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Opinion Summary
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A unique blend of luxury and utility, but needs to go on a diet
by mkaresh | May 08 '03
Pros: Styling, upscale interior, comfort in first two rows, versatility, firm steering and brakes, safety
Cons: Marginal acceleration, feels heavy, little control feedback, cramped third row, price
Return to opinion
OVERALL RATING
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Here's Something to Try on the Salesman (Reply to this comment)
by tbone2k
I was looking at the first Pacifica my local dealer got. The remote wasn't programmed yet, but I asked if I could open the hatch. Do you think we could find the hatch release? We finally realized that the auto-liftgate won't open without the key in the on position and there didn't seem to be a way to open in manually. So word to the wise, don't store your jumper cables under the floor with the spare tire. If you ever have a dead battery, opening the tailgate could be impossible.
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May 30 '03
6:23 pm PDT
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Re: Pacifica, RX330, or MDX??? (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh,  in Cars & Motorsports
The RX300 was the first luxury car-based SUV, but I singled out the Buick Rendezvous for being the first crossover with three rows of seats without the ground clearance of an SUV. The Lexus sits high on its tires much like a conventional SUV, and has only two rows of seats.
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May 16 '03
4:49 am PDT
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Pacifica, RX330, or MDX??? (Reply to this comment)
by jakemj8402
Chrysler really put some effort into making this new cross-over, and when compared to other domestics I'm sure it will rate highly. The first real cross-over, which is a car designed not to be a mini-van, SUV, or Station Wagon, but somewhere inbetween was the Lexus RX300, GM was not the "segment buster" as you claimed. Also, you cannot compare the new Pacifica to the Volvo XC90, the Pacifica has no where near the quality of the XC90, nor the safety features (yes, the Pacifica does have curtain airbags, but the Volvo has a roof made out of boron steel, a stability system designed to prevent rollovers, and a gyroscopic sensor which detects a rollover and deployes the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners.) The quality of plastics inside the Pacifica are better than Chryslers of yesterday, but, they are still lacking when compared to the competition. And Yes, Chrysler's reliability is getting better, however, you cannot compare it to Honda; they have consistently built reliable vehicles for years. Given the choice to buy a car in this segment I would choose the new RX330 of the MDX. Sure, you pay a little more, but you get top notch reliability, quality, and resale value. Will I get that with Chrysler? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever it turns out to be, I won't be taking the gamble with Chrysler.
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May 15 '03
9:41 pm PDT
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If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck... (Reply to this comment)
by vara
I'm sorry, but Chrysler, nor anyone else can convince me that the Pacifica is anything more than a hyped-up station wagon. It looks exactly like one. Whether or not this is "cool" is up for the buyer to decide, but it cracks me up on how this blending of distinctions between "SUV" and mini-van has created a formula decades old....... hmm... I like the sound of that last sentence. Think I'll use it in a review sometime.
Great review, Michael. Glad to see you in full swing.
-Daniel
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May 09 '03
8:32 am PDT
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Re: Excellent review! (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
The vehicles you mention had heavy truck chassis designed for off-road travel and towing, even in their two-wheel-drive forms. They were not optimized for on-road ride and handling.
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May 09 '03
6:07 am PDT
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Excellent review! (Reply to this comment)
by pvreditor,  in Cars & Motorsports
As I should expect, this is a terrific review that is easy to read but still gives lots of information. But don't be too hard on the car salesman... the term "well-informed car salesman" is an oxymoron.
I do take issue with one of your statements. You wrote, "For example, there are likely a number of people out there who want a large amount of cargo capacity, three rows of seating, don’t ever plan to tow anything or go off-road, and yet do not want a minivan or station wagon for image reasons." You pointed toward a couple of recent vehicles (Acura MDX and Honda Pilot) as the first to satisfy this requirement.
It's my impression that the Chevy Suburban has been meeting this requirement for years, as did the old Jeep Cherokee and even a Willys model before it. Sure, you could get four-wheel drive with those vehicles, but you didn't have to.
Anyway, nice review!
--Bob
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May 09 '03
5:33 am PDT
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