Kenton Smith with the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica.Brendan Miller/Postmedia Kenton Smiths first family hauler was a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The Calgarian says he left the minivan world behind years ago but recognizes the market has evolved.We owned that vehicle a long time ago, and I tried to keep that from my mind as I drove the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, essentially a reimagined minivan Smith explains.Consumers initially saw the Pacifica name on a midsize CUV that Chrysler 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 in 2016. Then, the Pacifica rolled out on an all-new platform with dynamically styled (for a minivan) sheet metal. Updates for 2019 are minimal, apart from some new paint colours and appearance packages. A 3.6-litre V6 engine that produces 287 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque is paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, and in Canada the Pacifica is available in seven trim levels, from base L to Limited. The minivan is also available as a plug-in hybrid.It looked smaller than I expected it would, Smith says of his first impression of the Pacifica Limited he drove that was finished in a $245 extra-cost Billet Metallic paint. His Limited with the Sport appearance package rang in at $64,260.He says, Theres something about the Pacificas proportions that make it look more compact to me, likely because its not as tall. The Sport package included larger 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in black. That blacked-out theme carried over to many of the exterior accents and badging, while the entire interior was black with Light Diesel Grey highlights and an S logo in select areas.I had no issue getting into the minivan, Smith says. The doors werent gigantic, but there was lots of space for my legs and it only took a moment to get settled in. I found the controls were close at hand, but there was a knob you turned to select the gear rather than a lever I found that odd at first.With a lever, the movement is guided and you dont often have to check if youre in Drive or Reverse. With the knob, I always double-checked because every notch or click in the rotation felt the same.Smith was impressed with the overall fit and finish, and says it leaned towards luxury vehicle quality. The Nappa leather seating surfaces on the heated and cooled front seats was grippy and the four-way power adjustable lumbar provided plenty of support.Instrumentation was clear and featured two large dials on the left and the right of the gauge cluster with a screen between the two that was configurable to display various vehicle information Smith mostly left it set to show vital trip statistics, including fuel economy.When I talk about it looking compact, Smith says, and continues, I felt that it drove big. It didnt have a very tight turning radius, and that always makes a vehicle feel bigger to me.Acceleration from a stop was great, it would get up and go but the transmission didnt feel well-suited to the engine. Merging or getting up to speed to pass, you really had to stomp down to get it to downshift.It has what it needs, but I just felt the gearing could have been better.Power aside, Smith says overall handling was great. The suspension was well-tuned, and he felt confident pushing the Pacifica through corners when taking on and off ramps. And, he always felt well-connected to the vehicle as it responded to his steering inputs.While spending the majority of his week-long test commuting in the city, Smith did travel north on the QEII Highway to Red Deer.It was comfortable on the highway and it handles well, Smith says. It was very windy with a significant cross breeze, and it felt impacted by that wind. Its been a couple of years since Ive had a minivan so I may just be forgetting what its like.It was a little noisier than I would have expected, and that was mostly road noise rather than wind noise, a bit surprising given the significant wind. There was rain on this trip, and the rain-sensing wipers worked well when rain was intermittent.The two sliding rear passenger doors and the liftgate are power-operated and were foot-activated. Smith says this feature worked well and was especially nice to have when approaching the Pacifica with hands full of packages.Theres lots of space behind the power-folding third row seats for storage, Smith says. I never did put the Stow-n-Go second row seats into the floor, but theyll fold flat and leave a level cargo area. You cant beat a minivan for that carrying capacity. Ultimately, while Smith liked the Pacifica, he had trouble wrapping his head around the price.In my opinion, I think youre getting up into the dollar figure of a luxury SUV, and there are lots of options when youre going to spend that much on a vehicle, he says, and concludes, But dont get me wrong, it was a great utility vehicle with a compromise between sport and luxury and you
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Limited S