Chrysler Pacifica Review (Personal)

Hi all:

This post is a little long and represents my PERSONAL opnions on the Chrysler Pacifica. I know many of you will disagree, and that is fine. I hope that this information can benifit someone who is contemplating a purcase.

I know when I was researching the purchase of a new Pacifica, I got a lot of feedback...mostly negative. I did purchase one and thought I would let you know what my expereince has been...

We got our Pacifica a couple of weeks ago and so far have really enjoyed it. There are several things I dislike, but overal I do like the car. here are my likes, dislikes and indiffernt opinions:

Pros Large interior

Third row of seats (we had a Durango and liked the flexibility of having the third row when needed and tucked away when it was not.

Good handling, but remember, I was a Durango owner prior to this :-)

Nice control layout - steering wheel audio controls (also on the Durango), automatic climate control, etc...

Stability, it is wide, and it takes a little getting used to, but it is a very stable feeling car

Second row seat vent controls are easy for kids to get at (the Durangos were on the ceiling and we always used the override on the dash and never used those controls).

Visual appearance. I really like the overall look of the car

Power Liftgate. I know it is available on other autos, but it really is something I don't know what I did without...a really nice option.

Audio - pretty nice stereo without the Infinity upgrade, which I had in the Durango...this was something I thought about adding to our list of "wants", but passed on because of the $800 price. I'm happy with the base system

Lots of "little standard features" that do drive up the base price, but add to the appeal of the car...things like the 2 position memory seating, key fob tied to personal preferences, reclining second row seats (nice for trips), auto-diming mirrors, etc...

Cons Huge Blind Spot...I almost got whacked bringing it home...takes a little getting used to. Backing up is kind of like walking across a freeway blindfolded, your not really sure what is right behind you.

The second row of seats needs to be all the way forward in order to lay the third row down, reducing the legroom for the second seat passengers.

Side mirors are tiny...this doesnt help with the blindspot

Cup holders are between the shifter and console, this is minor, but when you have cups in them, I tend to have to put my arm in a differnt position (i.e. not holding on to the shifter lever, which makes the autostick pretty useless...though I think I could say that in general about the autostick).

I haven't been overly impressed with the mileage, but I am still in that break in period I guess. I got it with a full tank and filled it once since then. I only averaged 15.5 mpg (I have an AWD...should be

17/22 or 23) and that first tank was 80% highway. My second tank isn't looking too much better, but is mostly in town. I'll wait till I have a few 1000 miles and if it doesn't improve, I'll be concerned.

This is minor, but why can the hood have self sustaining shocks so you don't have to use a hold up bar when you open the hood? I mean if your going to put all of these other options in a car, would gas shocks under the hood be that big of a deal? That really surprised me for some reason.

2 step process to fold and flip second row of seats. Come one, I have had cars for years that accomplished this with one lever, why can't DC do that with a $34K car? The access to the third row is also tight, esspecially if the front pas. seat is back, preventing the second row from flipping completly forward.

indifferent things...

Motor...I read lots of bad reviews from people on the lack of power, but I feel that it is adequate. I certainly don't have the low end torque I had with the Durango, and am not real happy that my new Pacifica actually weighs MORE then my Durango did, but it does do a good job moving the car around. I'm always a big fan of more power, but this was a concession I agreed to when I bought this car and so maybe my expectations were low, so I am mildly surprised :-)

Autostick. Maybe I will get used to it. I am a big fan of manuals, and seriously thought of going the conventional auto route so I could get one. The Autostick is just a bad attempt at making something out of nothing. Maybe I will feel differnt when I have to take off on snow and ice, but hey, thats why I got an AWD.

2x2x2 seating. I know it is ineffiecient and those few times when we need to act like circus clowns and load the car up, it would be nice to have a third seating position in the second row, but in general it is nice for our two young children. They like the bucket seats and the console in the middle is a good place to hide all of their stuff. The climate controls are located closer to them, so they can actually use them as well. In addition, my oldest daughter likes to sit in the third row and with the middle seat missing in the second row, it is easier to see her and what she is doing as well as pass things between.

I apologize for the long post, but wanted to put my opinions out because this is the type of info I was looking for when I purchased it. Would I purchase one again? I don't know...only owned it a couple weeks. So far I have a few minor issues that need to be addressed (burned out fog lamp, loose fan shroud under the engine, etc...) but overall I am happy and impressed.

Thanks,

Chris

Reply to
Chris Meyer
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Thank you for the post.

The sideview mirrors look like they are tacked on. Check out the triangle of plastic trim that connect them to the body.

Reply to
Art Begun

Thanks for taking the time to post. Interesting from an average consumer perspective. I do not have a Pacifica, but do have two comments on the hood prop and the autostick.

On the prop open hood, I have had both the prop and gas strut assisted lifts and actually prefer the prop since they don't wear out and cost anything to replace 5 years down the road.

On the autostick, I have this feature on a 3.5L 1996 Eagle Vision and only use it in heavy snow and ice. It is wonderful to use to start out in 3rd gear from a dead stop in really bad conditions. This prevents the wheels from spinning and the auto traction control from destroying my brakes. With an engine that puts out a lot of torque or that has a heavy "tip in" accelerator, it is hard to keep the wheels from spinning in first gear so the autostick is a handy feature at least where I live.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

I prefer good old hood springs that I don't have to screw with every time I check the oil *OR* replace 40 years down the road (the ones on my

49 Coupe still work after 54 years....)

I can't believe the two pounds of weight-savings is all that important.

Reply to
Steve

Yes. I prefer the prop. I have (broken) gas struts in my Intrepid. I keep a prop in my trunk.

Reply to
hmmm...

Haha, good points on the gas struts wearing out. I guess I hadn't thought of that; just seemed that with everything that is standard (power seats, memory settings, third seat, etc...) that this seemed kind of like a no brainer....and I really like the idea of the big springs, I have them on my

92 Yukon and it still hold strong; and 2 more lbs on a 4000+ lb car doesn't seem to bad :-)

And good point on the autostick too. I have a friend with an Audi that has one and he says it is useful in bad weather even with his quattro. I really like the Pacifica and hope my expereince is a good one, so far, so good.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Meyer

Thanks for the review. I ordered one and am WAITING.

Reply to
Richard Benner Jr

How dare you call Chris Meyer "average"...

;-) DAS

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Reply to
Dori Schmetterling

hehehehe :-)

Chris

Reply to
Chris Meyer

We bought ours (AWD) on August 29. We love it.

Reply to
RPhillips47

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