Review: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is taking over the Dodge Caravan’s long history as Canada’s leading minivan. That’s a lot to live up to and overall, the Pacifica has a lot to offer if you’re looking for a long-term vehicle that’ll go with your family through different growth stages.

Exterior Design

The Chrysler Pacifica’s exterior design wasn’t really exciting for me. The lines and overall design is relatively ‘safe’ without any aggressive or edgy style.

The front design has Chrysler’s signature grille with its logo, and I liked the styled front headlamps.

The front camera is located below the license plate, and it’s not really concealed too well. My honest opinion is that it breaks up the front design too much, and I’m concerned with road debris contacting it.

Our road test came with 20” polished aluminum wheels, a $795 CAD upgrade.

Interior Design

At first glance, the interior dashboard looks busy and it takes a bit of time to get used to where all the buttons and switches are.

There were a lot of technology and options packed into our road test model, including a DVD and Blu-Ray player.

I liked the 360-degree camera on the display, well of course for the purpose of the picture above I wasn’t actually trying to park the minivan - don’t judge!

The instrument cluster itself was simple enough so that you can quickly discern important information about the mechanical aspects of the vehicle while driving. Our road test model also came with parallel/perpendicular Park Assist – handsfree parking help using different sensors in the vehicle.

On top of the usual gauges in other vehicles, the Pacifica can also display helpful data like battery voltage and transmission temperature.

The Pacifica is definitely a connected minivan with multiple charging ports for all types of devices. It’s very unlikely that you’ll have a shortage of places to plug in!

There’s lots of space in the passenger cabin and the multiple sunroofs allows more natural light in and gives the Pacifica a feeling of having even more room.

The Pacifica’s side door and liftgate buttons are centrally located in the ceiling so it can be accessed by anyone in the vehicle (unlike some other manufacturers who place these buttons on the left side of the driver).

There are a few family-friendly features in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, one of them being the conversation mirror that’s just above the rearview mirror. Now you can not only make (brief) eye contact while talking to your passengers, you can see what’s happening in the minivan at a glance without turning your head.

Sunshades for the second-row passengers is quite common in this vehicle class, but the Pacifica also has them for third-row passengers. Built-in sunshades are great in comparison with the suction-cup aftermarket styles as they don’t become a flying object if the minivan is in a collision.

Our road test model came with seatback video screens for the second-row seats, and there are different apps and games that you could choose too.

A thoughtful touch with the liftgate switch placed inside the vehicle – easy to reach for those of us not tall enough to press the button when it’s located on the underside of the liftgate itself!

Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica’s engine bay is quite compact, but most basic maintenance items are within easy access for owners. The Pacifica takes 0W-20 engine oil, which means that it requires synthetic engine oil (compared to regular oil in the Dodge Caravan).

The coolant reservoir is up top and the min/max levels are relatively easy to see – it also helps that the coolant is bright pink so you can see it in the container!

While the battery is located underneath some ductwork, you can put jumper cables to the terminal(s) and there is an engine ground located close by.

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica comes with either a tire inflator kit or a compact spare tire located in the rear side panel. This is a WELCOMED change from the Dodge Caravan, where the spare tire was located in the middle of the van.

Child Car Seat

In terms of installing a rear-facing child car seat, there is more than enough room in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica’s second row seat so that you probably won’t need to move the front passenger seat too far forward to accommodate the car seat’s recline angle.

The Pacifica’s seats are quite flat and firm, which will make it easier to install a rear-facing child car seat. You may not need to use a pool noodle to get the correct recline. The UAS anchors are right at the edge of the seat cushion and easily accessible.

In terms of installing a forward-facing child car seat, the second-row seat’s headrest leans forward slightly so you might want to remove it in order to keep the child car seat flush with the vehicle seatback.

For the third-row seat, the outboard headrest leans forward a lot and isn’t removable. According to the owner’s manual, you’ll need to install the forward-facing child car seat with the headrest folded down.

The tether anchors are located directly behind the seats.

A word of caution though with respect to installing child car seats in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica – read the owner’s manual! For example, the third-row seats allow only two child car seats to use the UAS, and the left outboard position does not have UAS anchors available for it. If child car seat in the centre position blocks the left outboard position’s seat belt, you can’t install a child car seat in the left outboard position either. Read carefully.

Storage / Seating

Storage is plentiful in the Chrysler Pacifica with pull out drawers throughout the minivan. Even a spot for your umbrella is provided – nice touch!

With the third-row seats in use, there’s still a lot of trunk space as it’s sunken into the floor. You’ll have to keep in mind though that the third-row seats fold into that space.

Perhaps one of my favourite features is the Stow ‘n Assist – I’ve used the manual Stow ‘n Go before so this was a treat.

It is incredibly easy to convert the Pacifica’s space to accommodate what you need. Seating? Cargo? Both? Lots of options here.

You can do this with the touch of a button – whether it be from the front on the 8.4” touchscreen, or from the switches located in the rear.

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has carried on the Dodge Caravan’s legacy of being that ‘people mover’ into the next generation. I’m a big fan of the Stow ‘n Assist seats and the versatility of the cargo space in this minivan is a big bonus. Starting price for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is $36,495 CAD.

Model tested:

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited

3.6L V6 engine

9-speed automatic transmission

Front-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: up to 8 people

Road Test Terrain: 60% city, 40% highway

Tested MSRP: $62,340 CAD