Our Thoughts Exactly: 2025 Chrysler Pacifica
Only minivans are stocked with the winged badge these days. It seems fine, since none of the brands sold by Stellantis North America offers a minivan.
This is 100 years in the making.
No one would’ve predicted that Walter P. Chrysler’s evolution of the Maxwell Motor Company into his own image would last this long. It became one of Detroit’s “Big Three,” while maintaining the Chrysler brand’s position as a “cut above” the mid-priced field.
Today, the Chrysler brand is on the cusp of another evolution. Reports have the brand becoming Stellantis’ “experiment” for future vehicles exhibiting a new design language, and advanced technology.
Needless to say, there will be nothing Peugeot about this “experiment.”
For those who care, this is a good thing. Yet, the shelf for the Chrysler brand seems a bit bare. Only minivans are stocked with the winged badge these days. It seems fine, since none of the brands sold by Stellantis North America offers a minivan. Simply put, you cannot nix the one vehicle type that saved a previous iteration of this company some 40-plus years ago.
Which brings us to the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle with all-wheel drive.
If you yearn for nostalgia, this is your ride. This luxury minivan encompasses the four-plus decades of transportation innovation. It is fused with a level of luxury that harkens back to years of New Yorker Broughams and Fifth Avenues. It is a Town & Country without the wood applique.
Wait…where’s the Imperial reference?
If you recall your automotive history, Imperials were pitted against Cadillac and Lincoln. Chrysler New Yorkers and Fifth Avenues had Buicks to contend with. You actually cross-shopped a Chrysler with a Peugeot back in the 1970s and 1980s.
In a way, the 2025 Pacifica Pinnacle is a throwback. A more modern throwback. An extremely practical throwback.
First of all, the minivan has been a part of the company since the fall of 1983. It is part of the company’s lexicon and legacy. That legacy was cemented with the addition of the Town & Country augmenting the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan. That brought unapologetic luxury to the minivan segment.
The other two legacy items include being the first minivan to offer sliding doors on each side of the minivan. As well as the innovation of Stow ‘n Go seating for the second and third rows. The latter is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
A celebration of innovation is why the 2025 Pacifica remains relevant for family transportation. People may still want an SUV, but the Pacifica answers that with three rows of space that’s made for growing families.
That has been our argument. You’re a family of five or six. You have children that are getting older. Perhaps a few in high school. They also play football. One or two of them are lineman on the varsity squad. They might get a scholarship to a Division 1 program.
As someone who was a bigger person in high school, I would not have any shame being driven by mom to school in one. A few problems with that, however. I graduated Reseda High School about 15 months before the introduction of the minivan. My mom could not drive after her second stroke in the fall of 1979. Plus, I had a car…
A century of innovation is wrapped up in this gorgeous Fathom Blue Pearl-Coat paint job. The chrome-finished 20-inch alloy wheels and trimmings add to the luxury of the moment. It spells our “Pinnacle” along the front doors and on the sills to make sure you are stepping into a world of modern luxury that harkens back a few decades.
The Pacifica’s design remains unique. A stand-out among the competition. As Chrysler intended it to be.
The Pinnacle’s interior is where it’s really at. It is not swathed with “Rich Corinthian Leather.” It might as well be. The hide is durable with quilted bolsters and perforated inserts. The captain’s chairs offer individual comfort, with the added bonus of throw pillows that go with each seat.
About those throw pillows, they’re made for lumbar support. You can put them at any seat. Just don’t let your kids get into a pillow fight with them. They’re densely packed and will hurt somebody. You can actually watch them through the FamCam on the 10.1-inch infotainment screen. A quick yell back there will get them to stop their shenanigans – well, one would hope.
Another parental tip is to get the UConnect Theater going through the screens attached to the front seatbacks. It is compatible with Amazon Fire TV. You can also pop in a BluRay disc for movies, if you desire.
About Stow ‘n Go, the third row can be retracted and deployed by a set of buttons at the rear of the cargo hold. The Pinnacle trim does not have second-row Stow ‘n Go seating. If you want the second-row Stow ‘n Go feature, you can get it on the Select and Limited models with the V6 only, along with the Voyager LX model.
They do have a generous storage area behind the front seats. As we discovered, it can fit a backpack nicely in there. The second-row seats also give third-row occupants great access to the “way back.” Just pull the lever and let the seats move.
Nonetheless, you have a generous space for cargo, passengers, or a mix of both. It is exactly what you should expect in a minivan.
Another innovation Chrysler brought to the minivan segment was the plug-in hybrid. When it was introduced, it was the only electrified minivan in the market. However, this tester was powered by the 287-horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. This specification does not have any electrified assistance. Rounding out the driveline is a nine-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels.
As much as some Moparians wished the Pacifica would come with a monster engine from the SRT skunk works, we must remind ourselves that it was not meant to be the fastest in the school pick-up line. Nor will it be the quickest to hockey practice. It was developed for comfort, making sure you do get to your destination safely and securely.
When it came down to fuel economy, it averaged 20.2 MPG in our care.
The purpose of a minivan is not only to transport families and other people comfortably. It is to make sure that the vehicle is equally comfortable for everyone to ride along. The Pacifica has no problems doing so. On the highway, it delivers a smooth and level ride. Around town, roads with cracks, potholes and other obstacles are managed very well.
There is a good degree of drivability. The steering is fine overall, as are the brakes. When you’ve driven your share of Pacificas over the years, you will find a degree of predictability on vehicle behavior and response.
With that said, the Chrysler minivan family stretches over eight models. It starts with the Voyager LX and its value proposition starting at $39,995. Then, you step into the Pacifica line with seven trim levels – including four plug-in Hybrid models. This V6-powred Pinnacle model arrived with a sticker price of $59,720.
The takeaway from this latest experience in the 2025 Pacifica Pinnacle is that Chrysler is still here. This is what they are offering their customers with the luxury they expect from a brand that has this century-long history of innovation.
You can say all you want about how the Chrysler brand has been diminished to just selling minivans alongside Jeeps, Ram pickup trucks, and Dodge Chargers. However, if Stellantis and their new global management team is serious about revitalizing the 100-year-old brand, they should define what their “experiment” is all about.
Before we get to see the first output of their “experiment,” you still have a family transporter that continues to be different than the rest in its class. A vehicle that still holds true to the original intent of Chrysler.
DISCLAIMER: Vehicle provided by Stellantis North America
All photos by Randy Stern