Best-selling Chrysler Pacifica offers ‘cool’ features

For those with a large family, the trusty station wagon transported siblings in the way-back seat. Then, the minivan debuted in the 1980s and took over as a top-selling family vehicle. Today, SUVs have surpassed minivans in popularity among most vehicles. However, minivans continue to be great solutions for many.

The popular Dodge Caravan was the first minivan, launched in 1984. Later, the best-selling Town and Country minivan was replaced by the Chrysler Pacifica in 2017. Chrysler borrowed the Pacifica name from its 2004-2008 SUV crossover. 

So, why a minivan versus an SUV? Several reasons include ease of driving, which is similar to a car. A minivan holds more passengers and cargo and usually costs less. Minivans offer three passenger rows with seating up to eight. 

A 2024 Pacifica Touring L model I test drove rings in at $49,290 with other models less expensive. The Pacifica is the best-selling minivan for 2023 of the five minivans on the market.

Getting in this minivan is easy. You don’t need to grab the steering wheel to lug your body up on the seat. The model has great features like heated seats and Apple Car Play. The arm rests lift up. The center console has flexible storage. If cupholders are needed in the center, they slide out or back in for more foot room in the second row.

There’s a cupholder for everyone. The second-row seat on the right includes two cupholders in the side door. The middle passenger can even have his or her own beverage slot.

The handy part of this minivan is its signature feature called the Stow and Go seats. Both the second- and third-row seats fold down under the vehicle’s floor. It even comes with floor mats to put over the stowed seats, unlike SUVs or other vehicles in which you often fold back or remove the seat completely to allow for storage.

The stowed seats now provide extra room, which extends from the middle to the back. It can easily fit bulky, long items, such as skis or bicycles. You might lose a few seats, but you still have room for a couple passengers and their gear.

Doors on some other vehicles may be difficult to shut, or parents worry that, when the kids climb out, they will ding the cars next to them. With the Pacifica, there’s one easy-push button on the inside, which slides the door open and closed.

Kid-friendly pull-down shades are stowed in the door window. Quarter-sized lights above each passenger spot can be turned on without putting on a big dome light.

I always want to test the safety features, but I rarely do. I recently discovered that this is not by choice. Why? Because I’m such a good driver (it’s true!), and those features never kick in. 

For this test drive, I allowed my steering wheel to coast past the center lane line. Once that happened, the icon started flashing yellow, and the steering wheel gently, but firmly, brought it back to the center. So that’s how it works! I did it again a few more times, hoping nobody behind me witnessed my weaving in and out of traffic.

Although minivans may not be as “cool” as SUVs, they are still relevant, solid choices for families of all ages, holding passengers and all their stuff. ♦