HOW IT DRIVES

Our drive route took us from the heart of L.A. in Culver City, through West Hollywood, along Santa Monica Boulevard, and onto the Pacific Coast Highway to the Malibu Pier.

Then it was up some canyon roads for an hour or so, then back to the PCH and into the city.

So, a good mix of city, highway and twisty driving. As advertised, we got about 48 km of all-electric driving to start the trip, which made for a whisper-quiet and supersmooth experience.

Plenty of power underfoot, and the handling in city traffic was quite impressive. It might look like a big vehicle but it certainly doesn’t drive like one. When the V-6 kicked in, the transition was smooth and almost unnoticeable. Some PHEVs change personality when the carbon fuels take charge, but the Pacifica’s electric transmission — designed and built by FCA specifically for the minivan — kept this very civilized. Even under hard acceleration, cabin noise was far from obtrusive, and wind noise at speed was hardly noticeable. Ergonomics for the driver and front passenger are also first rate, with easy-to-use controls and easy-to-understand gauges.

As with all PHEVs, there is a number of hybrid-related driving screens you can scroll through to see where the power is going and coming from. All things considered, an electrified minivan just makes sense. Driving.ca