Chrysler Pacifica

See also: Chrysler Pacifica (1999 concept vehicle)

Chrysler Pacifica

Manufacturer	Chrysler
Production	2003–2007
Assembly	Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Class	Mid-size Crossover
Body style(s)	4-door SUV
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive / Four-wheel drive
Platform	Chrysler CS platform
Engine(s)	3.5 L EGJ V6 3.8 L EGH V6 4.0 L SOHC V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic with AutoStick 6-speed 62TE automatic with AutoStick
Wheelbase	116.3 in (2954 mm)
Length	189.5 in (4813 mm) (2004-06) 198.9 in (5052 mm) (2007-08)
Width	79.3 in (2014 mm)
Height	66.5 in (1689 mm) (2004-06) 68.3 in (1735 mm) (2007-08)
Related	Chrysler Town & Country Dodge Caravan Chrysler Voyager (Mexico) Dodge Grand Caravan
Designer	Freeman Thomas

The Chrysler Pacifica is a mid-size crossover, introduced by Chrysler and marketed from model years 2004 to 2008.

The CUV was inspired by the 1999 Chrysler Pacifica and 2000 Chrysler Citadel concept cars.

Chrysler marketed the Pacifica as a “sports-tourer," building the vehicle at the Windsor Assembly Plant, alongside the long-wheelbase minivans from early 2003 through November, 2007.

The Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals." Chrysler developed the vehicle in 30 months at a cost below $1 billion.

Model year changes

2004

Initially, the vehicle came in just one trim level, dubbed Pacifica.

2005 and 2006

The 2005 Pacifica offered four trim levels: Base, Touring, Limited, and the limited-version Signature Series.

The interior was also slightly restyled. Faux wood trim came standard in Pacifica Touring and Limiteds, while the base-model "Pacifica" (Later Pacifica LX), offered interior colored plastic trim. Signature Series models had metal clad interior trim and two-tone leather seats.

2007

2008 Pacifica Limited

The Pacifica's exterior was slightly restyled for 2007, including its headlights, hood, fenders, grille, front fascia and wheels. The brand new 4.0 L SOHC V6 engine was added, to complement the standard 3.8 L EGH V6. With the addition of the new engine and transmission, Dual Exhaust was added. New options included a rearview camera incorporated into the navigation system, YES Essentials (stain, odor, and static-resistant) seat fabric and new wheel options.

2008 (discontinuation)

Chrysler announced on November 1, 2007 discontinuation of the Pacifica, producing the last Pacifica that same month. Dodge almost concurrently introduced the Journey, a CUV sharing an identical wheelbase to the out-going short wheelbase Chrysler minivans.

Marketing and reception

The Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals." Chrysler developed the vehicle in 30 months at a cost below $1 billion. DaimlerChrysler heavily touted the Pacifica as the next "big thing" in the fledging crossover market, forecasting sales of 100,000 per year. These estimations proved to be wildly optimistic, as sales never came close to expectations. There was stiff competition from similar vehicles, like the Infiniti FX, Nissan Murano, and Lexus RX330; the RX was the volume leader and widely considered the benchmark for the class. The initial production was plagued by quality flaws and glitches, giving the nameplate a poor reputation from the onset.

A three year, multi-million dollar contract was signed with singer Celine Dion in 2003, with advertisements designed to reposition Chrysler as a premium marque. However, the promotional campaign was widely considered a flop and so DaimlerChrysler ended it just one year later.

The Pacifica was designed to combine the convenience of a minivan, the elevated position of an SUV, and the handling of a sedan. Some expensive -but totally ignored- features were added, such as a navigation system and a load-levelling suspension. Compared to traditional (non-crossover) luxury SUVs such the Lincoln Navigator, the Pacifica had less heavy cargo-hauling capacity but otherwise it was superior in handling, comfort, interior, and amenities. However, the Pacifica was generally considered inferior to the Chrysler Town & Country minivan, for that class of vehicle. Chrysler failed in not being able to build a space in the mind of consumers as the pioneer of a completely new category

Despite the Mercedes-like interior and other Mercedes-derived technologies, however, the Pacifica may have been overpriced for its marque, as general public perception did not consider Chrysler a luxury brand like that of Lincoln, Lexus, and Mercedes. Moreover, an extremely weak guarantee, serious flaws both in finishing as well as mechanical reliability -including brake and engine failures, liner and interior flaws, quality of exterior materials and assembly- a below average service quality and Chrysler's failure into exploiting the Mercedes link joined to create an iconic set back. The product itself was great as a concept, the vehicle's handling was outstanding, its volume and features were utterly desirable but the product was doomed by failures in marketing and the above mentioned reliability problems. In addition, Chrysler -as it is often with this automaker- was entertained with too many launches and devoted its attention mostly to the New Chrysler 300 without leaving room for the Pacifica to shine. Also, while limited options for the interior were available, engine options were not and the vehicle was overly underpowered considering its weight. Despite client's calls, the company never made available a SRT or Hemi version.

Description

Performance

Pacificas offered a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg). The CUVs were equipped with "Autostick" transaxles, Chrysler's version of a manually controlled automatic transmission and one engine choice later extended to two engine choices.

At first, Pacifica was powered by a 3.8-liter V6 with 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet (330 N·m) of torque. Reviewers faulted the gruff engine, which was barely up to the task of battling the Pacifica's formidable mass, especially on fully loaded all-wheel-drive models. A 3.5-liter V6 with 250 hp (186 kW) and 250 lb·ft (340 N·m) became standard on all but the base front-wheel-drive model in 2005, and the 3.8-liter V6 was eliminated for 2006, leaving the 3.5-liter unit as the sole available engine. For 2007, the 3.8-liter mill returned (an example of Chrysler's poor judgment)in the base front-wheel-drive model, this time rated even lower at 200 hp (149 kW), and a 4.0-liter V6 replaced the 3.5-liter V6 in all other models. The 4.0-liter engine cranked out only 255 hp (190 kW) and 265 lb·ft (359 N·m), and it was teamed with a new six-speed automatic transmission (the base engine continued with the old four-speed unit). The 4.0-liter V6 mated with the 6 speed autostick gave impressive 0-60 mph times of 7.4 seconds [1]. Until the 2007 introduction of the 4.0-liter V6, engines were always a poor choice from Chrysler with under powered, non-efficient units. Gas consumption was disappointing and Pacifica fell to the bottom of the chart in its category. Other features include five-link rear suspension, self-leveling rear shock absorbers, and variable assist rack-and-pinion steering.

Safety

In 2006 the Chrysler Pacifica won an award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as the “best pick frontal”. In 2007, the Pacifica won a five star front and side crash test rating. The Pacifica received this award for being equipped with traction control, four wheel disc brakes with anti-lock braking system, all-row side curtain air bags, Electronic Stability Program, and tire pressure monitoring system..

NHTSA is currently investigating a propensity toward engine bay fires in the 2007 Chrysler Pacificas equipped with the 4.0-liter V6.

Features

Third row seating was standard on all but the base Pacifica. Front row seats featured an eight-way power driver seat and four-way power passenger seat on all standard Pacificas. The Limited and Touring included a ten-way power seat for the driver. The Pacifica could be optioned with a seating preference memory system that also controlled mirrors and pedals. Seats were available with stain and odor resistant fabric or leather on all seats and six different fabric designs.

Cargo space was 79.5 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. All Pacifica models came with AM/FM radio along with CD player and a seven speaker, 200-watt audio system. Limited models came with a year subscription of Sirius satellite radio, 6-disc DVD player capable of playing MP3, DVD audio, DVD video, DVD-R and DVD-RW discs, and an eight-speaker audio system. Standard models included dual-zone manual temperature control while the Limited and Touring offered automatic temperature control system. Limited and Touring models offered an available navigation system (unusually but brilliantly located inside the instrument cluster), along with an optional rear-view camera. A hands-free communication system was also available.

Professional and consumer reception

Consumer Reports magazine rates the Chrysler Pacifica as "much worse than average" in terms of reliability. Consumer Reports also rated the Chrysler Pacifica with an extremely low consumer satisfaction of 48/100, one of the lowest ratings in the magazine's database for the consumer satisfaction survey.

Total U.S. sales

Calendar Year	Sales
2006	78,243
2007	53,947

Trim levels

All editions were available in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive models.

• Pacifica • 2004 •
• Base • 2005-2007 •
• Touring • 2005-2008 • Pacifica with more seating and interior features.
• Limited • 2005-2008 • Pacifica with extra features, including DVD, GPS and sunroof.
• Signature Series • 2005-2006 • 2008

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Chrysler Pacifica

• Official site by Chrysler
• Pacifica World forums