Reader Review: 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle AWD

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Minivans, Ryan Heagy believes, have numerous attributes over SUVs. “They have more convenient rear passenger doors that slide open instead of swinging out, they don’t use as much fuel, they handle a lot of people, and, minivans handle more like a car,” explains the Calgary dad of four kids who range from six to 14.

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Given his minivan appreciation, Heagy recently tested Chrysler’s refreshed for 2021 Pacifica Pinnacle AWD. Chrysler pioneered the minivan market close to four decades ago and continues to offer two different versions of the venerable haulers: the Grand Caravan and the higher end Pacifica.

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The Pacifica name was first used on a midsize CUV built from 2004 to 2008. The name was dormant until Chrysler retired its Town and Country minivan, replacing it with the re-designed from the ground up and re-branded Pacifica for the 2017 model year. At the time, the Pacifica rolled out on an all-new platform with more dynamically styled sheet metal. For 2021, the Pacifica gains a new front fascia and grille flanked by reimagined LED headlights. The back end of the minivan has also been restyled and treated to a new taillight that spans the width of the liftgate. Under the hood lives a 3.6-litre V6 engine offering 287 horsepower and 262 lbs.-ft of torque. It is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and on all trims, from base Touring to top-of-the-line Pinnacle, all-wheel drive is a $3,000 option. Heagy’s Pinnacle AWD was finished in Velvet Red Pearl paint, a $100 option that, together with the trailer tow package at $895, pushed the final price as tested to a few dollars less than $69,000 before taxes.

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“I wasn’t too impressed with the exterior styling,” Heagy says of his first impression. “You can’t help but feel they took the body design from the late ‘90s or early 2000s and just updated it. The narrowed headlights and rounded front seem to harken back to the good old days, but the rear of the van has more assertive body lines.”

He appreciated the lower stance and large 20-inch alloy wheels, and says those features helped give the vehicle some extra appeal. Heagy was more impressed when he opened the driver’s door to reveal the two-tone black and caramel leather trimmed interior.

“It was evident Chrysler spent a lot of time thinking about and designing this interior,” he explains, and adds, “It was simply beautiful, and this is not the van you grew up with. Leather, wood accents and crisp screens and lines hint at a machine that is worth a look.”

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Once in the 12-way power adjustable driver’s seat, which was easy to set up to his liking, Heagy says one drawback was the location of the seat belt buckle receptor. It was about one inch too low, and he struggled to get his hand in the space provided to buckle up. “I got used to it, but I didn’t like it,” he explains. Otherwise, he found accessing all other controls an easy proposition.

“I didn’t have to open a manual and everything was where I’d expect it to be,” he says. “Some controls were available on the touchscreen, but it was easy to work through, you weren’t digging through menus to find what you needed. The view of the instrument cluster was an eight out of 10. The steering wheel kind of covered up the right hand side of the speedometer above 140 km/h, and not that you’ll be traveling that fast, but you can’t see the whole gauge.”

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Fit and finish was first-rate, Heagy thought, and he was surprised by the overall quality of materials and construction throughout. He was a bit concerned about the location of the rotary gear selector knob, though.

“It was right next to the volume knob,” he says. “I never had any mishaps, but I could see it happening. Once, my wife went to adjust the volume on the radio and had her hand on the selector knob. And while a lot of people might use the steering wheel mounted controls to change the volume, my muscle memory goes to the knob on the dash.”

On the road, Heagy found the V6 engine provided the Pacifica with just the right amount of power. It was responsive, and the nine-speed transmission shifted gears seamlessly and quietly. But, he says, “With the auto stop/start, it sometimes felt that could have been just a bit faster.”

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Handling was flawless, he says. The Pacifica went exactly where he wanted it to go, and he never detected any amount of understeer. There was no body roll, and he did try and push it a couple of times to see how it would respond.

“I was impressed,” he says. “I mean, you’re not doing a slalom course, but it was very stable. It had a little stiffer ride, but that helped contribute to the sportier feel.

“Fully loaded with seven passengers (Heagy’s brother-in-law lives with the family) you felt like you had to plan your braking a bit, but it wasn’t bad. In terms of road noise, there wasn’t any apart from the kid’s squabbling about who gets to sit where.”

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Loading the van took no time at all thanks to the dual power sliding rear passenger doors, and Heagy was impressed with the third row Stow ‘n Go fold in floor seats.

“What couldn’t you haul in this?” Heagy asked. “I didn’t do it, but I’m sure it would carry the proverbial four-foot by eight-foot sheet of plywood; or lots of suitcases. There were plenty of extra storage spots and loads of console storage space, plus there were USB ports all over the place.”

Final words on the Pacifica Pinnacle, then. Heagy says, “It would work well for any family, and it would make an excellent long distance cruiser. The styling did grow on me, and I really didn’t want to give this one back.”

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DRIVER’S JOURNAL

Day 1

The metallic paint job, chrome accents and oversized wheels help with the appeal of the van, but I felt the exterior was a bit of a yawn. The interior is a completely different story. It’s beautiful inside.

Day 2

Night driving: the gauge cluster was lit perfectly and was actually easier to read than during the day. The head unit also had a night mode that made it easier to read and much less distracting than I thought. One feature that I noticed was that when you turn a corner an auxiliary light turns on illuminating the curb or whatever else is on the inside radius of your turn. It was a welcome surprise.

Day 3

Getting more and more used to driving the van. The feel of the suspension is stiffer than you would expect in a minivan. It is not sports car stiff, but the van does handle quite well and more like a car. Also drove through a construction zone that was quite rough and included a detour through a ditch and the van handled it all with ease. The bumps were dampened by the suspension although the ride was a slight bit rougher than what I expected, a trade-off for better handling.

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Day 4

While driving around I noticed a button on the console that seemed to be a button that self-parks the van. I pressed the button while driving alongside a line of parallel parked vehicles and it sensed an opening. It told me to drive forward a bit more, stop and put the van in reverse and let go of the steering wheel. I did as it told me and to my surprise the van steered and parked itself while I feathered the brake. It then asked me to put it in drive and it tucked in nicely behind the vehicle ahead of me. Not too bad for a computer. I tried this in a couple other spots and my only qualm is that sometimes it parks a little too far away from the curb.

Day 5

I explored the screen a bit more to figure out a few things that the van could do. Overall, the screen was very intuitive and finding control locations for the heated/cooled seats, climate control, navigation and entertainment were all very easy to figure out.

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Despite my first impression of the styling this van has really grown on me.

Day 6

Loaded up the family for a drive. The kids enjoyed the screens in the backs of the front seats. Gone are the days of screens that only play a DVD or Blu-ray. These touchscreens come preloaded with interactive games. There is also an “Are we there yet” app that you can enter your destination and keep the small passengers from asking the age-old question as it keeps them informed with notifications. After the first drive the kids all wanted to sit in the middle seats to be able to use the screens.

Day 7

Took the van to a home improvement store. I brought my purchases to the back of the van and expected to have to flip the seats into the cargo mode manually. I was wrong. All I had to do was push a button and the headrests flipped down and the seats folded neatly into the cargo space. It was really great; I would be nervous about how these motors would perform in the dead of winter but on this warm August day they worked perfectly. Fueled up the van (40L for the week, averaging 11.4L/100km) and washed it. Despite my first impression of the styling this van has really grown on me.