The Story
The venerable minivan keeps on keeping on with a mild facelift for 2027.
As a reminder of the vehicle that started it all, Chrysler invited us to load up our family for a summer road trip in the latest example in the minivan lineage, the updated 2027 Pacifica. There hasn’t been much new since its last facelift for the 2021 model year, which followed the launch of the van for 2017.
For 2027, the Pacifica gets another mild overhaul, with the most noticeable element a new Chrysler badge and front-end lighting. In place of the winged emblem is a logo that looks more like a couple of lines from a designer’s sketch, the same marking that’s appeared on recent Chrysler concept cars. In front, this new branding is illuminated and comes with new headlights that have substantially improved reach and a wider beam pattern. That is, unless you opt for the new base LX trim, which starts at $43,490, keeps the old nose, and replaces the previous Chrysler Voyager model. The 2027 Pacifica also gets new wheel designs and a couple of new features, including a camera feed of the blind-spot area. Activated with the turn signal, the feature is part of the $395 Safety Sphere package on Limited models such as our test van. (The package costs more on the lower Select trim.) Our van didn’t have the dual-screen rear-seat entertainment option, which is now available only on the top Pinnacle trim.
We loaded my family of five into a bright-red Limited model, second only to the Pinnacle, and rendezvoused in Stowe, Vermont. Our vehicle had the $2995 all-wheel-drive option—a feature added for 2021, and something that’s still not ubiquitous among minivans—and just about every other option too, bringing the price to $56,365. The Pinnacle gets a new blue-leather interior, but the Limited soldiers on with the same all-black carryover interior that consists of just-okay materials and no two-tone option to dress things up.
The Stow ’n Go second-row seats that fold into the floor are still a standout feature found only on the Pacifica. If you regularly haul large items, they’re a must-have, and when the seats are up, those large underfloor bins are great additional stash space. However, there are a couple of trade-offs: The second-row buckets have firmer cushions, a lower seating height, and less lateral support than in other minivans. And there’s no fore-and-aft adjustability either. But my teenage daughters had no beef with seat comfort.
The Pacifica’s infotainment and climate controls are sometimes laggy, especially right after start-up, but standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are fantastic tools for all your navigating needs. We used Google Maps and Waze to make our way to the Maine coast for a lobster roll at Barnacle Billy’s in Ogunquit before pointing the Pacifica back west toward C/D headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where we ran it through the usual test regimen.
Accelerating to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds puts the Pacifica at the back of today’s minivan pack. If that’s important, know that in our experience the front-drive variants have been nearly a second quicker to 60 mph, which is closer to the class average, and a difference that isn’t explained completely by the all-wheel-drive system’s 350-pound weight penalty. When driving more gently, you often have to give the Pacifica’s throttle a boot to trigger sufficient downshifts to wake up the gruff 287-hp 3.6-liter V-6, which is not unusual in the efficiency-optimized times we live in. Speaking of the Pentastar V-6, it’s the only powertrain now that Chrysler retired the plug-in hybrid variant.
During 1200-plus miles of family hauling with many fill-ups, we couldn’t help but notice the fuel gauge is a bit shifty. It doesn’t budge for the first 100 miles or so, but the second hundred burns an indicated half tank. Overall, we averaged 22 mpg, which is at least a few-mpg penalty relative to the front-drive model. Back when we spent 40,000 miles with a front-drive 2017 Pacifica, we often got nearly 30 mpg on road trips. Although, on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, this all-wheel-drive Pacifica managed 27 mpg, beating its EPA highway figure by 2 mpg. Still, we’d recommend skipping the all-wheel drive and switching to winter tires during snowy months if you live in an area where you need them.
Overall, though, even 10 years into this generation, the Pacifica still has the family-hauling goods, plus a few tricks not found anywhere else. The steering and brakes are nicely linear, and the ride quality is excellent, even on these largest-available 20-inch wheels and tires. The big question, one that Chrysler and Dodge CEO Matt McAlear wouldn’t give us a clear answer to, is when to expect an all-new Pacifica. But it can’t be too far off.
2027 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door van. PRICE Base/As Tested: $52,985/$56,365 Options: Family Tech Group (19-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo, built-in vacuum, interior camera, second- and third-row window shades, 120-volt outlet), $1495; 20-inch wheels and tires, $995; Red Hot paint, $495; Safety Sphere (surround-view camera, blind-spot view, front and rear parking assist with automatic braking), $395.
Why It Matters
When driving more gently, you often have to give the Pacifica’s throttle a boot to trigger sufficient downshifts to wake up the gruff 287-hp 3.6-liter V-6, which is not unusual in the efficiency-optimized times we live in.
CarMotion Daily’s Take
If the execution delivers, this is the kind of EV move competitors will have to answer.
📝 Source & Copyright Notice
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