if I drive it right, not using too much power on extras like the radio, climate controls or driving like a speed demon (as much as one can in a minivan) I might just make that entire round trip and stay inside that 33-mile EV bonus.
For longer trips, the Pacifica has faithfully shuttled our family to San Diego and Palm Springs, covering the roundtrips of more than 100 miles while returning impressive fuel economy in the mid-high 20 mpg range. That only slightly makes up for the disappointment felt when the battery charge bottoms out at zero-percent. Once you drive a plug-in hybrid there is something pretty satisfying about how long to extend that charge.
Short daily driving mixed with regular extended trips isn’t an uncommon scenario among minivan owners, which is why the plug-in hybrid minivan makes so much sense. And for the time being, the Pacifica Plug-In is the only game in town. And this comes from a tried-and-true fan of the Honda Odyssey. Come on Honda, you’ve been served.
Winter Summer Day
by Jason Allan on January 11, 2019
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 6,536
Latest MPG/MPGe: 36.5
Total MGP to date: 32.4
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.0
Days out of Service: 0
Beach Machine
When you think of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, maybe it’s not the first car that comes to mind when driving down a coastal road on a sunny day. Maybe a convertible with the top down seems more apropos. But I’ll wager the Pacifica might be one of the better vehicles, and not just because it’s named after a small surfing town tucked under San Francisco along the northern California coast.
Granted the weather is pretty good year-round here in coastal Southern California, but one joy we don’t get to fully experience is that first warm sunny day after months of unrelenting cold and wet in pretty much the rest of the country. That’s when parks and patios fill up, sleeves and hems shorten, convertible tops come down, and the city is filled with a palpable sense of relief, delight and camaraderie. I’ve witnessed it first-hand in Seattle and Chicago, and I know it’s a universal phenomenon across the northern stretch of the country and far beyond our borders.
But after an unusually wet and chilly spell — our coldest in 60 years – a long-yeaned for beach day was an especially welcome one. As a cathartic and liberating unofficial first day of spring, this was about as good as it gets around here.
I was glad to have taken the Pacifica Plug-In for the weekend, because few vehicles will swallow bikes and beach gear more easily than a minivan. Trucks work well, obviously, but minivans keep your things more secure. Most SUVs can hold a bike or two but loading more than one can be tricky. For a full-featured beach day, minivans are where it’s at.
So, no, it might not be a Jeep Wrangler with the top off or a Mazda Miata zipping past the frothing surf, but the Pacifica serves as a great beach drive car. I just wish this one had a sunroof.
Exceptional Real-World Fuel Economy — 46.1 MPG
by Michael Harley on December 29, 2018
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 6,193 miles
Latest MPG: 46.1 mpg
Lifetime MPG: 36.2 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
Wow, this long-termer caught me by surprise. While nearly every automaker cripples their hybrid gasoline-electric offerings with small fuel capacity and tiny engines (limiting range and driving enjoyment), Chrysler fits this minivan with a 3.6-liter V6 and a 16.5-gallon fuel tank. Charge the battery before a road trip and it will deliver 30 combustion-free miles. Once the battery is exhausted it drives just like a standard six-cylinder minivan — with an electric assist motor — with a more-than-reasonable 350-plus mile range. But around town, with nightly charging, combined range is jaw-dropping.
To see how the hybrid minivan would tackle my family’s routine at home — a mix of highway and stop-and-go travel with plenty of local elevation changes — I took it home for the two-week holiday season. Long story short, it blew my mind.
I put 612 miles on the minivan over the course of 10 days. The driving was a mix of high-speed highway, stop-and-go highway traffic, city traffic, driving over the Santa Monica mountains to Malibu (with six adults on board), and running errands — exactly what most families would do (I even loaded it with a dozen folding chairs and two tables, as I was hosting dinner one evening). As expected, I charged it every night with a standard 110-volt wall outlet and its included charger. When the fuel gauge needle finally kissed the red, I swung by a gas station to fill it up. The pump shut off at 13.29 gallons — based on the 612 miles on the trip computer, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid delivered a hand-calculated fuel economy of 46.1 MPG.
Of course, there are hybrid vehicles that squeeze more miles-per-ounce of fuel, but none deliver the power of a V6, the range of a standard fuel tank, and the utility of a seven-passenger minivan with jaw-dropping efficiency. All gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles should be this exceptional.
Close to Home
by Lyn Woodward on December 18, 2018
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 4,414
Latest MPG/MPGe: 37.5
Total MPG to date: 34.6
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
Driving the long-term Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is a little bit of a tale of two cars thanks to the plug-in hybrid system.
When I don’t find myself driving to the office from my home in Southern California, the Pacifica acts like a very large and wonderful golf cart. One charge shuttles me to the grocery store, the workout place, even hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains high above Los Angeles. There’s massive satisfaction knowing that I’m driving around a beast while not using one drop of gas. Every morning when I get into the Lucky Penny, one of its nicknames because of its awesome copper color, it’s satisfying to see the blue charging lights fully lit, and that 100-percent battery life indicator.
But, alas, like all things, it doesn’t last.
When commuting (and who doesn’t have to be at work?), initially I find myself doing that hybrid driving thing. You know, that thing hybrid drivers do trying to maximize their mileage, crawling on the freeway and exploiting the regenerative braking to prolong the charge. Of course, that doesn’t last long. Never one to dawdle in the driving department, I like to get where I’m going, even if that means fuel efficiency be damned. My 33-mile EV range disappears quickly. Blue lights out.
Charging challenges
Charging Coppernicus (another nickname) when I’m not home has proven to be something of a challenge. While at Kelley Blue Book headquarters in Irvine, about 60 miles south of the San Fernando Valley sprawl in which I live, we have a high-speed charging station that gives the Pacifica a full charge in about 2 hours, give or take. I can get about halfway home on that if the traffic planets are correctly aligned. That’s much less than the 14 hours it takes on 110 volts when charging at my apartment.
There’s a ChargePoint station three long city blocks from my house. Unfortunately, there is no special designated parking space for it, so anyone can, and usually does, park there to grab quick items from the grocery store it’s next to. The second closest option is the mall. For someone trying to curtail a retail therapy habit, the last place I want to find myself with nothing to do for two hours is near a Bloomingdale’s.
I’ve asked my previous apartment building manager about the odds of getting a high-speed charger installed. All that got me was in trouble for using the plug located in the parking garage, the one that the building manager uses when power-washing the crud out of the drains. I surmise that the rest of the world similarly continues to play catch-up with EV technology.
Until then, I’ll have to make due with sneaking the extension cord across the courtyard after hours. But I could see how the logistics of charging could be off-putting for a non-homeowner who doesn’t have a viable charging option.
Fuel efficiency takes a hit
Sadly, this means sometimes it doesn’t get charged, negatively affecting our overall fuel economy numbers. My commute is successfully sabotaging that number as well. Perhaps the conclusion is that the Pacifica Hybrid is the minivan for folks who never have to venture far afield who also own their own field.
We promise to keep you plugged in to all the latest updates on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, so keep checking in here to read more.
Vegas or Bust
by Lyn Woodward on November 19, 2018
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 4,007
Latest MPG/MPGe: 41.38
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
Recently the long-term Pacifica Hybrid went on an unlikely road trip to SEMA, the aftermarket car parts convention in Las Vegas. A minivan doesn’t exactly scream a need for aftermarket bits like raucous Magnaflow exhausts or over-sized Bilstein shocks, but on a road trip comfort is what I’m after and the Pacifica seemed like the best choice.
The almost 300-mile trip each way wasn’t going to be a test of how great our gas mileage was using the plug-in hybrid since we didn’t even get out of the LA County before we used up the available 33-mile electric charge, so I brought a colleague along and thought I’d use the opportunity to get her thoughts on the Copper Cab (this is my new name for it – you got a better one let me know).
First impressions
“It rides like an SUV,” she said. If she was blindfolded she would have thought so. The ride was smooth, comfortable, but didn’t feel minivan-ish. To her it also felt more powerful than what a minivan would. We both attributed its quickness to the electric motor and the instant torque it provides.
Visibility was another area that surprised her. The large front windshield made for some great desert landscape sunset spotting, and once we got to Vegas some great neon light peeping as well.
From the inside, the only dead giveaway that this wasn’t an SUV was the pronounced slope of the A-pillar and perhaps the fact that the doors are farther away from both driver and passenger creating van width. “I feel like this could be smaller, well, narrower, and you’d still get the utility you’re looking for.” I tend to agree that minivans have gotten pretty maxi of late.
How about the ride?
She was blown away by how comfortable the Pacifica is. “The captain’s chairs are perfect for long trips, but this leather would be destroyed by a kid within ten minutes.” She was commenting on the light grey color that I mentioned in one of my previous posts about the seats being beautiful but not conducive to sticky fingers and shoes climbing all over them.
“Could you tell how fast I was going right there?” She had no idea. I’m not encouraging anyone go that fast, and I’m not telling you what I did. I only increased speed because I was passing someone then slowed back down to a more reasonable and legal clip when the truck was in my rear view. Point is, the Pacifica’s suspension is smooth and rides like it’s floating on a cloud.
Overall thoughts
“This is a solid package,” she said. “If I had to choose, I’d pick this over the Honda Pilot or the Ford Edge for sure.” Yes, those are smaller vehicles, but I appreciated her point. The Pacifica rides like a far smaller SUV.
“I also like the way the safety features work. There are lights but also audible warnings for stuff like blind spot detection,” she said. “It’s good to have both especially on a long road trip when the drone of the road has a lulling effect on the driver.” Couldn’t agree more.
We could also hear each other fine. Cabin noise from either wind or road is minimal so there’s no shouting above anything. Now, if there’s a stack of kids in the back, I might not say the same thing, but for this trip it was peacefully serene.
All in, the road trip was a great success. I felt more punished by the 20-plus miles of walking I did in the convention center than the 626 miles I drove from door to door. It wasn’t the flashiest car cruising Las Vegas Blvd, but it might have been the most comfortable road-trip I’ve taken in a while. No money was lost during the testing of this vehicle.
The Good, The Bad, and the Fun
by Lyn Woodward October 15, 2018
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 2,714
Latest MPG/MPGe: 47.1
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
The more time I spend with our long-term Chrysler Pacifica the more I like it. However, like any enduring relationship, ours is not perfect. For a minivan, I still think it’s too big. When I put it in my apartment parking spot, I have to position it just so otherwise I can’t use the sliding side doors. That seems to me to be one of the plusses you want to exploit with such a vehicle. And don’t get me started on finding a charger when you want one. Alas, those are updates for a different day.
There are three things in particular that over the past several weeks have started to leave an impression, meaning, I think about them every time I drive the car. So, what do you want to hear first, good news or bad news or the fun? Fun for last? Okay, then.
Good news it is. The third row stow-and-go seats are so easy to use sometimes I just put them up or down because I can. The second row isn’t stow-and-go because of the hybrid battery, but I’d never drive it with zero seats like a cargo van anyway unless there was occasion. But I don’t haul a ton of stuff. I haven’t been asked to move a friend. I don’t have a job as, say, a massage therapist who carries a massive table to appointments. I do have a single folding chair in the back of the Pacifica constantly. So, sometimes I put both seats in the third row down and sometimes I put one of them up then stash the folded soccer mom chair at an angle in the hole where the other seat isn’t tucked away. Fun! According to Chrysler there are 243 possible seating configurations in the Pacifica. Before this long-term experiment is over, I’m going to see if I can do them all.
Now to the bad news. The shifter is one of those rotary dial ones. I always thought that if I had more time in a car that had one, I might get used to it. No. Despite having driven this car for a couple months now, I still have to look at the dial to see what gear I’m shifting into. It’s not intuitive like a stick shifter, which lands at the same angle for drive, neutral or reverse every time. Same with a stalk in trucks, pull it toward you, pull down and blamo! You can feel from the position of the stick which gear you’re in. The rotary not so much. You just turn a knob with no idea of what gear you’re in without actually looking at it.
The other problem is the rotary dial’s proximity to the volume knob. More than once I’ve reached over to adjust the volume and grabbed the gear shifter. Turn that while you’re driving, and it changes gears, I tested it. Going 10 mph I shifted the minivan from drive into reverse. The car slows to a stop and then heads into reverse. If the driver isn’t paying attention or doesn’t know they’ve shifted to change direction and keeps their foot on the accelerator this might cause some problems. Maybe at higher speeds it doesn’t do that, but I’m not willing to be the guinea pig in that test. That being said, pay attention while you drive.
Now for the fun. Chrysler as a company love Easter eggs. No, not the kind a possibly fictitious rabbit hides every spring, but little gifts for its owners. On the Pacifica, if you look closely down by the floor between the driver and passenger seat, there’s a shallow, rubber-lined cubby with which to hold stuff like a purse or a phone. Subtly etched into the rubber grippy liner are four Chrysler minivans representing their evolution since the first Town & Country appeared in 1989 and through the current model Pacifica. This cheeky nod to Chrysler’s heritage is marvelous. When I glance down and see these mini minivans, I always smile.
A sumptuous interior
by Lyn Woodward October 1, 2018
Price: $47,730 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 2,417 miles
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
What part of the word minivan conjures visions of sumptuous leather, perforated to perfection, sublimely supple and comfortable? Uh, no minivan comes to mind? Well, look no further than the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited. That’s our long-term tester and, folks, I have to tell you, the interior reeks of gorgeous.
The seats, each captains chairs support one’s posterior to perfection. Channels of Nappa leather bolster every backside that sits upon them. The headrest cradles the craniums of either short or tall, depending on adjustment, and the seat back accommodates both broad and petitely statured persons. If a comfortable seating position previously eluded you in other cars, this one adjusts eight-ways with an additional four just for your lumbar region.
On our Limited trim model, contrast stitching comes in so tantalizingly a turquoise one daren’t get lost in a Caribbean dream during elementary school drop-off or pick up. The lightest gray leather echoes through the entire cabin on soft-touch surfaces to caress your arms as they sit atop the armrests and run your hands across the door panels. Uh, wait a second, light gray? Can that be correct? On a minivan that will most likely have kids, plural, in it, wielding their mud and ice cream smeared hands like weapons across this light-colored leather oasis? Yup, that’s right.
As a woman who does not have children myself, I see no problem here. I take impeccable care of my cars, and this one would look new until the day I sold it, no matter how many years later. However, I have friends with kids, and even those who keep their cars relatively clean, should never, ever buy a minivan with a light interior. Every pen mark, every dirty shoe print, every vomit stain, every everything shows up! Yikes. I’m not 100% sure what Chrysler was thinking when making Alloy Gray an option. Unless you’re Super Parent, this seems like yet another thing to worry about when little Mikey already scraped his knee. No one wants to worry about whether dried blood comes off of leather the hue of picturesque San Francisco fog.
That being said, I cannot swoon enough over how good the interior looks, well, the kid-free version of the interior. Guaranteed if there were small children crawling around it like a jungle gym, I might have some very different things to say.
One nit pick on the seats is about the heating and ventilation function. There is no physical button with which to turn either on or off. The driver must navigate through the infotainment screen while driving to employ either. Again, in a minivan where most drivers are more than likely parents with enough on their hands, like if they forgot one of their children somewhere because it’s simply too quiet in back, perhaps a short cut button for this feature is warranted.
The Pacifica Hybrid as a camera car?
by Lyn Woodward on September 17, 2018
Normally, when you think of what a minivan can haul it’s one of a few things, kids, groceries, soccer stuff, camping gear, but here at Kelley Blue Book, we thought we’d see how well it could haul our video production camera equipment. So, recently, while we were shooting the Kia Forte Review & Road Test video, we used our long-term Pacifica Hybrid as our camera car.
As far as cargo space goes to load in all our cameras, sound equipment and the Movi, which is the rig we use to mount the camera on the back of our vehicle to shoot car-to-car footage, the Pacifica Hybrid of course didn’t disappoint. There was plenty of room, even with the second row in place. We tucked away the Stow-n-Go third row of seats and had 87.5-cubit feet of space for gear. Really we could have put a ton more in there, probably enough to shoot a short film and not just our six-minute video, but we run a lean crew, and the Pacifica Hybrid’s space proved more than ample.
The bigger concern was how the Pacifica Hybrid would perform while doing our tracking shoots. When I’m driving the test car, the camera car has to keep pace, sometimes even overtaking me to get the perfect shot. Normally, our crew uses a Honda Pilot with a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 280hp. The Pacifica Hybrid comes with a 3.6-liter V6 as well as two electric motors, which makes a combined 260hp. While those sound like similar power outputs the Pacifica Hybrid is considerably heavier because of that hybrid powertrain, to the tune of almost 5,000 pounds compared to the Pilot’s about 4,200 pounds. That’s like driving the Honda with a grand piano strapped to its roof. Thus, the concern that the minivan would be lumbering and have trouble keeping up, even with the 147hp Forte.
Fear not. The Pacifica Hybrid kept in lock step with me constantly in spite of its heft. Acceleration from a slower speed or a complete stop was downright quick thanks to the instant low-end torque output of those two electric motors. In all honesty, the Pacifica Hybrid drives like a much smaller car than even the regularly powered Pacifica, which is also 1,000 pounds lighter.
While there is noticeably more body roll around turns in the Hybrid thanks to that extra weight (who doesn’t roll around a bit more when we’ve gained a few, right) the minivan still felt solid and more than capable to keep up performance wise. Not sure we’d say the same when shooting a Lamborghini, but it was more than capable.
The rear window, which is also smaller than that of the Honda Pilot, was still big enough for our camera mount, and to be honest it actually looked pretty good back there. Any concerns I had were definitely put to rest and hopefully my performance was at least half as good as the Pacifica Hybrid’s. After I posted a picture of the Pacifica Hybrid on Instagram all kitted out for work, a lot of automotive video producers chimed in saying how much they loved using the Pacifica Hybrid as a camera car, too. Seems they all know stuff I don’t. Unsurprising.
While you may not be the next Steven Spielberg chasing around cars in your minivan, if you’re in the market for one such vehicle that has versatile utility, is un-minivan-like quick and has a little bit of star quality, then the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid might be one to add to the test drive list.
Introduction
by Lyn Woodward on September 3, 2018
- Price: $47,730 (including $1,345 destination)
- Powertrain: 3.6-liter V6 eHybrid Engine; eFlite EV Transmission
- EPA: Gas & EV: 84 combined MPGe; Gas 32 combined MPG
Minivans are great when it comes to versatility. They’re amazing utility vehicles. Owners can easily haul around kids and stuff, but when one thinks of a minivan, amazing fuel economy doesn’t normally come to mind.
Well, Chrysler would like to change all that, so they’ve introduced the Pacifica Hybrid. It’s the first plug-in hybrid in the category, and we’ve just added one to our long-term test fleet to see if the Pacifica delivers.
Go Long
EPA numbers on the Pacifica are ridiculous. Estimates come in at 84 MPGe when using the combined gas and electric motors in tandem, but even the gas number alone at 32 mpg is pretty impressive for the category. That’s a lot of gymnastics classes and soccer practices.
But just because the EPA and Chrysler say those are the numbers, we want to make sure for ourselves. We plan on taking our Pacifica here, there and everywhere. Our Executive Editor can’t wait to drive the Pacifica on his 100-plus mile commute each way to the office. An editor will head up north on a road trip so she can cart her godson and his siblings around while their parents go on vacation. We’ll have plenty of ways to figure out if those lofty numbers hold up.
Beauty and the Beast
“Wow, what a gorgeous minivan,” said no one ever. Well, at least until now. The exterior of the Pacifica is as lithe as a minivan might look these days. It’s got great character lines on the body, and a simple but understated and elegant profile. Though the front end does sort of look like one of those paintings of a person with four eyes, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Striking Copper Pearl-Coat paint slathers the sheet metal. It’s a stunner.
We opted for the Limited trim and it comes overflowing with standard features. Nappa leather covers the seats and the most-touched surfaces inside. An 8.4-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will help keep us from getting lost, power seats, keyless entry and redesigned Stow-n-Go third row seating is also included.
We added both the Customer Preferred Package for $995 that includes 20 speakers with our Harman Kardon audio system, all kinds of safety features including adaptive cruise control and rain sensing wipers, and the Hybrid Special Appearance package for $395. That gets us body-colored power mirrors and door handles and 18-inch alloy wheels among other amenities.
However, we also know how much minivans get beat up, used, and kicked around. While we don’t plan on any extra-punches testing, we’re not going to baby this thing either. You and your family live in the real world and we plan on seeing how this beauty holds up in it.
Motoring
Our minivan motors with its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 eHybrid engine for a total of 260hp. All that goodness is mated to a one-speed electrically variable transmission. We know how great instant torque is from other EV and hybrid cars and we’re counting on the Pacifica Hybrid not being any different. We’re looking forward to seeing how it handles twisty mountain roads, you know, because road trips, as well as when it’s full of passengers and needs a little extra kick to get out of tricky situations on the highway.
Next Impressions
At first glance, yes, this minivan does look like it’s got both style and substance. Stay tuned while we find out if our first impression lasts an entire year.
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More about the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid:
See our full review of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid or build and price your own to unlock its Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own, and more.
