A new turn for the U.S. minivan
Chrysler’s 2017 Pacifica is built on an entirely different platform. A plug-in hybrid electric version will also be available this year.
For the last several years, sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles have been the hottest-selling segments in the automotive world. But a lot of American families are still buying minivans. More than 500,000 of these multi-passenger people movers were sold last year — and about half of those were made by Fiat Chrysler.
The Detroit automaker has spent lots of time and money building and promoting its newest minivan offering: the 2017 Pacifica.
The vehicle got a huge launch when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year. And those Pacifica TV commercials featuring comedian Jim Gaffigan and his “Dad Brand” are everywhere.
There’s a lot to promote. The Pacifica is built on an entirely new platform, sharing only an engine, transmission and a few parts with other Fiat Chrysler automobiles.
Later this year, it will be introduced in a plug-in hybrid electric version, the first minivan to be sold in the U.S. in that format. Sometime further down the road, it will be the vehicle that Google Inc. uses for its burgeoning autonomous driving program.
Chrysler boasts of inventing the American minivan craze, decades ago, and continues to do well with it. Chrysler’s Town & Country and sibling Dodge Grand Caravan currently trail Toyota’s Sienna and Honda’s Odyssey, but Chrysler’s brand director, Bruce Velisek, said: “We dominated this market for 30 years. It’s a good business for us.”
The Pacifica is a forward-looking expression of backward-looking body style. Its seven passenger seats are all comfortable and highly adjustable. The front ones are heated and cooled. The second row is fitted with twin entertainment screens, wireless headphones and remote controls — a $2,000 option — and those seats are heated too.
The two side doors slide open with the push of a but-