Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Charging forward
For 2018, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid continues to go a long way
Having a plug-in version of Chrysler’s Pacifica minivan is a great idea.
While there’s plenty more value, just having to keep the garage clean enough to park the plug-in hybrid every night to charge is worth buying it.
But as a functioning family vehicle which spends most of its time within five or ten miles of home, the plug-in hybrid makes an awful lot of sense. If this minivan is plugged in each night, it easily could use no gasoline during the week. That’s a big incentive as fuel prices start to climb again.
This minivan is a wellthought-out vehicle. The space inside is used well. It looks good going down the road, and it has plenty of features to keep parents and their offspring happy on the road. This didn’t Happen by accident. The Chrysler engineering and design people have plenty of experience with what families who buy minivans want and don’t want.
The Chrysler Pacifica was reengineered from the ground up on an all-new platform for last year. It replaces the Town and Country, at least when it comes to the name. functionally it is a direct replacement for the Chrysler brand’s minivan.
It remains a very good vehicle, and now there’s a plug-in hybrid version, which I spend a week driving recently. It drives well, with the electric motors adding power as well as fuel efficiency. There is plenty of sound-deadening to keep the cabin quiet so it’s sometimes difficult to know if the engine is running or not.
The biggest difference in this new generation is how good its ride and handling are. Plus, engineers worked hard to reduce noise, vibration and harshness. Because of these concerns the Pacifica’s body structure is the lightest and stiffest in its class. That means it can be it more responsive with less body roll.
While most Pacifica minivans use the stalwart Pentastar V-6 gasoline engine to generate a decent 287 hp. and 262 lb.-ft. of peak torque, the plug-in hybrid performs equally as well, yet earns a rating of 84 mpg-e, in hybrid mode gets better than 30 mpg and has an electric-only range of 33 miles.
It uses a 16-kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, to power the electric motors. The system has two electric motors, which are both capable of driving the vehicle’s wheels. The electric motor’s power is added to the 260hp. generated by the 3.6-liter V-6. Then the Pacifica Hybrid uses a single-electrically variable transmission, which was designed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in the U.S.
With the precious cargo which is so often carried in the Pacifica there are plenty of safety and security technologies. Chrysler officials say the vehicle offers more than 100 standard and optional safety and security features.
For example, all 2018 Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid models feature standard SafetyTec Group, which includes ParkSense rear park assist with stop, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection
I personally like the 360-degree Surround View camera. I’m not as excited by the various parking assists, because as with almost all of them they make noise too often to be much more than distracting to people adept at parking, I am a big fan of the adaptive cruise control which functions all the way to a stop. There is also a Forward Collision Warning-Plus
Being for kids, the Chrysler Pacifica gets plenty of gadgetry.
The Uconnect Theater entertainment system uses two 10inch seatback touchscreens, a seven-inch full-color driver information display. Uconnect Access and capabilities and options such as a seven-inch or 8.4inch touchscreen, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and available 4G Wi-Fi.
The sound systems available on the Chrysler Pacifica are the standard setup with six speakers and active noise cancellation while the optional Premium audio systems are either a 13-speaker Alpine system or a 20-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound system. I haven’t heard the base system, but the other two are excellent.
The interior is modern and stylish – say thank you to the influence being port of an Italian company. Particularly the instrument panel makes a statement that has nothing to do with being a minivan. It is merely a good-looking design, which would be comfortable in any type of car.
You can get the optional Stow ‘n Vac integrated vacuum which can be a nice-to-have feature for those who make longer trips with little ones in the rear. More importantly, Pacifica still offers the best storage system made, the Stow ‘n Go seating and storage. This lets you drop the seats below the truly level floor for carrying both big things and lots of things with ease. Now if you want you can use your foot to control the side doors, as well as the liftgate.
There are three trim levels of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid lineup now matching the names of the gasoline-powered versions. They are the Pacifica Touring Plus starting at $39,995, then the Touring V-8 at $41,995, and Limited with an MSRP of $44,995