2027 Chrysler Pacifica First Test: After a 1,700-Mile Road Trip, It’s Still Hard to Beat

This 2027 Chrysler Pacifica minivan is the oldest brand-new mainstream family vehicle we’ve reviewed since, well, when was our last Ford Crown Victoria review? The freaky thing is that Chrysler’s iconic minivan is still running at the front of its sales pack and presently ranks second in our Ultimate Minivan Rankings. And this isn’t a farewell review—2027 brings a refresh intended to tide families over until its next architectural upgrade, happening as part of Chrysler’s Fastlane2030 initiative. And because this is a minivan, a straight-up review of its revisions and performance stats is far less useful than a bona fide family road trip. So, a road trip it is.

Sadly, all the traditional parents-n-kids with families on staff were busy. So instead, your humble author, who doubles as the staff’s minivan idiot-savant, stepped into the breach. (In my previous engineering life, I helped design this van’s great-grandfather, the 1996 NS minivan.) For the road trip, I rounded up my spouse and mother-in-law, and we embarked on a 1,700-mile jaunt from Stowe, Vermont, back to Detroit—the long way.

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What’s Actually New?

A full-blown front-end face-lift clearly distinguishes the 2027 Pacifica from the million-plus prior Pacificas currently plying America’s school pickup and carpool lanes. The new fascia includes vertical LED headlamps that improve high-beam illumination by 25 percent and incorporate illuminated piano-key details bracketing the grille. There’s also a new, more geometric Chrysler wing badge that lights up. That badge also adorns a new tailgate appliqué. Olive Green, Ember, Glass Gray, and Steel Blue paint options are added, and top Pinnacle models get a Blue Agave upholstery that features a “parquet” perforation pattern and copper accent stitching. And there are eight wheel options ranging from 18 to 20 inches in size.

Functional upgrades to Chrysler’s Safety Sphere system include blind-spot camera images that appear on the center infotainment screen whenever the turn signals are flashing, and the ability for the parking sensors to activate the camera views automatically whenever the van pulls within a foot or so of an obstacle. And to boost affordability, the Uconnect Theater Group (Amazon Fire TV screens) is separated from the Family Tech content (FamCAM fish-eye view of all rear seats, premium audio, power outlets, etc.). And owners can now set the max liftgate opening height on all models.

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There are no new industry innovations here, but then the Pacifica still lays exclusive claim to perhaps the best of these—Stow ’n Go second- and third-row seating (note, our Pinnacle test model’s cushier second-row seats did not stow, but the third row did so electrically).

A Quick Performance Rundown

Nothing mechanical has changed since the first front-drive 2017 Pacifica model we tested, so we ran it through our testing regimen and found the 2027 has slowed down by 0.6 second to 60 mph and by 0.4 second in both our quarter-mile and figure-eight tests (the plug-in hybrid remained about as quick as that first Pacifica, but it’s been dropped). That means it’s still quicker than our third-ranked Toyota Sienna hybrid but considerably slower than our top pick Honda Odyssey and only slightly slower than both the V-6 and hybrid Kia Carnival. But nobody’s drag-racing or autocrossing their van, so how does it work on vacation?

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Mountains, Maple, and (Chunky) Monkeys

We started out exploring our Vermont environs with a hike around the top of Mount Mansfield, followed by stops at shops selling cheese, flannel, and maple-flavored everything (even gin and whiskey). Our ultimate destination was Ben & Jerry’s, where we paid our respects in the flavor graveyard while enjoying double-scoops of six survivors. Mom’s enjoying the mountain views out the panoramic sunroof, as the driver considers disabling the blind-spot screen view function, because it keeps preempting crucial navigation prompts.

One pleasant surprise: Google Maps instructions are echoed in the small driver information screen—a Uconnect 5 advance dating from 2021 that’s still far from ubiquitous. Oddly, while using Apple CarPlay for navigation, we had to continually search to set Ben & Jerry’s as our destination after two different stops failed to log it as a recent search. Poor cellular connectivity could have been to blame as the issue never resurfaced. We tried entering a destination using the voice function but were told that “this country has not been programmed.” Canada and Mexico were also no bueno, so…?

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Day 1: Boldt Castle or Bust

We set out in time to catch the 10 a.m. ferry (“Miss Piggy”) to Essex, New York. Along the way, on a 25-mile stint on I-89, the Pacifica’s decade-old electrical architecture made itself evident. The minivan still allows a choice of old-school cruise control or radar-based speed adaptive cruise, but there’s no option for lane keep assist or lane centering of any sort. Here, it’s a blessing, as we endeavor to drive outside the well-centered troughs dug by studded tires over several winters. Plodding through Burlington, we also noted the absence of a brake-hold feature. There is auto stop/start, and it’s about as noticeable as these systems were in the Obama years.

Soon we’re in the heart of the 1000 Islands region, in time to tour Boldt Castle. Humble immigrant George Boldt and his beloved wife Louise worked their way up to gilded-age glory in the hotel business, ultimately running NYC’s famous Waldorf-Astoria. George is credited with coining the phrase “The customer is always right,” and such customer service afforded him the wherewithal to build the Rhineland castle of his dreams.

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Day 2: Lakes Ontario to Erie

We began today soaking in some War of 1812 Naval history in Sackets Harbor. Back then the area was a key shipbuilding center the British sought to conquer during two bloody but unsuccessful battles—one of which claimed the life of Brigadier General Zebulon Pike (of Peak fame). Next, it was off to the Colloca Estate Winery. The roller-coaster highways en route gave this V-6/nine-speed powertrain quite a workout, during which it demonstrated a lack of intelligence and smoothness.

The top two ratios are pure gas-mileage gears designed for smooth, level roads. The gaps between them are larger than those between lower gears, so you get a big blast of engine roar when the powertrain controller eventually determines it needs sixth for a particular climb. Newer vans anticipate better and shift more smoothly (or not at all in the eCVT-powered hybrid Sienna). We soon worked out the intentional downshift timing, though: When the front bumper of the oncoming car aligns with the one you’re passing, nail the gas, and you’ll be ready to pull out when the lane clears. Alas, no award-winning Riesling or pinot noir was tasted, for we had miles to go before we slept (also, the tasting room had yet to open). More weirdness: Today we sighted two Mitsubishi 3000GTs and a Dodge Stealth. This must be where they all ended up …

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Day 3: Erie Nostalgia to Cleveland Rock

Mom grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and hadn’t been back since the launch of that NS minivan I helped develop. So we indulged in original Sontheimer’s crescent cakes (served by a fourth-gen Sontheimer in original orange with orange frosting), stopped by Laurel Hill Cemetery to check on her mom and Navy-vet dad’s graves, passed her McDowell High School alma mater, marveled at her original house, which now had an airport runway in the backyard and an eight-lane road consuming the front, and visited the Waldameer amusement park that hosted all the Koehler Beer employee parties her family would attend.

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For the freeway run to Cleveland, I ceded the con to my relief pilot and got to work in the back seat, marveling at the comfortable thigh and back support of these Pinnacle seats. (Before departing Stowe, we tried the Stow ’n Go third-row seats, which remain remarkably comfortable given the disappearing act they do.) I connected my laptop onto the Uconnect Theater screen using a USB-C-to-HDMI cable. The setup was a breeze, and the resolution made the extra screen genuinely useful. And the FamCAM’s bird’s-/fish-eye view allowed the front-seat occupants to verify I wasn’t just streaming Vice Grip Garage episodes.

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As we roll into Cleveland to begin a day steeping in the history of rock & roll (capped off by a musical scored by none other than Sir Elton John), Mom and I concur the rear-seat ride quality is better than that of my year-long Kia Carnival, which was much quicker to bottom out on freeway bridge transitions. Mom actually found the rear seat more comfortable than the front, where the lower cushion was too long for her legs. She also found that the Ultraconsole crowded her space and felt claustrophobic. (That’s a Pinnacle-only design; Limited models get a smaller integrated console, Select and LX have a freestanding console that allows either occupant to enter or exit using the opposite door.)

Anchor Leg Homeward

There really is no better vehicle type for a road trip than a minivan, and there’s simply no beating this one’s ability to adapt on the fly. Suppose an armoire had beguiled us at one of those Vermont antique stores? Stow a seat and bring it along. Arms full on approach? Open either side door or the trunk hands free. Time for lunch? Plenty of console space on which to lay out a spread. Between active noise cancellation and acoustic glass ahead of the B-pillar, it’s quiet enough for the rows to converse. And this aging powertrain at least holds its own against newer Kia and Honda V-6s in terms of fuel economy, stretching 400-plus miles from a tank. We can’t wait to see what today’s crop of packaging engineers and product planning folks are scheming up for the next generation of this perennial segment leader.