A mobile great room for the road
Humans aren’t worth much anymore — at least when it comes to employment. Consider shopping. At one time, after flipping through a mail-order catalogue, you’d call an 800 number and place an order. Now, you browse through a website, choose an item, and enter your own information. You fulfil the order, not an operator whose job has been eliminated. It’s no better at a fast food joint where you, not some employee, will enter your order. After all, the cost of equipment can be depreciated on taxes over time; employees cannot. And equipment doesn’t require health benefits or vacation time.
Soon, artificial intelligence will be our chauffeurs, eliminating the need for humans behind the wheel. And while you’d never want to escape the thrill of driving a fast sports car yourself, for any number of cars, having microchips pilot you to your destination would only add to their appeal.
Consider the minivan. Driving rugrats to school, ballet and soccer practice is not fun. It’s a chore. So why not let the minivan handle it? This way, you can chat with your children or fellow passengers, or watch a movie with them. Having the minivan handle the drudgery of driving itself seems ideal, like a robotic vacuum keeping your floors clean.
So it’s almost appropriate that Waymo now has 600 Chrysler Pacifica minivans in its test fleet of self-driving vehicles. After all, given the choice, most of us would really rather drive a posh SUV or thrilling sports car than a minivan.
But this scenario has yet to unfold. Until then, customers will have to settle for smaller innovations, like the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. Of course, this no small matter.
Chrysler is the world’s first manufacturer of a hybrid minivan, and this model maintains its standing as a leader the segment. Like the standard minivan, the Pacifica Hybrid uses the corporate 3.6-litre V-6, albeit modified for hybrid duties, working in concert with two electric motors to deliver 260 horsepower to the front wheels through an electrically variable transmission developed by Chrysler. Electric power is supplied by a 16.0-kWh battery pack comprised of 96 lithium-ion cells housed in the underfloor bins where the secondrow seats normally stow. It recharges in two hours on a 240-volt circuit or in about 14 hours using a 120-volt outlet.
That supplies enough juice to run 53 kilometres solely on electric power, returning the equivalent of 84 mpg, according to the U.S. EPA. Once that point is reached, the Pacifica acts like a conventional hybrid, with the electric motor working in tandem with the gas engine to deliver 32 mpg, 10 mpg more than the standard Pacifica, enough to save about $800 annually in fuel costs, according to the EPA. The sounds great, but here’s the caveat. The Pacifica Hybrid starts at $46,631, a considerable premium from the conventional Pacifica’s $34,095 entry-level price. Considering the difference in fuel economy, it would take a little more than 16 years to break even.
Economics aside, there are some compromises that you’ll have to live with. For starters, the Hybrid is only offered as a seven-passenger vehicle, and the individual second row seats do not fold into the floor. Instead, you have to remove them for maximum storage capacity; however, cargo space is identical to that of the conventional Pacifica. And while the standard Pacifica can tow 1,630 kilograms, it’s not recommended with the Hybrid. Finally, the Hybrid weighs 300 kg more than the standard Pacifica, while having 27 less horsepower.
But the added weight doesn’t seem to affect performance. The driveline is smooth and responsive, with the Hybrid driveline acting as the obedient servant, always ready, never overtaxed. The steering is light and lacking in feel, but accurate. Body lean is moderate, and body motions are well controlled, furnishing a compliant, comfortable ride. The only complaint is brake-pedal travel lacks a smooth progressive feel, making smooth braking difficult.
Fuel economy came in at 28 mpg, a bit lower than the estimate thanks to a heavy throttle foot.
Driver assistance gear includes standard blindspot monitoring with rear cross path detection, and optional forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, parking assist, and a surround view camera. Although the U.S. government hasn’t yet crashtested the Pacifica Hybrid, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates it a Top Safety Pick Plus, its top ranking.
Front seats proved roomy, comfortable and could be heated and cooled. Second-row seats provided adequate legroom and slide fore and aft for cargo/people-carrying flexibility. However, seating was low, making them ideal for children, but less so for adults, although headroom was impressive. And, given the lack of children during the test drive, the cabin proved to be quiet.
While front seat occupants get an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, other passengers get an optional two high-definition 10-inch touchscreens where they can watch movies, play built-in games and connect personal devices to surf the internet.
In many ways, the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is a mobile great room, a thoroughly comfortable, quiet and now fuel-efficient ride that’s remarkably unremarkable. It’s the perfect salve for an overwhelmed parent. The only way it could be better was if it could drive itself.
Hello, Waymo?