The 2027 Chrysler Pacifica lineup includes LX, Select, Limited and Pinnacle trims. Select, Limited and Pinnacle get refreshed styling, a new logo and updated technology, while LX retains the previous exterior design. Still, the Pacifica, currently the only model wearing a Chrysler badge, is a vehicle that more families would be driving… if only more parents could admit we’re not as cool as we think we are.
Chrysler flew me, my husband Andy, and our six-year-old son, Lincoln, to Vermont to check out the 2027 Pacifica, then tossed us the keys to drive back to Chicago. So at least Lincoln thinks we’re pretty cool, because he had a blast. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering giving up your truck or SUV in favor of a Chrysler minivan.
The storage is freakin’ amazing
The Chrysler Pacifica can easily accommodate all the crap you’ll need for a weeklong road trip. It’s far superior to trucks and SUVs in this area. Our agenda had us flying from Chicago to Vermont, then driving home to Chicago with stopovers in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Saugatuck, Michigan. That meant a whole lotta clothes and, for me, at least five or six pairs of shoes. Not to mention everything we were sure to accumulate on the way; we’d already planned a stop at Tree House Brewing in Deerfield, Massachusetts en route to a visit at my aunt and uncle’s in nearby Amherst. The same uncle who once insisted we find last-minute space in our Outback for a mid-century modern wooden table and a fiberglass armchair. I wish we’d had a Pacifica for that trip.
Chrysler’s Stow ’n Go seating isn’t new, but it’s still unrivaled. On LX, Select and Limited, it allows the second- and third-row seats to fold completely flat into the floor. Pinnacle’s third row stows, but its second-row seats must be removed for maximum cargo space. With some other minivans, the seats will fold down partway; in some, the seats can be removed, which is nice when you need it but not exactly a seamless process. With the Chrysler’s seats stowed, you can load up 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood and go, which particularly impressed Andy. There’s a nice standard feature that’ll come in handy when you’re loading up the rear, an adjustable liftgate that will hold at your chosen height. That helps avoid smacking garage ceilings.
I loved that, from the front passenger seat, it was super easy to pass things to Lincoln in the second row, opening his Gatorade, putting the passcode in his iPad, retrieving stray Crocs, and the like. I was working during long stretches of Andy driving, and the cubby under the floating center console made a convenient spot to stash my MacBook Neo.
The accessories are on point
We hit rain most of the time we were in Vermont, including a sudden downpour after a sunny afternoon in Burlington and a longer rainy stretch crossing south into Massachusetts. Andy was particularly impressed with the Pacifica’s automatic windshield wipers.
Other features of note include the available Stow ’n Vac, an integrated vacuum cleaner, and the Stow ’n Place roof rack, which consists of integrated crossbars that pop up and lock in place when you need them, and tuck into the side rails when you aren’t using them. What’s the point of that, you may ask? It saves fuel and reduces wind noise, two things you might choose not to fret about if you’re driving a truck, but it’s cool that Chrysler thought about it.
There’s also the Family Tech Group package, which includes an upgraded Alpine or Harman Kardon stereo as well as the awesome FamCAM feature, which lets you bring up camera views of the rear seats on the infotainment screen. For 2027, the separate Theater Group, offered on Pinnacle, features two 10-inch screens mounted on the front seatbacks for second-row passengers. Chrysler separated entertainment from Family Tech based on customer feedback.
It’s the happiest my kid has ever been in a car
My son, Lincoln, loves our 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness. The important part is that Linc really likes our family vehicle. He’s been able to identify Subarus since he was two. I guess I’d assumed he was kind of a car snob.
As it turns out, not really!
For Lincoln, the highlight of our time in Massachusetts was seeing his three-year-old cousin Leo, who was equally enchanted by the Pacifica, particularly the dual sliding side doors and the second-row captain’s chairs. Both boys had seen captain’s chairs before, but perhaps it was the magic of the power sliding doors that made for an especially enchanting reveal. Over and over. For, like, 15 minutes or so.
The lesson here: we should trust the kids’ opinions about minivans. If we were to switch to a minivan instead of buying another Outback, Lincoln would probably initially miss the Outback. So would we. Lincoln would get over it. So will your kids.
It’s no beauty queen, but your truck probably isn’t, either
As far as minivans go, the Pacifica is decent-looking. I mean, I’m not trying to convince anyone that minivans, as a category, are attractive vehicles. They also aren’t as bad as we’ve collectively convinced ourselves, either.
The 2027 Pacifica is the first Chrysler vehicle to wear the brand’s new logo, which… well, it’s also Chrysler’s only vehicle for the time being. (I’m pointing this out only because Chrysler reps did, but I have a feeling I think it’s funnier than they do.)
Andy, for what it’s worth, does not like the new Chrysler logo, but admits it’s a minor gripe in the grand scheme of things.
The logo is illuminated up front, which I tend to like, though some brands execute the trend better than others. I was skeptical when Chrysler reps described the new light bar that runs across the top of the grille between the headlights, which, along with the badge, lights up when the vehicle is approached and fades out upon departure. In practice, it’s kind of a sweet touch and not overdone like I’d expected.
Chrysler almost always has some kind of appearance package on offer. The Limited model is available with an S Appearance Package (been there, done that), but the Pinnacle model features sweet Blue Agave upholstery with copper contrast stitching that looks better than it sounds like it should have any right to. I was fine with the simple black upholstery in our tester.
It tows up to 3,600 pounds
Sure, the Chrysler Pacifica isn’t going to beat most trucks when it comes to towing, but you know what? It beats some. Chrysler rates it to tow up to 3,600 pounds with the available Trailer Tow Group. That can cover some small boats or camping trailers, but check the actual loaded trailer weight, tongue weight and remaining payload for passengers and gear. Trailer length alone won’t tell you whether it’s a safe match. But if you’ve otherwise seen the light here, and you’re clinging to your full-size pickup just in case you might tow an 11,000-pound… something?… some day? That day probably won’t come, if it hasn’t already. So think about how much more peaceful your road trips would have been in a minivan, all along.
Still comparing family haulers? Read our Toyota Sienna versus Chrysler Pacifica comparison.
