Last week at the North American International Auto Show, Chrysler pulled the wraps off of the Town & Country replacement. Now named after a defunct crossover, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid join the minivan segment boasting almost 40 new minivan-firsts. Pacifica Hybrid is a bit of a misnomer, it is actually a plug-in hybrid delivering approximately 30 miles electric only range on a full charge, and offering up to 80 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in city driving. It will be the first hybrid minivan sold in the United States when it goes on sale later this year.
"After creating the minivan segment more than 30 years ago, FCA US now boasts an unmatched 115 minivan innovations."
Designed from the ground up on an all-new platform with special emphasis on ride, handling, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), their goal was to make the quietest minivan on the market. With styling lifted from the Chrysler 200, the 2017 Pacifica sports flowing lines vaguely reminiscent of the Renault Espace to my eye. The redesigned people carrier now offers more than 100 standard and available safety and security features, including 360-degree Surround View camera, ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Hold and Forward Collision Warning-Plus. Whew. Particular attention was paid to the interior, starting off with an available all-new Uconnect Theater rear seat entertainment, with built-in "Are we there yet?" game, an 8.4-inch touchscreen display and premium audio systems. It also sports an astounding array of comfort and convenience technologies, including Stow ‘n Vac integrated vacuum, tri-pane panoramic sunroof, handsfree sliding doors and liftgate and redesigned Stow ‘n Go seating with Stow ‘n Go Assist and Easy Tilt access to the third row. The Hybrid model forgoes the stowing middle row to make room for the 16kw batteries.
