INTERIOR QUALITY, FUNCTION AND COMFORT.

First off, the Pacifica (05 AWD Touring) feels very well put together. There is a definite feel of quality as you settle in. I have never felt this level of quality in a Chrysler product, and I've owned 3 DC cars prior to the Pacifica. The dashboard plastics feel pretty good. The upper portion feels rubbery soft w. a nice, grainy texture. The middle section is a hard but decent plastic that has a nice feel. The lower portion is the typical Chrysler grainy, hard, plastic used in previous DC product. Overall, materials are not too shabby.

Go to the doors and then you start to wonder. The upper portion of the door is made of very hard plastic. I don't get it. The upper door trim is supposed to blend in w. the front dash. You would think that the upper door material would be the same as the nice, rubbery, soft upper dash? Naaaah. The grain pattern doesn't even match well, but the color does at least. I can't even put my arm there to rest because it's so hard and uncomfortable. BUT, it's certainly not offensive to the eye. The middle portion of the door is yet another type of leathery material which looks and feels pretty nice. But my feeling is pick two to three dashboard materials and stick w. it. Stop mixing 5 or 6 and slapping them together. Go sit in a Toyota and learn. Toyota materials, in my opinion, are not all that good, but the execution sure is.

The instrument cluster lighting is very Lexus-like. When the car is off, you cannot see it. Turn on the car and it appears almost like a TV screen. In terms of ergonomics, the only flaw on the Pacifica is that at night, the cruise buttons have no lighting, so night cruise control takes getting used to unless you turn on the map light or memorize the buttons. Rear visibility is not very good so I would suggest adding the “rear park assist” which works very well.

The seats are very comfortable but some more upper back and shoulder support would have made it even better. The leather is single stitched but feels and looks nice. The power seat controls are located on the door rather than the seat side, so it takes some getting used to on my part. The memory seats/mirrors are a plus if you have more than one person driving your car or have a valet parking it for you. It even adjusts the power pedals. The heated seats work very well and have come in handy on a chilly day. The second row seats are very comfortable as well. I can imagine a long trip in those seats to be a very nice experience. My 5 and 7-year-old children love it. On long trips, the seats can be reclined for some nap time. To get to the third row requires pulling 2 numbered handles on the seats that work very well. The third row is ideal for children. Adults can survive back there for a short drive. Long haul? I doubt it. There are power outlets in all 3 rows for those long trips where you need to plug in a game console or TV if you don't have an entertainment system. One small criticism, the 3rd row can really use some hooks for plastic grocery bags.

Cargo area w. the third row is very small but good for maybe 3 bags of groceries. But w. the 3rd row folded, the cargo area is roomy enough for a family of four with luggage.

DRIVE COMFORT

The Pacifica drives very nicely. One of the quietest cars I have ever driven. I was so surprised that I did some research and found that the Pacifica is even quieter than some high-end sedans and SUV's. Even on a gravely roads, the cabin is very silent. Highway speed on certain coarse roads brings in some road noise, but nothing too intrusive. It handles well for its size. The 4-speed auto transmission is actually very good despite the fact that the competition is ahead of the game with 5 and 6 speed auto trannys. Up shifts are very smooth and effortless. At 65mph, the tachometer lingers around the 2100-rpm range. Power is adequate, just keep in mind that this is a highway cruiser. As far as handling goes, the best I can say is the Pacifica drives like a smaller car. What's really nice about the Pacifica is that it has a very well planted feel on the highway. Even when it's raining, I still get that feeling. But I always keep in mind that this is a 4700lb big boy so I respect what I learned in school regarding mass and velocity. I'm sure that well planted feel is due to its low and wide stance. When I say wide, I mean even wider than the Hummer H3 and even the new Jeep Commander. The engine has more than enough power to merge and pass. Highway fuel economy, so far, has been 21.5 mpg. City has been 16mpg. Those numbers were w. 87 octane. 89 octane is recommended. The auto climate control system works very well, just pick a temperature and drive. Although on chilly, humid days it is slow to defrost the windshield. My 99 Intrepid had this feature and was somewhat better. I don't use the rear power hatch that often but have found it useful with full hands from time to time on a rainy day.

If you buy this car, get the Navigation system. It is well designed and works very well. I was reluctant at first because I didn't like its location under the speedometer. I felt that my wife would not be able to see it from the passenger seat to help. Guess what, who needs the wife. A navigation system under the speedometer is the best place to have it. To read it, you simply look slightly down and there it is. It talks to you as well, letting you know well in advance of a highway exit and alerts you again when you’re closer. Miss your exit and it quickly corrects itself and redirects you. It's very intuitive to figure out. It stores addresses and contains points of interest. That's how good it is. Yes, the navigation system is an expensive option. But, just once, find yourself far from home and lost with your family and you'll agree that it's worth every penny.

RELIABILITY

Since I have owned the car for only 3 months, I can only write about my initial 3 month and 2600 mile experience. The main complaint I have read about on the car is the “stalling" problem which I have experienced once thus far. It happened after completing a left hand turn and stopping. The CD player never stopped playing and I couldn't really tell if the car had stopped until I noticed the steering wheel felt heavy and the car wouldn't move after applying the gas. At that point I restarted the car and was on my way. That only happened once so far and that was approx. 3 weeks ago. Since then I have switched back to 89 octane just in case. Despite that problem, I've had no other problems w. the car. My understanding is that Chrysler has not found the cause of the stall as of yet. I'm pretty sure they will eventually find the cause of the stall so I'm not too concerned about it. I have not taken it in to be looked at yet because I cannot duplicate the problem. Fortunately, it has only happened once. If it happens again, then I guess I will have it checked out. Despite that, I still recommend the car. For me to say this is a bad car because of one isolated incident would be a premature statement. Some cars start off really nice, with no problems in the first 3 years, and turn into utter garbage afterwards like my 99 Intrepid did.

So far, I am very happy w. this vehicle. It feels and drives like a more expensive vehicle and handles decently for such a large heavy vehicle. Hopefully, that perception of quality will also mean good reliability which remains to be seen. It is certainly more reliable than other European crossover vehicles that cost thousands more.


Amount Paid (US$): 29000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: Pacifica Touring, 26U pkg. Rear Park Assist, Navigation, Sunroof