On the last three Fridays of every month, Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars. This week, we look at family-toting minivans. The hot deals are on the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Touring, Dodge Grand Caravan GT and Honda Odyssey EX. 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Touring Chrysler Pacifica Handout / Chrysler Unhaggle discount:$7,500 Sticker Price: $35,530 (not including taxes and fees) Introduced in 2017, the Chrysler Pacifica carries over this year. The cabin is ringed with nice materials and arrives with Chrysler’s Uconnect 4 infotainment system with a seven-inch touchscreen and six speakers. It remains one of the easiest systems to live with — pairing a phone is the model of simplicity. It also works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Unfortunately, the Touring requires the Cold Weather group to get some of the basics like heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Access to the rear environment is through dual power sliding doors and a power liftgate. The second-row Stow ’n Go seats fold into the floor in a simple operation that does not require muscle. When the seats are upright the in-floor bins provide addition storage. The third row, which also folds neatly into the floor, is tight and best left for kids. The cargo space rates 915-litres with all seats up, 2,478L with the third row folded and 3,979L with the both rows stowed. It requires the SafetyTec group ($995) to get blind spot monitoring and rear parking sensors. Other safety features are not offered on the Touring. The Pacifica is powered by a 3.6L Pentastar V6 that fires 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission and the front wheels. The engine is refined, although the same cannot always be said of the transmission — reports of jerky shifting persist. The combination brings a run to 100 kilometres an hour in 7.7 seconds, a posted average fuel economy of 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres and a towing capacity of 1,633-kilograms. On the road the Pacifica is comfortable and quiet thanks to the active noise cancelling. The featured model gets a slightly firmer touring suspension, which is a good thing as there’s less body roll without making the ride feel harsh. The steering is light a low speed, but a little numb on-centre at highway speeds. The Chrysler Pacifica Touring arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $7,500 and a pre-tax sticker of $35,530. 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan GT Dodge Grand Caravan Handout / Dodge Unhaggle discount:$11,250 Sticker Price: $37,280 (not including taxes and fees) The Dodge Caravan can legitimately lay claim to having invented the minivan segment in 1984. Since its introduction the Caravan has grown into the Grand Caravan. The hitch is it has not seen a major rework in a decade and there’s little change for 2019. The cabin is workman-like in its finish and execution — the difference between the GC GT and the Pacifica Touring highlights the difference between then and now. For example, the 430N infotainment system with Garmin navigation and a 6.5-inch touchscreen is beginning to show its age — it does not support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The Grand Caravan’s key strength is interior flexibility — there are 81 seating/cargo configurations. There is plenty of room in the middle row seating and enough to support a pair of adults in the third row as long as they don’t mind being a little friendly. The Stow ’n Go seating is easy to deploy and the bins provide 340L of additional storage space when the seats are up. The cargo capacity rates 881L with the third row up, 2,234L with it folded and 3,973L with the middle row stowed. Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors are part of the $975 Safety Sphere group. Other safety features like forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking are conspicuous by their absence. The Grand Caravan is powered by the same 3.6L Pentastar V6 as the Pacifica. In this instance it makes 283 hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. It drives the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is unflustered and the transmission shifts smoothly and quickly when a downshift is demanded. The combination delivers a run to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds, a posted average fuel economy of 11.8 L/100 km and a 1,633-kg tow capacity. The GT earns a performance suspension. It imparts some welcome agility to the driving characteristics. There is less body roll, the steering feels sharper and the P225/65R17 tires deliver solid grip. Nobody will mistake the Grand Caravan for a Challenger or Charger, but if handling is as important as highway cruising it works. The Dodge Grand Caravan GT has a sticker of $37,280 after the generous combined Unhaggle discount of $11,250 is applied. 2019 Honda Odyssey EX 2018 Honda Odyssey Handout / Honda Unhaggle
Origin: Three family-toting minivans with some generous discounts