Sure, Chrysler's Pacifica follows the same form and functions much like a predecessor born 35 years ago, but a few minutes in the driver's seat will allow one to see past this book's cover and learn just how smart, safe, and efficient a modern car should be.
The only seven-seat plug-in hybrid on the planet, the 2018 Pacifica Hybrid can motor around town all week without using a drop of gas and is eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. Out on the highway it will keep itself a safe distance from the vehicle ahead-stopping if need be-stay in its lane, and keep an eye on your blind spots, all while keeping the crumb crunchers astern happy playing games, watching videos or listening on headphones to that stuff they call music.
Add in a comely interior and available goodies like perforated leather seats, 4G wi-fi, and a tri-pane, panoramic moonroof, and it is quite possible for a large family, or two coaches and an entire infield, to motor down the road with everyone busy on devices or looking out the window. Beats the heck out of singing "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer."
True story. Beautiful Blonde Bride and I were recently shuttled to an airport in a Pacifica. After noting the ample size and comfort of the middle row captain's chairs, we discovered the entertainment system had games, including Jeopardy. Bride smoked me.
Stop for a potty break and a 360-degree surround view camera system and a plethora of sensors will help guide you dead-center into a parking spot (Take that, all you cock-eyed pickups). If you back out into oncoming parking-lot traffic, the Pacifica will look around the cars to either side and warn you far enough in advance to avoid the fender-bender.
On top of that, the EPA gives the Pacifica Hybrid its best-possible rating of 10. Over its lifetime, it will save emissions equal to 14 commercial airline flights from Detroit to Chicago.
So, there's that.
World's best golf cart
Keeping the hybrid charged is a piece of cake. We simply plugged in a 110-volt charger (a 240-volt charger is optional) and went to bed. The next morning, the Pacifica announced its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack was good to go for 33 miles. Indeed, it was. We never used that up in a single day.
When that power was gone, a 3.6-liter Pentastar eHybrid V6-named to Wards 10 Best Engines list for the past two years running-seamlessly took over.
The engine is similar the 3.6-L engine in gas models, except it is modified to have an Atkinson cycle, which I still can't really explain except to say it holds the intake valve open a split second longer, which results in a more efficient combustion cycle. There is a slight loss of power, but that is more than overcome by the torque from two electric motors.
Chrysler puts the minivan's range at 566 miles on 16.5 gallons of regular unleaded. The EPA figured owners will average 84 miles per gallon using the combined gas-electric system. Actual mileage will vary according to how many days a week one runs all one's errands around town.
In our case, after a gasoline-free work week, on Saturday morning we headed down to Shreveport for a gumbo cook-off. There are some things I love about Louisiana and that's one of 'em. I must have tasted a dozen styles of gumbo and every one was slap-yo-mamma tasty.
When we turned the car back in, we had put more than 260 miles on it and used right at six gallons of gas. Not bad for a 204-inch, 4,987-lb., people hauler.
We're not sure we agree with other reviewers who rave about the Pacifica's quiet interior and composed ride. Both are very good, but not perfect.
Around town, all the soft buzzes, clicks and whirs of the electric system create a futuristic feel. On asphalt highways, the Pacifica is quiet enough to delight a librarian, but on concrete and chip-sealed tarmac the minivan's hollowness seemed to magnify road noise in the rear and impinged on the quality of our tester's 20-speaker, Harmon-Kardon sound system.
Still, Chrysler's active noise cancellation system, modern platform and best-in-class aerodynamics make for a pretty quiet ride.
Handling is good for a minivan, though we wonder if a stiffer anti-sway bar might put a finer edge on things.
A best buy
What's not to like? Perhaps the price, but in truth the Pacifica Hybrid is clearly the smartest buy for folks who haul cargo or combinations of people and stuff.
The key to understanding the federal rebate is the phrase "up to." The government will refund "up to" your tax liability. If you owe $5,000 in taxes, Uncle Sam will let that slide, but he's not going to write you a check for $2,500.
Though it is reasonable to expect these tax incentives to expire, that will come several years down the road. The tax credit is available for the first 160,000 units of a manufacturer's eligible model. The Pacifica hit showrooms last April, but sales were halted in June because of a recall related to a faulty diode. They resumed in September after the part was updated.
Like other manufacturers, Chrysler offers hybrids that start well equipped. Gas-only Pacificas come in five trim lines, starting with the base L at $26,995, climbing to a mid-level Touring Plus at $32,595, and working up to a top-of-line Limited at $43,795.
Hybrids come in three flavors. The Touring Plus starts at $39,995, the L is $41,995 and the Limited is $44,995.
Still Chrysler's World
In the age of the SUV, there are folks who appreciate the flexibility, function and roominess of an unabashed minivan. Last year, nearly half a million American families took one home from a dealership, and more than half of those came Fiat Chrysler America.
FCA uses a two-pronged attack to command the minivan market. It sells a ton of low-priced Dodge Caravans, designed in 2008 and built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It sells nearly as many Chrysler Pacificas, redesigned from the ground up in 2017 and built in Saltillo, Mexico.
Selling for as much as $10,000 less than a similarly equipped rival, the Grand Caravan has average reliability ratings, but ranks near the bottom in terms of safety, comfort and features. On the other hand, the Pacifica last year took on fresh redesigns from Honda and Toyota and outsold both.
That doesn't mean the Pacifica is better than the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. This is a photo finish.
We like the drivability of the Honda engine, and both have available vacuum systems, but the Odyssey will cost more and have fewer kid-friendly features.
The Sienna is the only minivan with all-wheel drive and has a great entertainment system. The Toyota has a skoosh more storage volume, but only Chrysler has stow-and-go seats, which fold completely away (third row only on hybrid, which has a power pack under the second row).
Bottom line: Chrysler's minivan is as good as the ones from Toyota and Honda, and neither of those offers hybrid power and tax credits.