Chryslers Pacifica, the large “Minivan” on which the brand is currently floating, is receiving a major facelift in the US. It does not stop at a new nose, because the space giant also gets an AWD system immediately.
This four-wheel drive is a big deal in the US. Where today we have to settle for five months of fall, large parts of North America are still covered annually by a thick layer of snow. The high demand for fully-powered vehicles has previously forced Toyota to develop a four-wheel-driven Prius and is now also pulling Chrysler over. This makes the Pacifica an even more interesting alternative to the SUVs that have taken up a significant part of its clientele in recent years. That Chrysler found room for the AWD system deserves praise, because the integrally driven Pacifica also has the “Stow” n Go system that makes it possible to make the seats disappear into the bottom of the car.
The Pacifica from model year 2021 is immediately recognizable from the front. The nose was completely overhauled, whereby the initially smoothly flowing grille and headlights were rigorously separated from each other. At the rear the place is just fused together, with the continuous rear light bar an addition to the latest trends in this area.
Simultaneously with the facelift, Chrysler presents a new top version, which is hardly called “Pinnacle”. This variant immerses its passengers in luxury. This version will have a special center box between the front seats and an interior that is almost completely covered with nappa leather. As far as we are concerned, an extra dose of praise goes to the “lumbar comfort pillows”, leather-cushed pillows that lift the interior to an even higher level.
All variants of the Pacifica, including the more humble versions, can boast of a completely new infotainment system. The car will be FCA’s first North American model with the Uconnect 5 system, which will have a screen with a diameter of 10.1 inches. Amazon’s Alexa Assistant is also integrated into the system, so that users can start, open or close the car from home through voice commands.
The Pacifica also remains available in its new form with two powertrains, both of which use a gasoline V6. In addition to a regular variant, there is still the (plug-in) Hybrid version, which must be able to cover some 50 km electrically.
The current Chrysler Pacifica should not be confused with the crossover of the same name, which was presented at the beginning of this century and succeeded Town & Country in 2016. In fact, it is the successor to the car that was initially used here as Chrysler Voyager and later as Lancia Voyager. There is now also a Chrysler Voyager in the US, a cheaper variant of the Pacifica. Whether and when that car gets a new nose is not clear.