At a risk of repeating myself, these videos give us an insight and product knowledge that you would only get from ownership. This should help reduce our old enemy, buyer remorse. Great public service broadcasting here from TCCN gang. Thank you.
Your reviews are excellent. Better than the dudes out there who make an appointment with a dealer and drive the car for 10 minutes and tell you that it’s the best.
😅 guess you've never owned one. Worst pule of garbage I've ever driven. Breaks down every 6-8 weeks. Different problem each time plus some repeating problems UGHHHH
I have this exact van. 2021 Pinnacle Hybrid. It has 40k miles. No problems. We love it. So comfy and smooth. I go months without gassing it up. We love the 35 miles of EV range. We save about $200 a month, not buying gas. The engine basically only runs on cold days or long road trips. It only needs one oil change a year.
Obviously you must live in a warm climate. I live in a very cold climate and I'm quite sure I wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic about this van. For 5 months of the year when in EV mode the engine would be constantly starting so I can have heat inside the van thus defeating the purpose of having a plug-in hybrid.
@@henryhonda8408 I live in Ohio. It was 24° this morning. The battery can run the heater just fine on low, in the winter. If you crank it up on high yes the engine will run about 5 minutes and then shut off. That’s still better than running gas all day long.
@@MrKillerRC We’re lucky to hit 24 degrees mid afternoon here. That would be downright tropical this time of year. You see people in shorts when it gets that warm. That’s funny that you think that’s cold.
@@rogerwatson2255 Cool for you. It got down to -20° a month ago. But It’s not what my definition of cold is. It’s the battery’s definition. 75°F is optimal for lithium batteries. 30° is cold for a battery and activates the battery heater and engine to warm the battery and cabin. That’s what kills mpg, which is the topic here.
When I turned 50 this year, I had a reverse mid-life crisis and instead of buying a sports car, I bought a mini van! 😂 I looked at all of them, and liked the Pacifica the best. I didn't opt for the Hybrid because of the recalls and issues. I didn't think the higher price justified the money you potentially save on gas. Plus, when you get the Hybrid, you can't have the Stow and Go option, or the power folding rear seats. I really, really love my 2023 Pacifica Limited though. It has more bells and whistles than the Odyssey, and you cannot get a Sienna unless you want to be on a waiting list for over a year. Kia was just a no. I picked it because I love the Stow and Go option. There is just so much versatility with this car. You can fold everything flat if you need to move something, or stow just some of the seats -- there is just so much flexibility. Chrysler really knocks it out of the park in that department! I will disagree with you in that I do think it is very quiet when you drive it. I think there is some special noise dampening system in the car. The visibility is awesome and the driver's seat is extremely comfortable. I have had no issues with the UConnect system -- the resolution is crystal clear and it's very easy to use. The console isn't overly complicated with too many buttons. The car's built in navigation works great if you don't want to hook up your phone. I have the Safety Sphere added in my car, and it is a far better camera system than the Odyssey. I just love that Chrysler thought of every little detail -- hooks for hanging grocery bags, hooks for hanging dry cleaning, USBs everywhere, sliding compartments for cup holders, the Fire TV, the AMAZING pano roof, and my absolute favorite --- the VACUUM!! I highly recommend you get the theater package if you have kids -- my kids can hook up their X-Box in the back when we take a longer car trip. You also get the vacuum and a Blue Ray player with that package. The vacuum won't replace using a shop vac, but it sure is handy for smaller jobs. Some people really dislike Chrysler because of past reliability issues. I don't keep cars for years and years -- so hopefully in the time that I do have it I won't have issues. So far I absolutely love it and I would recommend it if you are in the market for a mini van.
First time watching this commentator and I couldn’t help but feel he should be heading an automobile design team somewhere. He understands the engineering in great depth but also explains things in a simple way and expresses his opinions and recommendations well.
I am so impressed by the fluency with which you present a 40 minute review! Thank you for putting in the effort and for being so thorough! It really helped me steer me away from the plug-in hybrid to the regular Limited S AWD version of this vehicle. I really wish you success and best of luck!
Hi guys. I drive Pacifica hybrid 2017 . I do Uber and airport limo service. Current mileage 375 000 kilometres. Besides few recalls I got the following issues: 1. Front struts replaced at 300k kilometres. Cost 2000 Canadian dollars tax in labor and parts included. 2. Currently pending (parts ordered) electric coolant heater. Check engine light on. Estimated cost 1900 dollars. Besides above I didn’t have any other problem. I buy premium gas and use synthetic oil. Drive it every day year round in the city of Toronto.
Thank you for your comment. What is your real MPG? I also wonder what issues you have besides those shown in this video - ruclips.net/video/p8DMgBtjGbk/видео.html
@@oneundecided thank you for liking my comment:) I traded my 2017 for 2023 Pacifica hybrid. I don’t calculate mpg. I t makes no sense for me as I am charging during the day wherever it’s possible. I calculate that a 100 dollars on gas brings me 1000 gross income average. It’s 10% compared to a previous grand caravan where it was 25% on gas from my gross earnings.
@@normt430 400k kilometres. Now drive 2023 Pacifica. Got it brand new in April 2023. Currently 68k kilometres on odo. So far everything is alright. How ever sway bar was to be replaced under warranty.
Great review but as a owner of 2023 pinnacle edition with 26K odometer, it’s a very nice and quite minivan, we mostly drive on pure electric with 18K fully electric and 8K hybrid without any issue, I live in Canada and we have cold winter and in a cold weather we are still on fully eclectic mode without engine kicks in, for sure we get better electric range when the weather is warmer and only in a extreme cold weather like -10 Celsius or colder the engine kicks in more often.
This vehicle does have a 7kw resistance heater that can heat both the battery and cabin. The reason the A/C fluid doesn't go directly into the battery is to reduce the cooling pipework inside the battery.
Over five years into my ownership of a 2018 Pacifica PHEV. Still like it a lot. Rarely fillup gas. Engine is a little rough when the engine idles. 30,000 miles on it. Less than 5000 miles on the gas engine. So far, battery is holding up well. The 12v battery is holding up well too. The driver's side sliding door doesn't like to close since it was new. There are a lot of coolant hoses. At least they are using the same fluid. I don't like that I am not allowed to tow with it. I've driven it when it was 6 degrees F and the motor does come on when you turn on the heater. Then it will turn off and still provide heat.
Try this to help lessen engine run time in colder weather. During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Thank you for your thorough reviews and thoughts. It’s great info to have when looking to make a purchase on vehicles. Given the sky high prices of vehicles, a vehicle purchase cannot be an impulse buy, but rather a well thought out purchase.
Hi I rent a Chrysler Pacifica every month for work and really enjoy the Hybrid system. It really saves you Gas when driving in the city. I live in Florida and haven't seen too much issues yet. My Wife owns a Chrysler Town & Country 2012 and had worked great for the past 10 years. Currently has 160,000 miles and still going strong.
Great review but disagree on a few things. In warm weather this is an excellent PHEV, cold weather probably not so good for the reasons he explained. We live in Texas and purchased our van 2017 and we love it. Over 150,000 miles zero issues. We plug in every day with a level 2 charger and it’s fully charged in 2 hours. We average 1000 miles / tank. We have the hybrid platinum version the pinnacle trim had not came out yet. Paid 45k but we received a 7,500 tax credit which was awesome!!! Roughly $37,500 after tax credit. As long as you don’t floor it the motor will not turn on until the battery is depleted. We normally get 40 miles of electric range before the engine kicks on. Overall great mini van if you live in warm weather. Thanks
also there are workarounds in cold weather to make it work decently, you precondition while the car is plugged, if you don't blast the heat it usually works at least partially on full electric
@@user-3tf67bk46u the thing to remember about total mileage is that the ICE is not getting 100% of those miles. If you're driving 40 to 50 miles per day and you can get 30 to 35 miles from the electric, then only about 30 to 35% of the miles are on the ICE. So a 150k mi PHEV has an ICE with only about 50k miles on it. Also, keep in mind that all of the associated engine issues at varying mileages are not 1-to-1 in a PHEV. While the ICE is not getting all the miles, a lot of the associated pumps and cooling systems are still getting the equivalent miles.
Try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
That is impressive that you got to 150k miles without major issue. Our 2018 Pacifica Limited Hybrid with 50k miles had quite few repairs and recalls that I'm not confident it will last another 5 years.
At 150K I’d say it’s worth replacing the battery 🔋 and continue with the fuel savings. I’m in Las Vegas but visit Southern California often where gas is very expensive. Looking at a used 2021 with 61K miles.
Thank you for making this video. I’ve been casually researching the Pacifica Hybrid for the last year and this video has given the most useful information to go off of, by far! I truly appreciate it!
The complaints about reliability are valid and I agree this vehicle is overly complex. However, I've had mine nearly two years, (two Midwest winters). I've saved a ton on gas. And that's just plugging in overnight with a trickle charge. I know where the public stations are and benefit from charging at work so those are considerations for any buyer as well. Yes, I get it. Toyotas are more reliable. I drove the new sienna. It was very nice, but comparably equipped cost a lot more (at the time) and didn't have the tax credit. You can't just say one base model costs more and say it's apples to apples. Toyota was louder, Infotainment was lame, middle seats don't come out, front seats are spongy and unsupportive (where chrysler's are admittedly too firm). And that clunky huge center console they put in is not going to be as useful as they claim. It's intrusive to say the least. I also owned a loaded 06 sienna once. It looked great, but it was full of rattles and squeaks. A faulty seal on the driver's door whistled constantly on the highway. It also couldn't hold the road for shit with any crosswind. Seats also looked great but were lumpy and uncomfortable. It basically failed in its job as a minivan. It was a big disappointment. Does that mean I think Toyotas are bad? Of course not but one size does not fit all and every car has problems. I've owned 2 town and countrys that were rock solid and would buy again. Pacifica jury is still out but I have a nice extended warranty to cover my arse.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana, so I was concerned about the battery range during winter months. I'm currently split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. How does it handle in the snow? Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina I haven't used snow tires but I know others do. It's not great in the snow. I think like most vehicles, hybrid versions have "efficiency" tires that tend to suck in winter. If you get a lot of snow, I would consider an AWD vehicle or snow tires. I don't get tons of snow. Tires are everything for traction, even more so than FWD vs AWD. Battery range will be worse in winter. just a fact. short cold trips will kill the mileage too. Once the car is warm, it can run on battery, then hybrid after and be very efficient. I still average mid to upper 20's in hybrid mode in winter (which is going to be more like upper teens to lower 20s on an ICE vehicle). All vehicles are less efficient in cold temps. Sienna and Pacifica Hybrid are no exceptions.
Totally agree w you. I love minivans and have owned many. I had 3 Pacificas - ice and hybrid and loved the hybrid the best. I was in a new sienna recent and was surprised how cheap and loud it was. I loved the 1st gen sienna. All the minivans have their pros and cons. I had the odyssey when my twins were baby and that car has the best seating for car seats and storage. The Pacifica is horrible when it comes to car seats.
AMD, Chrysler/Fiat/Peugeot/Stellantis have never had a problem providing high style and plentiful features. Their chronic, decades-long problem is providing long term reliability. If I was in the market for a Hybrid minivan, I would choose a Sienna ten times out of ten. 😁
Correct, Fiat/Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep have always been a poser vehicle for the poor and weak minded, folks who only care what they look like now and haven’t the complexity of thought to anticipate the future. Chronically poor. Fast food employees. Folks who have to get a loan for a 10 year old 100k mile vehicle and don’t have the fiscal acumen to save money. Everyone I know laughs at people who drive these terrible vehicles.
@@ozarkliving7263 Only weak minded ignorant uninformed people make generalizations about others. Own a 19’ Pacifica, paid cash. PM and tires only with 89k. Own a 21’ Highlander, paid cash.
My neighbor has this exact model it has been crippled over and over by electrical problems and a severe parts shortage due to reliability of the broken part outpacing the parts being manufactured. They bought this to take their kids to football and soccer practice and it has let them down over and over. My other next door neighbor has a 2013 Sienna with 170k and has never missed a practice of their four kids. Chrysler/Stellantis is the epitome of “All show no go”
I love this review, thank you. I have a 2021 Pacifica PHEV, and I have one point I disagree with you on. I take the van from my garage every morning, having been plugged in overnight, and I'm able to drive to work and back with the gas engine coming on only minimally or not at all. Stomp on the gas and it kicks in, sure, and maybe when I'm merging onto the highway, but in the driveway, on the street getting to the highway, the engine doesn't come on at all. Maybe that's a difference between model years, maybe its something in how I drive, but if I don't make any extra trips on a typical Monday to Friday I drive about 200 miles on less than a gallon of gas. If I don't charge it or on longer trips I'm still getting between 35-40 mpg after the plug-in battery is used up, which seems pretty good to me for a minivan.
I have a friend is a service manager at a Chrysler dealership and when his mom came to him and said that she was thinking about buying a Pacifica he said well if you buy it I’ll see you heck of a lot more of you
Honest man! Mine has been in the service center 15+ times. I have spent more than the purchase price on repairs now. The one thing guaranteed with the Chrysler Pacifica is REGRET of the day you purchased it
I love your reviews- so will beg for the F150 Powerboost (hybrid) - I have never heard such honest straightforward feedback on the hidden features (and failures) as well as potential long-term expectations for ownership as vehicles become more “disposable”. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!
I am sorry to say but I have a 2022 Pac Hybrid Limited. One step down from the one in your video. I love mine. And yes there is a heat pump. And no the engine foes not come on every time you put your foot on the gas. I can remote start and have no gas engine startup unless it has been sitting for a while in the cold. But what you did not mention is the cabin/battery preconditioning system that helps to save gas and significantly reduces the amount of time the van needs to preheat in cold weather. I get about 50Km on a full charge in the summer and 25-30 km in the winter here in Alberta Canada. But here is where the Hybrid system does it's best work. I tend to do 250Km a day with work and basic commuting. Of that 250km if I stay so 60kph or less, so main roads, and not any inner city highways or byways over 65kph I can get about 175km of that 250km on electric. Once the batter(16kWh total. 12kWh for full Electric & 4kWh for Hybrid mode) is dead, keeping your speed to 60kph or less gives you about a 50e/50g ratio once you get over 70kph it's about a 40e/60g and 80kph is 30e/70g and 90+ it is 5e/95g ratios. So it is a great van for city driving all around. I was actually able to a 900+km trip last summer on one tank of gas, with 3.25 full charges. Some of your negative points I feel were valid but unless you've driven it long term you'd have learned that many of your negative points are actually not so negative. She is a wonderful van in my books. Though I do mis the Stow&Go and my AWD from my 2020 Launch edition. But I do not miss filling up my tank once every 6 days. I actually got 45 day & 3300km out of one tank back in the first week of July 2022. Before I started driving for work everyday I was averaging 1700km Electric & 330km gas with every fill up. Tot fill ups from Mar 15 to July 25 2022 was 5 fills at an average of 26 between fill ups. All on a level 1 charger at 12hrs to charge from 0-100%. The only things I wish this van had are: 1) Rear motor for AWD 2) Ability for the driver to be able to manually disengage the Regen breaks. 3) The ability to switch driving modes. (Full Electric, Hybrid or Full gas) Even if the ECU could change to full hybrid if driving over 70kph to conserve battery power at higher speeds would be nice.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana where it can get cold during winters and was concerned about the battery range during winter. I'm split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina yes I do. Even on my old 2020 Launch Edition with AWD I had winter tires. I would not drive in the winter with anything else for my family. Just be carful with the regen breaks on tho pacific. When the traction control kicks in the regen breaks will disengage leaving you with no breaks for 0 to 2 sec even with your don't on the break peddle. Scary feeling first few times.
Since the late 1970s Ive bought 5 Chrysler products new off the lot. They do make some great looking products. Unfortunately I have never experienced one that wasn't plagued with a plethora of mechanical and or electrical problems..I finally gave up hope if finding a well made one. From personal experience, IMO, Chrysler / Dodge quality and reliability is tied with Land Rover.
Longterm rental for work here. This is great. Used it without plugging in for two weeks. Just started plugging in. Even easier and more efficient. I got 50+ mpg driving to dc without plugging in
I owned Pacifica plugin in 2019, it never worked on winter days under 24 F. dealer was not able to fix after 4-5 attempts about 2 months in shop. finally Chrysler bought back. I am glad they owned the responsibility well. I will definitely buy Pacifica, they day I hear the word RELIABLE about pacific hybrid.
That's because you had the heat on. It takes at least 20 minutes to get to temp. Turn off the heat and use the electric seats and the hybrid works fine. Dealer can't fix what's not broken.
@@PaulDo22 lol I would consider that a serious design flaw if the van can't use the heater when its cold outside. Or that you have to let the car warm up for 20 minutes before turning the heat on.
@@jettrooper101 Are you saying the car wouldn't even turn on under 24 degrees or that the electric battery wouldn't power the car at that temp? That wouldn't be a surprise because the car needs to heat up the battery when it's below freezing.
@@jettrooper101 It can use the heater. It just takes short amount of time to heat everything up before the ICE turns back off. Not sure why this is such an issue b/c in a lot of cold climate locations if it's that cold people are going to turn on their car and let it idle to warm up and defrost before they leave anyway.
Thanks for the education on cold weather. I live in the northeast and my wife has the Prius prime plugin and it is amazing you get heat instant in the winter and because we live 2 miles one way to work, the car is always warm and always running on electric. I didn't realize this Pacifica didn't do well in the winters because I recently picked up the 22 Pacifica hybrid because I was so impressed with her Prius and needed a family carrier. Good to know the extra limitations but overall still happy I went with the hybrid over the AWD version with stow and go. I may need to go for a road trip just so the gas doesn't go bad. 6 months going strong and still not using any gas on the Prius. The van though I have used gas but hybrids for the win overall in my opinion.
You have to heat 4x the space compared to Prius economy car. Try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Just bought a new plug in hybrid Pacifica in November. Fortunately we live in the Bay Area where the temperature is almost always between 50 and 75 degrees. So far so good. I’m not sure I understand the part about ‘every time you push push the accelerator you’re going to be using the engine’. It does kick on if I really need to push it and of course when I’m below 1%. But most of the time it’s in electric mode. We only drive about 6k miles a year, but mostly short trips which means this will be effectively a 70% electric vehicle.
I own the 2020 plugin version. During cold climate you can leave plugged in and start the carn manually. The engine will stay off provided the climate controls are off. Also you can leave it running so that the battery can be warmed up. Then while on the road the engine really doesn't start unless you need cabin heat. At that point if you set the temp to about 70 it will use the battery and keep engine off. In summary the range in below 30 degrees is about 25 miles. Still not bad.
*Range is 25 miles without using the heat in below freezing temps. What kind of person is going to let their kids freeze just to get that range? Might as well be 0 miles.
Try this below 50°F: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
I was going to buy a pinaccle plug in hybrid in Hawaii but they wanted $10,000 over msrp. I bought a Honda odyssey elite 3/2003 and I am so glad that I did. Glad I watched this whole video. Thank you
What a wonderful set of reviews you have! This is no exception. It’s like taking your personal mechanic to the dealership for an appraisal. I wish you could review every car ever made in this format.
Ok I admit it. I skipped through to the end. As a person who had terrible service with my Voyager van, I had to know what you thought, the bottom line. I do agree with you on the reliability. I buy a car for reliability and I figure this van is good for……maybe four years. You had better get an extended warranty. Give me my ‘11 Prius hybrid and my ‘16 Rav4 hybrid both of which have been absolutely trouble free.
@@rightlanehog3151 Yeah chrysler never had good internals so in the pacifica they focused on features rather than performance and at that it still is almost 50k! Honestly I really want honda/toyota to make a luxury minivan to outrule chrysler because chrysler needs a reality check
2:00 I have a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country with 3.6l engine. In 2018, The plastic oil filter housing was cracked and there was a puddle of engine oil underneath. It costed me $1500 to repair 😭. The plastic oil filter was probably over tightened at one of oil change service shops. Yes, Ahmed, having plastic on plastic is a very bad idea. I cannot believe 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is still keeping the same design. 😂 On the other hand, my wife loves the stow and go feature. 😊
I own a 2022 and live in FL. 17k miles and all was good until it decided to dump all its oil on the freeway while driving 80 mph. Immediately pulled over as oil pressure dropped quickly to 20 psi. Hope it didn’t harm anything. That said the failure was due to a plastic part around the oil cooler. Other than this issue it’s been fine and wanted to share additional impressions. First it’s heavy and feels it and just likes to drive straight. Losing the stow and go middle seats was a big deal but you gain more comfortable middle seats, they mirror the front seats with way more cushion. Running mostly electric mode you will eventually have to deal with the fuel refresh mode where the engine runs 100% until your gas is empty. Its suppose prevent the fuel from getting stale but defeats the purpose of a plug in hybrid. It’s also annoying. There’s no spare tire. The carpet area in the trunk area is always pulling away from the trim. The AC seats are great. You have to buy a rear bumper protector bc it’ll get beat up. The rear seat floor panels constantly detaches when folding the rear seat.
Was curious about switching my '14 Sienna with a used '22 Pacifica, this review was amazing in terms of real world information that only ownership would tell you. Great stuff!
@@MysticWraithI ended up sticking with my Sienna! I couldn't justify the cost of upgrading yet as the car still works fine still. Motor will last for a while. Sure suspension needs work but cost of that vs a 'new' car is huge! I think all the bells and whistles of the Pacifica would be super cool to have, but in the end, all the key features, my van already has. Power doors, Android auto (I upgraded the head unit before), huge trunk space.
Three points, though: 1) it's available now instead of waiting 1-2 years for a comparable Sienna hybrid (e.g., in limited or platinum trim), 2) even when not attempting to be a pure EV it gets over 80 mpge blowing away the competition, and 3) it is currently eligible for a tax credit which takes its price lower than that of the top end of the competitors (even if you assumed that you could find a competitor, such as a Sienna without a huge "market adjustment").
it gets 80mpge when combined with charged battery usage, without the battery in real life scenarios like steady highway driving, it's anywhere from 24-32 mpg. still great for a minivan but definitely nowhere near the 80 mpg bs advertised
I rather wait two years and get a reliable minivan, than buying this piece of junk and spent countless days getting stuff fixed at the dealer. No thank you.
Yes it is available because nobody wants this overcomplicated and hence unreliable vehicle. Unless you just lease it for a warranty period. Still, you'll spend lots of time at the dealer fixing it. My friend had it and traded in in 2 years
I would wait the 2 years for a Toyota. Had only bad experiences owning Chrysler products not only myself several family members and friends that made the mistake of buying Chryslers
I mean, there are other reasons to buy a vehicle than reliability, right? Someone might buy it because they prefer the way it looks or drives, because they want to decrease carbon emissions, because they like certain features, or because they feel that it is more luxurious, etc. If you are concerned solely with reliability, then a 60k complicated vehicle with myriad motors and technologies is probably not the vehicle for you. It's reasonable to wait for a different brand, but I'm skeptical that you will necessarily spend "lots of time" or "countless days" getting things fixed at the dealer. I'd LOVE to see an objective statistical analysis of time spent in repairs or maintenance. Is it a matter of 2 repairs per year instead of 1, or is it a matter of 50 repairs per year instead of 0? For me, my primary concern is reliability's (or its perceived reliability) effect on resale value and safety.
I like in MN and have a 22 pacifica hybrid and drive it on electric with close to full range frequently so your comment that it is worthless in cold climates is not accurate in my experience. It is true running the HVAC will generally trigger the ICE but if just using heated steering wheel and seats and especially if using scheduled conditioning I can go 30 miles all electric even I. 0 degrees. When using heater and not preconditioning it will still use electric for really great mpgs. In 1 year ownership I am over 60% electric miles. Great comprehensive review but had to comment it works great in winter for me and the preconditioning means it is warm and ready to go.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana, so I was concerned about the battery range during winter months. I'm currently split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. How does it handle in the snow. Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina I have a level 2 charger in my garage and park indoors overnight to charge - this means I always start with a full battery and on days with multiple trips can 'top-off' the battery between trips as a full charge is 2hrs max on level 2. The other benefit is this allows me to set a schedule for cabin conditioning - essentially you can program in 3 events to tell the van you want it to be ready when you leave by preconditioning the battery and cabin to your set temp using only the electric heater which will generally allow you to run on all electric right away. Even on days with temps below 0 degrees I can start in EV and run up to 30 miles or so on electric if I precondition and then use heated seats and steering wheel and dry conservatively. If you use defrost or heat it will generally start the engine until things are warmed up but even when the engine is running the motors are still assisting with propulsion and after a brief time the engine will shut off and the van will return to electric only operation until the battery is depleted. Looking at my trip odometer of my last 6,955 miles I have done 3,943.8 on electric and 3,012 on hybrid with an average hybrid mpg of 30 - keeping in mind this includes several weeks of sub freezing temps, snow covered roads and winter gas blend. Regarding the snow performance - I have not run dedicated winter tires so far as my other vehicle is a Ram 1500 with dedicated winter tires and 4wd. The van performs pretty well in snow but it may depend on what OEM tires your van comes with - mine has 17" Yokohama's. The Hybrid is heavy so stopping on ice can be a challenge with the OEM tires and once these wear I am planning to fit one of the newer all weather tires like the Michelin CrossClimate 2.
@@brianmiller4370below 50°F try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Thank you for this excellent and thorough review. You bring an important perspective (engineering and reliability) that most other reviewers won't touch.
The Toyota parked behind explains the bias. 2 points of disagreement, the 4 timing chains are a smart idea. It disperses the overall load between 4 chains rather than over working 1 or 2 chains. They last longer. You regularly see these motors on marketplace with 3-450,000 miles on the original motor. Second, the rear shock on the left assists the motorized shock on the right for equal distribution of the doors weight. I’m on my 5th caravan and I’ve never had a rear hatch motor or any slider door issues. In fact my current 2010 Caravan has 208,000 miles on it. Original transmission, starter, alternator, water pump, it has never failed to start and has never broken down. That’s why it the number 1 selling minivan because of repeat buyers like me, they are excellent vehicles.
This guy definitely loves Toyota and Lexus. Consumer Report, though, reports very bad problems with the PacHyb last year. I would have loved to buy one, then that CR came out.
Thanks for the video i always learn something new from your content, Here is my feedback on my 2017 pacigica hybrid in 6th year running great at 60k as it is on first day of smoothness, with maintanance of 4 oil changes and one set of tires, In California engine never comes on event if temp is 40f, gas mileage is good gets 30 mpg for this much bulky vehicle, reliability is a concern for chrysler brand, so some of your feedback on quality is agreeable.
There are so many coolant reservoirs because of the pressure. One for the main radiator, the other for the EV system to cool it, without having it under pressure (less failure). The car will kick on the engine to warm coolant in sub zero temperatures (to make sure the battery can charge) but this is a byproduct of all EVs.
Enjoyed this review. I had been looking to get a mini van for a while and eventually purchased a 2023 Toyota Sienna Woodlands (no wait, was on the lot with no markup). I hope the Sienna holds up like the other Toyotas we have owned (Corolla, Camry, Venza). The Chrysler Pacifica was on the short list since already have owned a 2005 Caravan in the past. The 2005 Caravan was the most functional, best driving, and most comfortable vehicle I had ever owned, but ... No matter how well it did all those things, it went to the shop on a regular basis for this or that, mostly electronic issues, which negated all the great attributes. Upon taking the van back to the dealer for warranty work, the dealer would find nothing wrong which was frustrating. An example of a simple fix made difficult was a missing rubber bumper to the passenger sliding door. The door made a metal on metal sound upon closing. Two times the service department found no issues with the door. On the third service return, had the service manager listen to how each door sounded different when closed - this is when the missing bumper was noticed. Took three trips to the dealer, and two car rentals, to replace an obvious body issue, frustrating! The big issue with the van was the electronic module which was replaced three or four times before being correctly repaired, and numerous lock actuators had to be replaced. To top off the decision not to purchase another Chrysler product, I researched the newer models to see if the same issues still persisted, and they do. If Chrysler cannot fix known issues in 15 years, they will not get my business. BTW, the Caravan had a catastrophic failure on a road trip leaving us stranded at around 110,000 miles on the vehicle. It was a costly repair and the vehicle was never the same again. One last thing about the Chrysler is the resale value. Upon purchasing a Toyota Venza, the dealership initially refused the trade-in on the Caravan (which still looked like new except for the broken cup holders on the middle seats).
The Pacifica's ride is amazing! Super quiet and smooth like a typical luxury car! My 2015 Sienna is super bumpy and full of squeaks and rattles from EVERYWHERE(literally) with ZERO(literally) noise insulation.
I have a 2013 with almost 108k mi. I've been pleasantly surprised by the reliability. At 99k I had several minor issues I did myself. Thermostat and EVAP canister. The stow N go is awesome. I go camping and fold the seats to sleep in the back. I know they overall aren't reliable but my example has been. I wouldn't feel confident getting the hybrid.
These reviews are great, very detailed. I'm a long time Chrysler enthusiast having purchased four of them over the years. I however confess, having lived with an EV for the last 3 years, I just don't see the appeal of a hybrid. If you can plug in that plug-in hybrid where you live, you can plug in an EV instead. You drastically reduce use of a brake pedal, and therefore any brake maintenance. And with no engine or transmission you totally bypass the need for oil changes, oil filters, transmission fluid or trans maintenance, engine air intake filter, serpentine belt, & the alternator. Plus the car is dead quiet and doesn't rumble while you're on the highway going 70mph.
I agree if your referring to a simple hybrid, but must disagree if you're referring to a plug in hybrid with a 30+ mile range. Our family goes on frequent road trips, so most of our gas miles have come from that. City driving has been close to 90% electric for my family. All your points are still reasonably applicable to this mini-van. You have two selectable levels of regen and little brake wear. Extremely infrequent oil changes when driven primarily electric, a transmission similar to an EV drivetrain with similar fluid requirements. Air filter and belt similar to oil changes........based on how much you use the gas engine. There is no alternator or starter to fail, just like an EV. The dead quiet aspect is one of this van's best features, until the engine starts, then it's still better than normal thanks to decent sound deadening. Actually, the engine isn't the issue, some have complained that the motor generator tranny creates a whine/drone that can be heard at lower speeds. I can hear it too. They should put active noise cancelling in the cabin as a feature and that would do the trick.
The 4 chains are a good thing because the actual timing chains are much shorter . And Port Fuel Injection is just great, I wish I could get rid of my Cadillac 3.6 DI system, and exchange it for TPFI like in the old days.
We had a lot of issues with recalls on this vehicle (2018), but the features cannot be beaten. Depending on the type of driving you do, you may not fill up hardly ever. We find that we only fill up when driving on trips. Once we get to our destination, we are able to drive around for 35 miles without using gas.The only time the engine turns on is when you floor it or when it is particularly cold. If you warm up the car, you will notice more electric driving vs gas. We ended up repurchasing this car after driving the '18 to 98,000 miles because it has so many good features. We did purchase the extended warranty which turned out to be really smart because we have had a lot of issues. This is the only time I have ever felt that we got our money's worth with the extended warranty. Chrysler is notoriously bad with electrical components. Our doors failed more than once and there was a recall on the batteries that put it in the shop for quite a while. This only shows how much we liked the vehicle because we were willing to go back to it after all of that. We had a Sienna previously which was definitely more reliable, but not nearly as comfortable or fuel efficient.
I appreciate your thorough review. We absolutely love our 2017 Pacifica which has honestly been relatively trouble free. However, your concern is 100% spot on as we had a major failure just this past summer on a road trip; the only downtime and dealer visit the van has ever had. The AC had died while driving through Texas in 105 degree heat. We were close to our hotel and felt we could deal with it and make it there and then follow up with a nearby service department the next day. Unfortunately, just as you described, the electric AC compressor that failed is also used to cool the battery coolant and therefore, the entire van shutdown to “protect” itself (and presumably keep us safe). Being residents of Florida, this is the perfect vehicle as we routinely get 1,200-1,500 miles between tanks but I can absolutely see where it might not be as useful in the colder climates.
I have a 18 pacifica gas model its been great to have those stow n go seats are what sets it apart from the rest , my only issue is bubbling paint on my hood and bottom of sliding doors
@@hottew_twat3963 I had hood issue on my 2017 , was able to get it repainted under warranty. It’s a known problem, check with Dealer to see if they will repair even after warranty expires
We are on the Westside of CLE too. For cooler weather try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
If you ever need to tow a livestock or RV trailer, a Dodge Ram 2500 or 3500 pickup with a Cummins diesel engine and manual transmission are what I would recommend. I've owned one for 24 years, and it's an outstanding tow vehicle, and will tow loads far beyond what any gas engine truck can handle. But I'd never buy a Dodge car or minivan. Look on the road for older cars, and what you will mostly see are Toyotas: Corollas, Camrys, Tacomas, and even the occasional Echo or Tercel. There are still a lot of old 1980's Ford F-150's and Econoline vans still around; somehow Ford was building those trucks to last a long time. But most cars over 20 years old are gone now, except for those with collector value like 60's muscle cars.
I had a major issue with engine blowing oil after 100k miles. Chrysler replaced all the pistons, no charge. Equinox. Other than that I have done very little maintenance. Also had an engine block crack at 38k miles on an HHR. Even though it was out of warranty Chrysler replaced the engine block. Chrysler has been really great about taking care of issues.
As commented by many, he missed the fact that this vehicle has resistance heaters for the battery and HVAC as primary and engine heat to supplement. I think there's debate on if this or a heat pump like the RAV4 prime is better in cold weather. Good info on how the coolant system works, I imagine that's a weak point on all phevs and evs, so us owners will need to stay vigilant about checking levels, especially after any services or minor accidents! Even though there's a lot of hoses and plastic, one encouraging thing is that brittleness should be delayed/reduced as a result of far fewer heat cycles. We have 55k on our 2018 model, but only maybe 20k with the engine running thus creating the higher temps to stress plastics. These have been on market since 2017, so there should be a lot of service info on them by now, but I'm guessing most is done under warranty so not much service content on youtube still. Ours has been trouble free so far, but more service vids would make me feel better! Still love our van, biggest gripes are how low to the ground it is...scrapes more than our old van and I can't easily put a bike rack hitch on it since towing is a no-no.
Or just do this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
This is a wonderful tour of the vehicle. I mostly agree with his assessment. I disagree with his claim that it doesn't work well in the cold. I live in Chicago. If it is parked in a garage, the battery will be warm enough to use. If you are driving less than 10 miles you will have a coat on and don't need the cabin heater. If you are going further the engine will heat up and then it will be electric until you have used the battery and are running in hybrid mode anyway. Having a heat pump would have been a good idea. I have 105k miles and over 6 years on mine.
Heated seats and fully heated stwering(not 10 and 2 like Toyota/Lexus). Also try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
I have 235,000 miles on mine in Chicago. Preheating in the winter works to a point. Heated electric seats for front passengers are a must. Rear passengers better have coats on because you can't turn on the climate control heat without turning on the engine so heat stays off until hybrid battery runs out.
@@RyanSommer Replaced the transmission close to 200k. Now it needs a suspension rehaul. Front/rear shocks and struts. Control arms. Etc. Otherwise been great.
@@PaulDo22try this below 50°F: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
All my car knowledge comes from sources like you tube channels. By far, this is the most refreshing approach. no drone shots, no search for poetic superlatives in order to get views. A driving impression of a new car supplied by a factory or dealer simply does not bring knowledge, it only tries to describe an experience. I wish the creator a great journey to 1 million subscibers, -well deserved.
I was stopped at a stop sign in my 2021 Pacifica Hybrid. A turning vehicle T-Boned me between the driver's door and sliding door at 25 MPH. No broken glass. No airbag deployment. The doors were smashed, but, I drove the car home and to the dealer body shop. Now, 5 months later, the work should be complete within a week, or so. They could not get parts. They could not get paint. They had to replace the roof, I-beam, driver door, sliding door, front seat, headliner, front fender, charge port, front headlight, front grill, etc., etc. I would be surprised if this doesn't turn into an even bigger nightmare once I get it back. Almost $20K worth of damage.
I bought a 2023 and within 10 day of owning it it already in the shop. I would love to show y’all my video on what’s wrong with a brand new van it’s crazy
As far as I know all the Stellantis vehicles that came from FCA have their lift gate button on the side like that. It's actually nice as shorter people can use it w/o having to stretch their arms way up.
Sir, I like your channel and appreciate your opinions, though I have to take you to task on the Chrysler bashing. Out of all the models from Chrysler, the non hybrid version is one of my least concerns at this point. The Pentastar is one of the better V6 engines on the market from a reliability perspective (no internal waterpump driven by a timing chain, no timing belt, no direct injection, no cylinder deactivation, no turbocharging). The primary weaknesses are the hengst made plastic oil filter housing and some have had some head issues. In fairness, you admitted the 2GR had been known for head gasket problems and mentioned a similar issue with versions with the plastic oil filter housing. It's fair to point out that the ZF9 speed had it's share of teething issues when it came out and Chrysler was not alone with the issues as Honda also experienced issues with it. However, the same can be said for Toyota's 8 speed, so the lesson here is give new designs a few years to work the bugs out regardless of the manufacturer. The Sienna being Hybrid only using so many plastic parts and precision specific details on the 4cylinder also makes it a question mark for now. While there are specific years of Chrysler vans that would be wise to avoid such as the 08-10 years, the early years of the A604, and pretty much any van using a 2.6 Mitsubishi, most I have seen WHEN MAINTENANCE CORRECTLY, will run fine and provide an excellent service life. Most of the problems are either bad mechanics (using the wrong transmission fluid and over tightening oil filter housing), neglectful owners, bad years, or bad luck. Let's remember that Toyota has had their bad years and bad designs as well like the sludging 2.2 and 3.0, certain years of the 2AZ, etc. Is a random Toyota on average more reliable than a random Chrysler? obviously yes. Will I defend all Chrysler models in this fashion? No. My point is Chrysler usually gets their vans right. If a person wants a hybrid van, I would recommend the Toyota and recommend avoiding the Chrysler until they have at least 10 years under their belt. But the regular version should be okay if maintained correctly. There's a reason other than price, stow n go, and styling that Chrysler has held on to this market after having lost so many other segments. They eventually get them sorted out (unlike many of their other models). Having said all of this, I wish you a good day and look forward to the next video.
I have the Pacifica hybrid for a year now. It's is a great vehicle. Stow n go not being available isn't an issue since we have car seats in both seats for the next 6 years. Yes, you shouldn't floor it to get use out of the electric side of things. But you don't have to drive like a granny either. There is plenty of power whenever you need it. The suspension and low center of gravity make it super responsive on the road and makes taking those left hand turns on yellow possible. And with the $7.5k tax credit it is a better deal than the competition. Plus as a plug in you get to park in electric vehicle parking and charge.
There are several reasons why the hv battery pack doesn’t have electric heaters. Using coolant and heat conduction plates the vehicle can transfer heat in and out to keep battery within a temperature range. If you install electric heaters they can’t remove heat and you don’t have space left for heat sink to make contacts with batteries to cool them. If you use electric heater to heat the coolant then let it warm up the battery, it will drain battery power and reduce efficiency and propulsion power, and typical electric heater power are not as high as heat gives off by engine, and engine heat is free byproduct of combustion. You may think from mechanics perspective it’s complicated but it’s more effective
Winter remote starts were useless in my brand new '12 Wrangler because it automatically activated the heater and set fan to max. Thermostat worked fine, yet coolant still couldn't warm up if flowing through heater core with fan on max. Even if I gave it 15 minutes, I would still climb into a cold Jeep with coolant gauge at zero.
One note regarding the fuel tank, the normal version has a plastic tank, the steel tank is only used on the hybrid. According to their training, it's supposed to better handle the pressures and vacuum levels inherent to the way they've designed the emissions system on the hybrid only model. I agree with what you said though, they are prone to rust in wintery areas. I suspect they learned from Ford about vacuum in plastic tanks, they had to recall/do warranty replacement on many Focus models, they would suck up the bottom of the tank, hit on the sending unit and either kill the pump, or more frequently jam up the float and cause frozen fuel gauges. Why it's hybrid only, I don't remember the reasoning given unfortunately.
@@normt430 Correct, but this system is just excessive safety, it makes sure you couldn't stick the nozzle in so fast the pressure would spray fuel, as unlikely as that would be. This system monitors pressure and dumps it from the purge valve prior to just the door itself being unlocked. As per exceedingly boring Chrysler training lol
@@normt430 we're saying the same thing I think lol. I was just explaining why the hybrid has a steel fuel tank while the regular 3.6 van has a more common plastic tank.
Truth is truth give joy & thanks as the Master Mechanic has spoken . For me this van is a engineering nightmare, gives meaning to the words - Keep it simple Stupid ! Thank You for another fabulous video presentation. BillB
I have a friend who recently bought a 2022 Pacifica non hybrid with AWD. Very easy to drive, lots of standard equipment and a very nice and comfortable place to be in. People may go poo poo on it because its a Chrysler, but after doing their research, this was the smartest choice for an easy to live with vehicle that has AWD when they have two small kids. Plus the 3.6 V6, is actually a pretty punchy motor, with it having nearly 300 HP it gets up to speed pretty quickly.
Excellent review love it. Very different and more informative than most car reviews. I'd love to see your review method for a 2023 Honda Odyssey Black Edition :)
Disagree re: heat pump needed for heat without ICE. I had a Volt for 5 years and never needed the ICE for heat as it had resistive heaters. The Rav4 turns the ICE on all the time in winter in EV mode. Many EV's still have no heat pump but only resistive heating
I live in FL, and it was recently "cold" at 45 -60 F. And I would intentionally floor the gas so the engine would crank on because I wanted the heat from the engine to help defrost my windshield and warm the van. I like the idea of it coming on in the winter. Love this van, well thought through. I wish it had a high wattage house outlet 110 volt. It is only 150ish watts. I had a Mitsubishi Outlander that had 1500 watt outlets, which I could use for any appliance such as a vacuum. I don't miss stow and go at all. I wish it had a middle seat option rather. The 2nd row seats are more comfortable than stow and go.
The 140v L2 charger is the key here. Then try this: During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Not sure about the hybrid, but my 2018 gas model is very reliable in winters, summers, falls or springs. And there is no rattling like some of the Japanese vans. The built quality is excellent. The seats are firm but it holds up very well even after almost 6 years. It’s definitely more comfortable than all the Japanese cars I own/owned. My Honda’s leather seats are very disappointing and they are hurting my back for longer drive. And my Subaru SUV are very NOT comfortable at all. There was no issue with the Pacifica except the small batteries needed to change after a little over 2 years and the main battery needed to change around 40k. That is pretty much it. Everything works as day one otherwise. The power is adequate and acceleration is adequate for passing on highways. It’s a minivan and i don’t expect it to win any race. Most of us use it to get from point a to post b with family and for family trips. The minivan tows and hauls a lot of stuff. You can’t find another one that is more practical than the Pacifica out there. Especially sienna doesn’t even offer detachable second row seats. Pacifica‘s infotainment system is the best of all systems I have used…American , Japanese, German…and the hidden entertainment screens are a very nice feature for kids and adults. The HK 17 speakers system sound better than most high end home theater system if you watch movies with it. It’s overall an excellent minivan. I’ve been using Chrysler and Jeep products for the past 15 years and none of them had any problem honestly. I just do regular maintenance ( oil changes, brake changes, transmission, fluid change etc). But the Honda and Subaru I own /owned are different stories.
My 2012 Chrysler Town and Country has the 3.6 Pentastar. It's been a great motor. 143k so far so good. Wish the rest of the van was as good. I'll take port over GDI, good way to avoid carbon build up.
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At a risk of repeating myself, these videos give us an insight and product knowledge that you would only get from ownership. This should help reduce our old enemy, buyer remorse. Great public service broadcasting here from TCCN gang. Thank you.
At the risk of repeating myself, 👏👏👏👏👏
You're repeating yourself again Ray
No it doesn't its basically this guy sh1tting on anything not Toyota.
Risk it!!
Your reviews are excellent. Better than the dudes out there who make an appointment with a dealer and drive the car for 10 minutes and tell you that it’s the best.
😅 guess you've never owned one. Worst pule of garbage I've ever driven. Breaks down every 6-8 weeks. Different problem each time plus some repeating problems UGHHHH
I have this exact van. 2021 Pinnacle Hybrid. It has 40k miles. No problems. We love it. So comfy and smooth. I go months without gassing it up. We love the 35 miles of EV range. We save about $200 a month, not buying gas. The engine basically only runs on cold days or long road trips. It only needs one oil change a year.
Obviously you must live in a warm climate. I live in a very cold climate and I'm quite sure I wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic about this van. For 5 months of the year when in EV mode the engine would be constantly starting so I can have heat inside the van thus defeating the purpose of having a plug-in hybrid.
Give us an update at 100k miles.
@@henryhonda8408 I live in Ohio. It was 24° this morning.
The battery can run the heater just fine on low, in the winter. If you crank it up on high yes the engine will run about 5 minutes and then shut off. That’s still better than running gas all day long.
@@MrKillerRC We’re lucky to hit 24 degrees mid afternoon here. That would be downright tropical this time of year. You see people in shorts when it gets that warm. That’s funny that you think that’s cold.
@@rogerwatson2255 Cool for you. It got down to -20° a month ago. But It’s not what my definition of cold is. It’s the battery’s definition. 75°F is optimal for lithium batteries. 30° is cold for a battery and activates the battery heater and engine to warm the battery and cabin. That’s what kills mpg, which is the topic here.
When I turned 50 this year, I had a reverse mid-life crisis and instead of buying a sports car, I bought a mini van! 😂
I looked at all of them, and liked the Pacifica the best. I didn't opt for the Hybrid because of the recalls and issues. I didn't think the higher price justified the money you potentially save on gas. Plus, when you get the Hybrid, you can't have the Stow and Go option, or the power folding rear seats.
I really, really love my 2023 Pacifica Limited though. It has more bells and whistles than the Odyssey, and you cannot get a Sienna unless you want to be on a waiting list for over a year. Kia was just a no. I picked it because I love the Stow and Go option. There is just so much versatility with this car. You can fold everything flat if you need to move something, or stow just some of the seats -- there is just so much flexibility. Chrysler really knocks it out of the park in that department! I will disagree with you in that I do think it is very quiet when you drive it. I think there is some special noise dampening system in the car. The visibility is awesome and the driver's seat is extremely comfortable. I have had no issues with the UConnect system -- the resolution is crystal clear and it's very easy to use. The console isn't overly complicated with too many buttons. The car's built in navigation works great if you don't want to hook up your phone. I have the Safety Sphere added in my car, and it is a far better camera system than the Odyssey. I just love that Chrysler thought of every little detail -- hooks for hanging grocery bags, hooks for hanging dry cleaning, USBs everywhere, sliding compartments for cup holders, the Fire TV, the AMAZING pano roof, and my absolute favorite --- the VACUUM!! I highly recommend you get the theater package if you have kids -- my kids can hook up their X-Box in the back when we take a longer car trip. You also get the vacuum and a Blue Ray player with that package. The vacuum won't replace using a shop vac, but it sure is handy for smaller jobs. Some people really dislike Chrysler because of past reliability issues. I don't keep cars for years and years -- so hopefully in the time that I do have it I won't have issues. So far I absolutely love it and I would recommend it if you are in the market for a mini van.
good points! I didnt realize NO stow/go w Hybrid..........thats pivotal for me
Nice. Perfect👍
Thanks for the details! I'm looking at buying a used one (non-hybrid) and am definitely going to get an extended warranty with it.
First time watching this commentator and I couldn’t help but feel he should be heading an automobile design team somewhere. He understands the engineering in great depth but also explains things in a simple way and expresses his opinions and recommendations well.
I am so impressed by the fluency with which you present a 40 minute review! Thank you for putting in the effort and for being so thorough! It really helped me steer me away from the plug-in hybrid to the regular Limited S AWD version of this vehicle. I really wish you success and best of luck!
Hi guys. I drive Pacifica hybrid 2017 . I do Uber and airport limo service. Current mileage 375 000 kilometres. Besides few recalls I got the following issues:
1. Front struts replaced at 300k kilometres. Cost 2000 Canadian dollars tax in labor and parts included.
2. Currently pending (parts ordered) electric coolant heater. Check engine light on. Estimated cost 1900 dollars.
Besides above I didn’t have any other problem.
I buy premium gas and use synthetic oil. Drive it every day year round in the city of Toronto.
Thank you for your comment. What is your real MPG? I also wonder what issues you have besides those shown in this video - ruclips.net/video/p8DMgBtjGbk/видео.html
@@oneundecided thank you for liking my comment:)
I traded my 2017 for 2023 Pacifica hybrid. I don’t calculate mpg. I t makes no sense for me as I am charging during the day wherever it’s possible. I calculate that a 100 dollars on gas brings me 1000 gross income average. It’s 10% compared to a previous grand caravan where it was 25% on gas from my gross earnings.
How many miles before trading for a new one?
We picked up an ex-rental with 60k miles and really enjoy it.
@@oneundecidedhe came back for a 2nd one!
@@normt430 400k kilometres. Now drive 2023 Pacifica. Got it brand new in April 2023. Currently 68k kilometres on odo. So far everything is alright. How ever sway bar was to be replaced under warranty.
Great review but as a owner of 2023 pinnacle edition with 26K odometer, it’s a very nice and quite minivan, we mostly drive on pure electric with 18K fully electric and 8K hybrid without any issue, I live in Canada and we have cold winter and in a cold weather we are still on fully eclectic mode without engine kicks in, for sure we get better electric range when the weather is warmer and only in a extreme cold weather like -10 Celsius or colder the engine kicks in more often.
This vehicle does have a 7kw resistance heater that can heat both the battery and cabin. The reason the A/C fluid doesn't go directly into the battery is to reduce the cooling pipework inside the battery.
Over five years into my ownership of a 2018 Pacifica PHEV. Still like it a lot. Rarely fillup gas. Engine is a little rough when the engine idles. 30,000 miles on it. Less than 5000 miles on the gas engine. So far, battery is holding up well. The 12v battery is holding up well too. The driver's side sliding door doesn't like to close since it was new. There are a lot of coolant hoses. At least they are using the same fluid. I don't like that I am not allowed to tow with it. I've driven it when it was 6 degrees F and the motor does come on when you turn on the heater. Then it will turn off and still provide heat.
Try this to help lessen engine run time in colder weather.
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Why can't you tow with it?
Nobody does a better car review than you!! You tell it like it is, good and bad. Thank you!!
Thank you for your thorough reviews and thoughts. It’s great info to have when looking to make a purchase on vehicles. Given the sky high prices of vehicles, a vehicle purchase cannot be an impulse buy, but rather a well thought out purchase.
Hi I rent a Chrysler Pacifica every month for work and really enjoy the Hybrid system. It really saves you Gas when driving in the city. I live in Florida and haven't seen too much issues yet. My Wife owns a Chrysler Town & Country 2012 and had worked great for the past 10 years. Currently has 160,000 miles and still going strong.
Great review but disagree on a few things. In warm weather this is an excellent PHEV, cold weather probably not so good for the reasons he explained. We live in Texas and purchased our van 2017 and we love it. Over 150,000 miles zero issues. We plug in every day with a level 2 charger and it’s fully charged in 2 hours. We average 1000 miles / tank. We have the hybrid platinum version the pinnacle trim had not came out yet. Paid 45k but we received a 7,500 tax credit which was awesome!!!
Roughly $37,500 after tax credit. As long as you don’t floor it the motor will not turn on until the battery is depleted. We normally get 40 miles of electric range before the engine kicks on. Overall great mini van if you live in warm weather. Thanks
also there are workarounds in cold weather to make it work decently, you precondition while the car is plugged, if you don't blast the heat it usually works at least partially on full electric
@@user-3tf67bk46u the thing to remember about total mileage is that the ICE is not getting 100% of those miles. If you're driving 40 to 50 miles per day and you can get 30 to 35 miles from the electric, then only about 30 to 35% of the miles are on the ICE. So a 150k mi PHEV has an ICE with only about 50k miles on it.
Also, keep in mind that all of the associated engine issues at varying mileages are not 1-to-1 in a PHEV. While the ICE is not getting all the miles, a lot of the associated pumps and cooling systems are still getting the equivalent miles.
Try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
That is impressive that you got to 150k miles without major issue. Our 2018 Pacifica Limited Hybrid with 50k miles had quite few repairs and recalls that I'm not confident it will last another 5 years.
At 150K I’d say it’s worth replacing the battery 🔋 and continue with the fuel savings. I’m in Las Vegas but visit Southern California often where gas is very expensive. Looking at a used 2021 with 61K miles.
Thank you for making this video. I’ve been casually researching the Pacifica Hybrid for the last year and this video has given the most useful information to go off of, by far! I truly appreciate it!
The complaints about reliability are valid and I agree this vehicle is overly complex. However, I've had mine nearly two years, (two Midwest winters). I've saved a ton on gas. And that's just plugging in overnight with a trickle charge. I know where the public stations are and benefit from charging at work so those are considerations for any buyer as well. Yes, I get it. Toyotas are more reliable. I drove the new sienna. It was very nice, but comparably equipped cost a lot more (at the time) and didn't have the tax credit. You can't just say one base model costs more and say it's apples to apples. Toyota was louder, Infotainment was lame, middle seats don't come out, front seats are spongy and unsupportive (where chrysler's are admittedly too firm). And that clunky huge center console they put in is not going to be as useful as they claim. It's intrusive to say the least. I also owned a loaded 06 sienna once. It looked great, but it was full of rattles and squeaks. A faulty seal on the driver's door whistled constantly on the highway. It also couldn't hold the road for shit with any crosswind. Seats also looked great but were lumpy and uncomfortable. It basically failed in its job as a minivan. It was a big disappointment. Does that mean I think Toyotas are bad? Of course not but one size does not fit all and every car has problems. I've owned 2 town and countrys that were rock solid and would buy again. Pacifica jury is still out but I have a nice extended warranty to cover my arse.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana, so I was concerned about the battery range during winter months. I'm currently split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. How does it handle in the snow? Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina I haven't used snow tires but I know others do. It's not great in the snow. I think like most vehicles, hybrid versions have "efficiency" tires that tend to suck in winter. If you get a lot of snow, I would consider an AWD vehicle or snow tires. I don't get tons of snow. Tires are everything for traction, even more so than FWD vs AWD. Battery range will be worse in winter. just a fact. short cold trips will kill the mileage too. Once the car is warm, it can run on battery, then hybrid after and be very efficient. I still average mid to upper 20's in hybrid mode in winter (which is going to be more like upper teens to lower 20s on an ICE vehicle). All vehicles are less efficient in cold temps. Sienna and Pacifica Hybrid are no exceptions.
Totally agree w you. I love minivans and have owned many. I had 3 Pacificas - ice and hybrid and loved the hybrid the best. I was in a new sienna recent and was surprised how cheap and loud it was. I loved the 1st gen sienna. All the minivans have their pros and cons. I had the odyssey when my twins were baby and that car has the best seating for car seats and storage. The Pacifica is horrible when it comes to car seats.
I think the more you use the electric mode the less wear and tear you’ll place on the engine
I wanted to buy a Toyota but so many bad reviews about the quality and pricing
AMD, Chrysler/Fiat/Peugeot/Stellantis have never had a problem providing high style and plentiful features. Their chronic, decades-long problem is providing long term reliability. If I was in the market for a Hybrid minivan, I would choose a Sienna ten times out of ten. 😁
That is a flat out lie.
Correct, Fiat/Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep have always been a poser vehicle for the poor and weak minded, folks who only care what they look like now and haven’t the complexity of thought to anticipate the future. Chronically poor. Fast food employees. Folks who have to get a loan for a 10 year old 100k mile vehicle and don’t have the fiscal acumen to save money. Everyone I know laughs at people who drive these terrible vehicles.
@@ozarkliving7263
Only weak minded ignorant uninformed people make generalizations about others.
Own a 19’ Pacifica, paid cash. PM and tires only with 89k.
Own a 21’ Highlander, paid cash.
@@ozarkliving7263 well put. I will never buy dodge/Chrysler product
@Ozark Living you must be fun at parties......just a car dude
My neighbor has this exact model it has been crippled over and over by electrical problems and a severe parts shortage due to reliability of the broken part outpacing the parts being manufactured. They bought this to take their kids to football and soccer practice and it has let them down over and over. My other next door neighbor has a 2013 Sienna with 170k and has never missed a practice of their four kids. Chrysler/Stellantis is the epitome of “All show no go”
The best car reviewer I have come across on RUclips. very thorough, honest, and knowledgeable.
I love how you managed to keep a straight face recording this one. Great entertainment AMD & Co, thank you.
This video was amazing. So much better!!! than most other reviewers. This guy should be the new Motor Trend host, seriously.
Holy smokes this dude knows his stuff!!impressive
I love this review, thank you.
I have a 2021 Pacifica PHEV, and I have one point I disagree with you on. I take the van from my garage every morning, having been plugged in overnight, and I'm able to drive to work and back with the gas engine coming on only minimally or not at all. Stomp on the gas and it kicks in, sure, and maybe when I'm merging onto the highway, but in the driveway, on the street getting to the highway, the engine doesn't come on at all. Maybe that's a difference between model years, maybe its something in how I drive, but if I don't make any extra trips on a typical Monday to Friday I drive about 200 miles on less than a gallon of gas.
If I don't charge it or on longer trips I'm still getting between 35-40 mpg after the plug-in battery is used up, which seems pretty good to me for a minivan.
I have a friend is a service manager at a Chrysler dealership and when his mom came to him and said that she was thinking about buying a Pacifica he said well if you buy it I’ll see you heck of a lot more of you
Honest man! Mine has been in the service center 15+ times. I have spent more than the purchase price on repairs now. The one thing guaranteed with the Chrysler Pacifica is REGRET of the day you purchased it
I love your reviews- so will beg for the F150 Powerboost (hybrid) - I have never heard such honest straightforward feedback on the hidden features (and failures) as well as potential long-term expectations for ownership as vehicles become more “disposable”. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!
As always, you’re spot on. You are one of the few people I trust when it comes to cars. I hope you continue to have fun making these great videos.
I am sorry to say but I have a 2022 Pac Hybrid Limited. One step down from the one in your video. I love mine. And yes there is a heat pump. And no the engine foes not come on every time you put your foot on the gas. I can remote start and have no gas engine startup unless it has been sitting for a while in the cold. But what you did not mention is the cabin/battery preconditioning system that helps to save gas and significantly reduces the amount of time the van needs to preheat in cold weather. I get about 50Km on a full charge in the summer and 25-30 km in the winter here in Alberta Canada. But here is where the Hybrid system does it's best work. I tend to do 250Km a day with work and basic commuting. Of that 250km if I stay so 60kph or less, so main roads, and not any inner city highways or byways over 65kph I can get about 175km of that 250km on electric. Once the batter(16kWh total. 12kWh for full Electric & 4kWh for Hybrid mode) is dead, keeping your speed to 60kph or less gives you about a 50e/50g ratio once you get over 70kph it's about a 40e/60g and 80kph is 30e/70g and 90+ it is 5e/95g ratios. So it is a great van for city driving all around. I was actually able to a 900+km trip last summer on one tank of gas, with 3.25 full charges. Some of your negative points I feel were valid but unless you've driven it long term you'd have learned that many of your negative points are actually not so negative. She is a wonderful van in my books. Though I do mis the Stow&Go and my AWD from my 2020 Launch edition. But I do not miss filling up my tank once every 6 days. I actually got 45 day & 3300km out of one tank back in the first week of July 2022. Before I started driving for work everyday I was averaging 1700km Electric & 330km gas with every fill up. Tot fill ups from Mar 15 to July 25 2022 was 5 fills at an average of 26 between fill ups. All on a level 1 charger at 12hrs to charge from 0-100%.
The only things I wish this van had are:
1) Rear motor for AWD
2) Ability for the driver to be able to manually disengage the Regen breaks.
3) The ability to switch driving modes. (Full Electric, Hybrid or Full gas) Even if the ECU could change to full hybrid if driving over 70kph to conserve battery power at higher speeds would be nice.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana where it can get cold during winters and was concerned about the battery range during winter. I'm split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina yes I do. Even on my old 2020 Launch Edition with AWD I had winter tires. I would not drive in the winter with anything else for my family. Just be carful with the regen breaks on tho pacific. When the traction control kicks in the regen breaks will disengage leaving you with no breaks for 0 to 2 sec even with your don't on the break peddle. Scary feeling first few times.
Yes, his negatives are not really negatives in 2024!
Since the late 1970s Ive bought 5 Chrysler products new off the lot. They do make some great looking products. Unfortunately I have never experienced one that wasn't plagued with a plethora of mechanical and or electrical problems..I finally gave up hope if finding a well made one. From personal experience, IMO, Chrysler / Dodge quality and reliability is tied with Land Rover.
Longterm rental for work here. This is great. Used it without plugging in for two weeks. Just started plugging in. Even easier and more efficient. I got 50+ mpg driving to dc without plugging in
I owned Pacifica plugin in 2019, it never worked on winter days under 24 F. dealer was not able to fix after 4-5 attempts about 2 months in shop. finally Chrysler bought back. I am glad they owned the responsibility well. I will definitely buy Pacifica, they day I hear the word RELIABLE about pacific hybrid.
That's because you had the heat on. It takes at least 20 minutes to get to temp. Turn off the heat and use the electric seats and the hybrid works fine. Dealer can't fix what's not broken.
@@PaulDo22 lol I would consider that a serious design flaw if the van can't use the heater when its cold outside. Or that you have to let the car warm up for 20 minutes before turning the heat on.
@@jettrooper101 Are you saying the car wouldn't even turn on under 24 degrees or that the electric battery wouldn't power the car at that temp? That wouldn't be a surprise because the car needs to heat up the battery when it's below freezing.
@@jettrooper101 It can use the heater. It just takes short amount of time to heat everything up before the ICE turns back off. Not sure why this is such an issue b/c in a lot of cold climate locations if it's that cold people are going to turn on their car and let it idle to warm up and defrost before they leave anyway.
The interior colors of that van are really cool !
Thanks for the education on cold weather. I live in the northeast and my wife has the Prius prime plugin and it is amazing you get heat instant in the winter and because we live 2 miles one way to work, the car is always warm and always running on electric. I didn't realize this Pacifica didn't do well in the winters because I recently picked up the 22 Pacifica hybrid because I was so impressed with her Prius and needed a family carrier. Good to know the extra limitations but overall still happy I went with the hybrid over the AWD version with stow and go. I may need to go for a road trip just so the gas doesn't go bad. 6 months going strong and still not using any gas on the Prius. The van though I have used gas but hybrids for the win overall in my opinion.
You have to heat 4x the space compared to Prius economy car.
Try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
This is a pretty fair video review. Nice job CCN!
Just bought a new plug in hybrid Pacifica in November. Fortunately we live in the Bay Area where the temperature is almost always between 50 and 75 degrees. So far so good. I’m not sure I understand the part about ‘every time you push push the accelerator you’re going to be using the engine’. It does kick on if I really need to push it and of course when I’m below 1%. But most of the time it’s in electric mode. We only drive about 6k miles a year, but mostly short trips which means this will be effectively a 70% electric vehicle.
You have tge best car and at a good price with state and fed tax credits that no other van offers.
I own the 2020 plugin version. During cold climate you can leave plugged in and start the carn manually. The engine will stay off provided the climate controls are off. Also you can leave it running so that the battery can be warmed up. Then while on the road the engine really doesn't start unless you need cabin heat.
At that point if you set the temp to about 70 it will use the battery and keep engine off.
In summary the range in below 30 degrees is about 25 miles. Still not bad.
*Range is 25 miles without using the heat in below freezing temps. What kind of person is going to let their kids freeze just to get that range? Might as well be 0 miles.
You can use cabin heat on battery only, but if you crank it to max, the engine kicks in to help out.
Try this below 50°F:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
I was going to buy a pinaccle plug in hybrid in Hawaii but they wanted $10,000 over msrp. I bought a Honda odyssey elite 3/2003 and I am so glad that I did. Glad I watched this whole video. Thank you
What a wonderful set of reviews you have! This is no exception. It’s like taking your personal mechanic to the dealership for an appraisal. I wish you could review every car ever made in this format.
You aint buying shit
Ok I admit it. I skipped through to the end. As a person who had terrible service with my Voyager van, I had to know what you thought, the bottom line. I do agree with you on the reliability. I buy a car for reliability and I figure this van is good for……maybe four years. You had better get an extended warranty. Give me my ‘11 Prius hybrid and my ‘16 Rav4 hybrid both of which have been absolutely trouble free.
It has been 50 years since Chrysler made a product that could be ranked high in reliability.
@@rightlanehog3151 Yeah chrysler never had good internals so in the pacifica they focused on features rather than performance and at that it still is almost 50k! Honestly I really want honda/toyota to make a luxury minivan to outrule chrysler because chrysler needs a reality check
2:00 I have a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country with 3.6l engine.
In 2018, The plastic oil filter housing was cracked and there was a puddle of engine oil underneath. It costed me $1500 to repair 😭. The plastic oil filter was probably over tightened at one of oil change service shops.
Yes, Ahmed, having plastic on plastic is a very bad idea. I cannot believe 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is still keeping the same design. 😂
On the other hand, my wife loves the stow and go feature. 😊
Yeah if i ever have a vehicle with plastic parts like that im swapping it for medal ones immediately
This is a Pentstar V6. Not.one of the past.
Ironically, Toyota also used a plastic filter housing on the Rav 4. My VW does too. Very common
I own a 2022 and live in FL. 17k miles and all was good until it decided to dump all its oil on the freeway while driving 80 mph. Immediately pulled over as oil pressure dropped quickly to 20 psi. Hope it didn’t harm anything. That said the failure was due to a plastic part around the oil cooler. Other than this issue it’s been fine and wanted to share additional impressions. First it’s heavy and feels it and just likes to drive straight. Losing the stow and go middle seats was a big deal but you gain more comfortable middle seats, they mirror the front seats with way more cushion. Running mostly electric mode you will eventually have to deal with the fuel refresh mode where the engine runs 100% until your gas is empty. Its suppose prevent the fuel from getting stale but defeats the purpose of a plug in hybrid. It’s also annoying. There’s no spare tire. The carpet area in the trunk area is always pulling away from the trim. The AC seats are great. You have to buy a rear bumper protector bc it’ll get beat up. The rear seat floor panels constantly detaches when folding the rear seat.
Was curious about switching my '14 Sienna with a used '22 Pacifica, this review was amazing in terms of real world information that only ownership would tell you. Great stuff!
Hey! So what did you end up doing? I'm in a similar boat myself.
@@MysticWraithI ended up sticking with my Sienna! I couldn't justify the cost of upgrading yet as the car still works fine still. Motor will last for a while. Sure suspension needs work but cost of that vs a 'new' car is huge!
I think all the bells and whistles of the Pacifica would be super cool to have, but in the end, all the key features, my van already has. Power doors, Android auto (I upgraded the head unit before), huge trunk space.
Three points, though: 1) it's available now instead of waiting 1-2 years for a comparable Sienna hybrid (e.g., in limited or platinum trim), 2) even when not attempting to be a pure EV it gets over 80 mpge blowing away the competition, and 3) it is currently eligible for a tax credit which takes its price lower than that of the top end of the competitors (even if you assumed that you could find a competitor, such as a Sienna without a huge "market adjustment").
it gets 80mpge when combined with charged battery usage, without the battery in real life scenarios like steady highway driving, it's anywhere from 24-32 mpg. still great for a minivan but definitely nowhere near the 80 mpg bs advertised
I rather wait two years and get a reliable minivan, than buying this piece of junk and spent countless days getting stuff fixed at the dealer.
No thank you.
Yes it is available because nobody wants this overcomplicated and hence unreliable vehicle. Unless you just lease it for a warranty period. Still, you'll spend lots of time at the dealer fixing it. My friend had it and traded in in 2 years
I would wait the 2 years for a Toyota. Had only bad experiences owning Chrysler products not only myself several family members and friends that made the mistake of buying Chryslers
I mean, there are other reasons to buy a vehicle than reliability, right? Someone might buy it because they prefer the way it looks or drives, because they want to decrease carbon emissions, because they like certain features, or because they feel that it is more luxurious, etc. If you are concerned solely with reliability, then a 60k complicated vehicle with myriad motors and technologies is probably not the vehicle for you.
It's reasonable to wait for a different brand, but I'm skeptical that you will necessarily spend "lots of time" or "countless days" getting things fixed at the dealer. I'd LOVE to see an objective statistical analysis of time spent in repairs or maintenance. Is it a matter of 2 repairs per year instead of 1, or is it a matter of 50 repairs per year instead of 0? For me, my primary concern is reliability's (or its perceived reliability) effect on resale value and safety.
Can’t believe Chrysler is still in business. Would touch one
Chrysler is just a front for Fiat and Peugeot's Stellantis consortium.
@@rightlanehog3151Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is one of the best vans today.
I like in MN and have a 22 pacifica hybrid and drive it on electric with close to full range frequently so your comment that it is worthless in cold climates is not accurate in my experience. It is true running the HVAC will generally trigger the ICE but if just using heated steering wheel and seats and especially if using scheduled conditioning I can go 30 miles all electric even I. 0 degrees. When using heater and not preconditioning it will still use electric for really great mpgs. In 1 year ownership I am over 60% electric miles. Great comprehensive review but had to comment it works great in winter for me and the preconditioning means it is warm and ready to go.
Thanks for the info. I'm in central Indiana, so I was concerned about the battery range during winter months. I'm currently split between the Pacifica hybrid and the Sienna. How does it handle in the snow. Do you switch to snow tires during winter?
@@JKoolina I have a level 2 charger in my garage and park indoors overnight to charge - this means I always start with a full battery and on days with multiple trips can 'top-off' the battery between trips as a full charge is 2hrs max on level 2. The other benefit is this allows me to set a schedule for cabin conditioning - essentially you can program in 3 events to tell the van you want it to be ready when you leave by preconditioning the battery and cabin to your set temp using only the electric heater which will generally allow you to run on all electric right away. Even on days with temps below 0 degrees I can start in EV and run up to 30 miles or so on electric if I precondition and then use heated seats and steering wheel and dry conservatively. If you use defrost or heat it will generally start the engine until things are warmed up but even when the engine is running the motors are still assisting with propulsion and after a brief time the engine will shut off and the van will return to electric only operation until the battery is depleted. Looking at my trip odometer of my last 6,955 miles I have done 3,943.8 on electric and 3,012 on hybrid with an average hybrid mpg of 30 - keeping in mind this includes several weeks of sub freezing temps, snow covered roads and winter gas blend. Regarding the snow performance - I have not run dedicated winter tires so far as my other vehicle is a Ram 1500 with dedicated winter tires and 4wd. The van performs pretty well in snow but it may depend on what OEM tires your van comes with - mine has 17" Yokohama's. The Hybrid is heavy so stopping on ice can be a challenge with the OEM tires and once these wear I am planning to fit one of the newer all weather tires like the Michelin CrossClimate 2.
@@brianmiller4370below 50°F try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Thank you for this excellent and thorough review. You bring an important perspective (engineering and reliability) that most other reviewers won't touch.
The Toyota parked behind explains the bias. 2 points of disagreement, the 4 timing chains are a smart idea. It disperses the overall load between 4 chains rather than over working 1 or 2 chains. They last longer. You regularly see these motors on marketplace with 3-450,000 miles on the original motor. Second, the rear shock on the left assists the motorized shock on the right for equal distribution of the doors weight. I’m on my 5th caravan and I’ve never had a rear hatch motor or any slider door issues. In fact my current 2010 Caravan has 208,000 miles on it. Original transmission, starter, alternator, water pump, it has never failed to start and has never broken down. That’s why it the number 1 selling minivan because of repeat buyers like me, they are excellent vehicles.
At least it has timing chains...unlike Honda.
Never thought of the distributed load between the 4 chains the more you know thanks.
This guy definitely loves Toyota and Lexus. Consumer Report, though, reports very bad problems with the PacHyb last year. I would have loved to buy one, then that CR came out.
@@KL-md9ey rental companies love the PacHy as they are reliable.
This technician or engineer is incredibly knowledgeable of this vehicle. Thank you for this great information.
Wow! This is probably one of the best car reviews i ever seen! Thank you so much for your expertise...
i am a senior and in all of my driving since 16 years of age i have never used a spare tire
"Run for your life moment" is the funniest way I've heard to describe the process by which one would close an automatic hatch! 🤣
Thanks for the video i always learn something new from your content, Here is my feedback on my 2017 pacigica hybrid in 6th year running great at 60k as it is on first day of smoothness, with maintanance of 4 oil changes and one set of tires, In California engine never comes on event if temp is 40f, gas mileage is good gets 30 mpg for this much bulky vehicle, reliability is a concern for chrysler brand, so some of your feedback on quality is agreeable.
Thanks for the counter point. No need to pay Toyota Tax!
There are so many coolant reservoirs because of the pressure. One for the main radiator, the other for the EV system to cool it, without having it under pressure (less failure). The car will kick on the engine to warm coolant in sub zero temperatures (to make sure the battery can charge) but this is a byproduct of all EVs.
Enjoyed this review. I had been looking to get a mini van for a while and eventually purchased a 2023 Toyota Sienna Woodlands (no wait, was on the lot with no markup). I hope the Sienna holds up like the other Toyotas we have owned (Corolla, Camry, Venza). The Chrysler Pacifica was on the short list since already have owned a 2005 Caravan in the past. The 2005 Caravan was the most functional, best driving, and most comfortable vehicle I had ever owned, but ...
No matter how well it did all those things, it went to the shop on a regular basis for this or that, mostly electronic issues, which negated all the great attributes. Upon taking the van back to the dealer for warranty work, the dealer would find nothing wrong which was frustrating. An example of a simple fix made difficult was a missing rubber bumper to the passenger sliding door. The door made a metal on metal sound upon closing. Two times the service department found no issues with the door. On the third service return, had the service manager listen to how each door sounded different when closed - this is when the missing bumper was noticed. Took three trips to the dealer, and two car rentals, to replace an obvious body issue, frustrating! The big issue with the van was the electronic module which was replaced three or four times before being correctly repaired, and numerous lock actuators had to be replaced. To top off the decision not to purchase another Chrysler product, I researched the newer models to see if the same issues still persisted, and they do. If Chrysler cannot fix known issues in 15 years, they will not get my business. BTW, the Caravan had a catastrophic failure on a road trip leaving us stranded at around 110,000 miles on the vehicle. It was a costly repair and the vehicle was never the same again. One last thing about the Chrysler is the resale value. Upon purchasing a Toyota Venza, the dealership initially refused the trade-in on the Caravan (which still looked like new except for the broken cup holders on the middle seats).
The Pacifica's ride is amazing! Super quiet and smooth like a typical luxury car! My 2015 Sienna is super bumpy and full of squeaks and rattles from EVERYWHERE(literally) with ZERO(literally) noise insulation.
Truth!
Rented on to drive from NY to Florida and it was great, I also own a Prius prime
I have a 2013 with almost 108k mi. I've been pleasantly surprised by the reliability. At 99k I had several minor issues I did myself. Thermostat and EVAP canister. The stow N go is awesome. I go camping and fold the seats to sleep in the back. I know they overall aren't reliable but my example has been. I wouldn't feel confident getting the hybrid.
If you have a 2013, it's not a Pacifica Hybrid minivan, because they first came out in 2017 (I have one, which I like very much).
These reviews are great, very detailed. I'm a long time Chrysler enthusiast having purchased four of them over the years.
I however confess, having lived with an EV for the last 3 years, I just don't see the appeal of a hybrid. If you can plug in that plug-in hybrid where you live, you can plug in an EV instead. You drastically reduce use of a brake pedal, and therefore any brake maintenance. And with no engine or transmission you totally bypass the need for oil changes, oil filters, transmission fluid or trans maintenance, engine air intake filter, serpentine belt, & the alternator. Plus the car is dead quiet and doesn't rumble while you're on the highway going 70mph.
I agree if your referring to a simple hybrid, but must disagree if you're referring to a plug in hybrid with a 30+ mile range. Our family goes on frequent road trips, so most of our gas miles have come from that. City driving has been close to 90% electric for my family. All your points are still reasonably applicable to this mini-van. You have two selectable levels of regen and little brake wear. Extremely infrequent oil changes when driven primarily electric, a transmission similar to an EV drivetrain with similar fluid requirements. Air filter and belt similar to oil changes........based on how much you use the gas engine. There is no alternator or starter to fail, just like an EV. The dead quiet aspect is one of this van's best features, until the engine starts, then it's still better than normal thanks to decent sound deadening. Actually, the engine isn't the issue, some have complained that the motor generator tranny creates a whine/drone that can be heard at lower speeds. I can hear it too. They should put active noise cancelling in the cabin as a feature and that would do the trick.
Just bought the 2023 Pacifica hybrid. I love it. Can’t stop driving it as opposed to my Mercedes GLC 300. I call it the gravy boat. I love it.
Chrysler motto quantity over quality 😂😂
A family member got the Pacifica "Road Tripper" front wheel drive non-hybrid with the 3.6 and it's a very nice van.
The 4 chains are a good thing because the actual timing chains are much shorter . And Port Fuel Injection is just great, I wish I could get rid of my Cadillac 3.6 DI system, and exchange it for TPFI like in the old days.
We had a lot of issues with recalls on this vehicle (2018), but the features cannot be beaten. Depending on the type of driving you do, you may not fill up hardly ever. We find that we only fill up when driving on trips. Once we get to our destination, we are able to drive around for 35 miles without using gas.The only time the engine turns on is when you floor it or when it is particularly cold. If you warm up the car, you will notice more electric driving vs gas. We ended up repurchasing this car after driving the '18 to 98,000 miles because it has so many good features. We did purchase the extended warranty which turned out to be really smart because we have had a lot of issues. This is the only time I have ever felt that we got our money's worth with the extended warranty. Chrysler is notoriously bad with electrical components. Our doors failed more than once and there was a recall on the batteries that put it in the shop for quite a while. This only shows how much we liked the vehicle because we were willing to go back to it after all of that. We had a Sienna previously which was definitely more reliable, but not nearly as comfortable or fuel efficient.
I appreciate your thorough review. We absolutely love our 2017 Pacifica which has honestly been relatively trouble free. However, your concern is 100% spot on as we had a major failure just this past summer on a road trip; the only downtime and dealer visit the van has ever had. The AC had died while driving through Texas in 105 degree heat. We were close to our hotel and felt we could deal with it and make it there and then follow up with a nearby service department the next day. Unfortunately, just as you described, the electric AC compressor that failed is also used to cool the battery coolant and therefore, the entire van shutdown to “protect” itself (and presumably keep us safe). Being residents of Florida, this is the perfect vehicle as we routinely get 1,200-1,500 miles between tanks but I can absolutely see where it might not be as useful in the colder climates.
They are nice, but spendy for me!
TLDR
I have a 18 pacifica gas model its been great to have those stow n go seats are what sets it apart from the rest , my only issue is bubbling paint on my hood and bottom of sliding doors
@@hottew_twat3963 I have had bubbling paint also on a 2023 hybrid Pacifica.
@@hottew_twat3963
I had hood issue on my 2017 , was able to get it repainted under warranty.
It’s a known problem, check with Dealer to see if they will repair even after warranty expires
We live in Cleveland and used almost no gas from Jan through April. The battery works great in the winter.
We are on the Westside of CLE too. For cooler weather try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
I wouldn’t ever buy any Chrysler product. Excellent and totally interesting review as usual.
I literally feel bad for every Chrysler driver I see
@@fakcofee and we feel bad for every ford and chevy driver we see lol
If you ever need to tow a livestock or RV trailer, a Dodge Ram 2500 or 3500 pickup with a Cummins diesel engine and manual transmission are what I would recommend. I've owned one for 24 years, and it's an outstanding tow vehicle, and will tow loads far beyond what any gas engine truck can handle. But I'd never buy a Dodge car or minivan. Look on the road for older cars, and what you will mostly see are Toyotas: Corollas, Camrys, Tacomas, and even the occasional Echo or Tercel. There are still a lot of old 1980's Ford F-150's and Econoline vans still around; somehow Ford was building those trucks to last a long time. But most cars over 20 years old are gone now, except for those with collector value like 60's muscle cars.
I had a major issue with engine blowing oil after 100k miles. Chrysler replaced all the pistons, no charge. Equinox. Other than that I have done very little maintenance. Also had an engine block crack at 38k miles on an HHR. Even though it was out of warranty Chrysler replaced the engine block. Chrysler has been really great about taking care of issues.
Being able to hide the 3rd-row seats and remove the 2nd-row seats is perfect for setting up this van for a camping or fishing trip.
As commented by many, he missed the fact that this vehicle has resistance heaters for the battery and HVAC as primary and engine heat to supplement. I think there's debate on if this or a heat pump like the RAV4 prime is better in cold weather. Good info on how the coolant system works, I imagine that's a weak point on all phevs and evs, so us owners will need to stay vigilant about checking levels, especially after any services or minor accidents! Even though there's a lot of hoses and plastic, one encouraging thing is that brittleness should be delayed/reduced as a result of far fewer heat cycles. We have 55k on our 2018 model, but only maybe 20k with the engine running thus creating the higher temps to stress plastics. These have been on market since 2017, so there should be a lot of service info on them by now, but I'm guessing most is done under warranty so not much service content on youtube still. Ours has been trouble free so far, but more service vids would make me feel better! Still love our van, biggest gripes are how low to the ground it is...scrapes more than our old van and I can't easily put a bike rack hitch on it since towing is a no-no.
Or just do this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
This is a wonderful tour of the vehicle. I mostly agree with his assessment. I disagree with his claim that it doesn't work well in the cold. I live in Chicago. If it is parked in a garage, the battery will be warm enough to use. If you are driving less than 10 miles you will have a coat on and don't need the cabin heater. If you are going further the engine will heat up and then it will be electric until you have used the battery and are running in hybrid mode anyway. Having a heat pump would have been a good idea. I have 105k miles and over 6 years on mine.
Heated seats and fully heated stwering(not 10 and 2 like Toyota/Lexus).
Also try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
I have 235,000 miles on mine in Chicago. Preheating in the winter works to a point. Heated electric seats for front passengers are a must. Rear passengers better have coats on because you can't turn on the climate control heat without turning on the engine so heat stays off until hybrid battery runs out.
You have 235K on a PacHy!? Are you on the Pacifica Forum? I'm sure many of us who have bought used would love to hear any problems you've had.
@@RyanSommer Replaced the transmission close to 200k. Now it needs a suspension rehaul. Front/rear shocks and struts. Control arms. Etc. Otherwise been great.
@@PaulDo22 Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Did you do any transmission maintenance throughout the 200k miles?
@@PaulDo22try this below 50°F:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
All my car knowledge comes from sources like you tube channels. By far, this is the most refreshing approach. no drone shots, no search for poetic superlatives in order to get views. A driving impression of a new car supplied by a factory or dealer simply does not bring knowledge, it only tries to describe an experience. I wish the creator a great journey to 1 million subscibers, -well deserved.
I was stopped at a stop sign in my 2021 Pacifica Hybrid. A turning vehicle T-Boned me between the driver's door and sliding door at 25 MPH. No broken glass. No airbag deployment. The doors were smashed, but, I drove the car home and to the dealer body shop. Now, 5 months later, the work should be complete within a week, or so. They could not get parts. They could not get paint. They had to replace the roof, I-beam, driver door, sliding door, front seat, headliner, front fender, charge port, front headlight, front grill, etc., etc. I would be surprised if this doesn't turn into an even bigger nightmare once I get it back. Almost $20K worth of damage.
I bought a 2023 and within 10 day of owning it it already in the shop. I would love to show y’all my video on what’s wrong with a brand new van it’s crazy
Get rid of it ASAP. I know from experience. I spent THOUSANDS in repairs on mine
@@whataboutvegas i would ake a big hit
Imagine your old school Dodge mechanic trying to figure this one out when a Hybrig Warning light comes on. No thank you.
There is no Hybrid Warning Light...
I'm not a car guy, but 10 minutes in, all I could hear was, "You're going to get to know a mechanic very well by owning this car."
As far as I know all the Stellantis vehicles that came from FCA have their lift gate button on the side like that. It's actually nice as shorter people can use it w/o having to stretch their arms way up.
I use my foot on sienna
Brilliant review this guy should teach automotive great lecture!!
Sir, I like your channel and appreciate your opinions, though I have to take you to task on the Chrysler bashing.
Out of all the models from Chrysler, the non hybrid version is one of my least concerns at this point. The Pentastar is one of the better V6 engines on the market from a reliability perspective (no internal waterpump driven by a timing chain, no timing belt, no direct injection, no cylinder deactivation, no turbocharging). The primary weaknesses are the hengst made plastic oil filter housing and some have had some head issues. In fairness, you admitted the 2GR had been known for head gasket problems and mentioned a similar issue with versions with the plastic oil filter housing. It's fair to point out that the ZF9 speed had it's share of teething issues when it came out and Chrysler was not alone with the issues as Honda also experienced issues with it. However, the same can be said for Toyota's 8 speed, so the lesson here is give new designs a few years to work the bugs out regardless of the manufacturer.
The Sienna being Hybrid only using so many plastic parts and precision specific details on the 4cylinder also makes it a question mark for now.
While there are specific years of Chrysler vans that would be wise to avoid such as the 08-10 years, the early years of the A604, and pretty much any van using a 2.6 Mitsubishi, most I have seen WHEN MAINTENANCE CORRECTLY, will run fine and provide an excellent service life. Most of the problems are either bad mechanics (using the wrong transmission fluid and over tightening oil filter housing), neglectful owners, bad years, or bad luck. Let's remember that Toyota has had their bad years and bad designs as well like the sludging 2.2 and 3.0, certain years of the 2AZ, etc.
Is a random Toyota on average more reliable than a random Chrysler? obviously yes. Will I defend all Chrysler models in this fashion? No. My point is Chrysler usually gets their vans right. If a person wants a hybrid van, I would recommend the Toyota and recommend avoiding the Chrysler until they have at least 10 years under their belt. But the regular version should be okay if maintained correctly. There's a reason other than price, stow n go, and styling that Chrysler has held on to this market after having lost so many other segments. They eventually get them sorted out (unlike many of their other models).
Having said all of this, I wish you a good day and look forward to the next video.
He is a Toyota-file!
The button for the rear door is for short people. The ones on the door are too high for many people. I just close it by hand or with the key.
I have the Pacifica hybrid for a year now. It's is a great vehicle. Stow n go not being available isn't an issue since we have car seats in both seats for the next 6 years. Yes, you shouldn't floor it to get use out of the electric side of things. But you don't have to drive like a granny either. There is plenty of power whenever you need it. The suspension and low center of gravity make it super responsive on the road and makes taking those left hand turns on yellow possible. And with the $7.5k tax credit it is a better deal than the competition. Plus as a plug in you get to park in electric vehicle parking and charge.
Boy, I'd love to see him do a review on a classic car!
I think your criticism of the complexity is on point. However, a heat pump is also fairly complicated and failure prone.
Not if it's a Mitsubishi ( heat pump)
@@jackd1582 Ok, sure a vote for Diamond star.
Heat pumps are simple though.
I went for sienna. Love it, getting 37.2 average mpg.
We have seen over 41 mpg in hybrid mode okay with our 2021 PacHy!
Another great overview, thank you.
The heating and cooling ability to control the batteries is pretty cool. If not built to a high quality standard it's a ticking time bomb.
There are several reasons why the hv battery pack doesn’t have electric heaters. Using coolant and heat conduction plates the vehicle can transfer heat in and out to keep battery within a temperature range. If you install electric heaters they can’t remove heat and you don’t have space left for heat sink to make contacts with batteries to cool them. If you use electric heater to heat the coolant then let it warm up the battery, it will drain battery power and reduce efficiency and propulsion power, and typical electric heater power are not as high as heat gives off by engine, and engine heat is free byproduct of combustion. You may think from mechanics perspective it’s complicated but it’s more effective
Yes from a mechanics perspective they are not serviceable anymore just throw away after 7 years , I guess it’s better for the environment that way
I've had 3 Chrysler products. All three were nightmares to maintain. Sticking with Toyota or Honda for the most part now.
sounds like you were taken by a bad mechanic
Winter remote starts were useless in my brand new '12 Wrangler because it automatically activated the heater and set fan to max. Thermostat worked fine, yet coolant still couldn't warm up if flowing through heater core with fan on max. Even if I gave it 15 minutes, I would still climb into a cold Jeep with coolant gauge at zero.
The AWD Pinnacle is amazing, you can run the AWD system full time with a neat trick, haul ass out of the corners pedal to the metal.
One note regarding the fuel tank, the normal version has a plastic tank, the steel tank is only used on the hybrid. According to their training, it's supposed to better handle the pressures and vacuum levels inherent to the way they've designed the emissions system on the hybrid only model.
I agree with what you said though, they are prone to rust in wintery areas. I suspect they learned from Ford about vacuum in plastic tanks, they had to recall/do warranty replacement on many Focus models, they would suck up the bottom of the tank, hit on the sending unit and either kill the pump, or more frequently jam up the float and cause frozen fuel gauges. Why it's hybrid only, I don't remember the reasoning given unfortunately.
This has capless gas tank is a norm these days.
@@normt430 Correct, but this system is just excessive safety, it makes sure you couldn't stick the nozzle in so fast the pressure would spray fuel, as unlikely as that would be. This system monitors pressure and dumps it from the purge valve prior to just the door itself being unlocked. As per exceedingly boring Chrysler training lol
@@alexmaclean1 most of these have remote fuel flap with a timer.
@@normt430 we're saying the same thing I think lol. I was just explaining why the hybrid has a steel fuel tank while the regular 3.6 van has a more common plastic tank.
Better power and interior features (like removable seats, sound system) that i wished Sienna would consider. But i would still get Sienna in the end.
You can remove seats in sienna.
The interior looks way better than the Sienna, I would have loved to see a Lexus version of the Sienna, I’d own one right now.
Truth is truth give joy & thanks as the Master Mechanic has spoken . For me this van is a engineering nightmare, gives meaning to the words -
Keep it simple Stupid !
Thank You for another fabulous video presentation.
BillB
I have a friend who recently bought a 2022 Pacifica non hybrid with AWD.
Very easy to drive, lots of standard equipment and a very nice and comfortable place to be in.
People may go poo poo on it because its a Chrysler, but after doing their research, this was the smartest choice for an easy to live with vehicle that has AWD when they have two small kids.
Plus the 3.6 V6, is actually a pretty punchy motor, with it having nearly 300 HP it gets up to speed pretty quickly.
Thank you for the incredible vehicle review! I think I will stay with my 2012 Corolla . . .
Excellent review love it. Very different and more informative than most car reviews. I'd love to see your review method for a 2023 Honda Odyssey Black Edition :)
one of the BEST viedos I have ever seen! These guys know how to do this!! Thank you!
I'm not familiar too much with anything Mopar related but I hear the newer 3.6 pentastar engines are good.
Disagree re: heat pump needed for heat without ICE. I had a Volt for 5 years and never needed the ICE for heat as it had resistive heaters. The Rav4 turns the ICE on all the time in winter in EV mode.
Many EV's still have no heat pump but only resistive heating
I live in FL, and it was recently "cold" at 45 -60 F. And I would intentionally floor the gas so the engine would crank on because I wanted the heat from the engine to help defrost my windshield and warm the van. I like the idea of it coming on in the winter. Love this van, well thought through. I wish it had a high wattage house outlet 110 volt. It is only 150ish watts. I had a Mitsubishi Outlander that had 1500 watt outlets, which I could use for any appliance such as a vacuum.
I don't miss stow and go at all. I wish it had a middle seat option rather. The 2nd row seats are more comfortable than stow and go.
The 140v L2 charger is the key here. Then try this:
During cold weather, the way to keep the ICE from running is to prewarm the car with the Level 2 charger: Without stepping on the brake, press the button twice, then set interior heat to "max", fan on high, recirc, and combined window/floor on mode. Usually needs about 20 minutes. Then, after unplugging but before selecting "run", set temp down to 65, and reduce fan speed. If it's real damp, deselect recirc. The power display will indicate how many kW are being used for climate. You can increase temp if you like, just watch that display and keep the total at 5kW or less. I've had mine for two years, and finally got real good at this. I've bought 12 gallons of gas since last March.
Not sure about the hybrid, but my 2018 gas model is very reliable in winters, summers, falls or springs. And there is no rattling like some of the Japanese vans. The built quality is excellent. The seats are firm but it holds up very well even after almost 6 years. It’s definitely more comfortable than all the Japanese cars I own/owned. My Honda’s leather seats are very disappointing and they are hurting my back for longer drive. And my Subaru SUV are very NOT comfortable at all. There was no issue with the Pacifica except the small batteries needed to change after a little over 2 years and the main battery needed to change around 40k. That is pretty much it. Everything works as day one otherwise. The power is adequate and acceleration is adequate for passing on highways. It’s a minivan and i don’t expect it to win any race. Most of us use it to get from point a to post b with family and for family trips. The minivan tows and hauls a lot of stuff. You can’t find another one that is more practical than the Pacifica out there. Especially sienna doesn’t even offer detachable second row seats. Pacifica‘s infotainment system is the best of all systems I have used…American , Japanese, German…and the hidden entertainment screens are a very nice feature for kids and adults. The HK 17 speakers system sound better than most high end home theater system if you watch movies with it. It’s overall an excellent minivan. I’ve been using Chrysler and Jeep products for the past 15 years and none of them had
any problem honestly. I just do regular maintenance ( oil changes, brake changes, transmission, fluid change etc). But the Honda and Subaru I own /owned are different stories.
The Chrysler van I test drove felt like it had a weak engine...
My 2012 Chrysler Town and Country has the 3.6 Pentastar. It's been a great motor. 143k so far so good.
Wish the rest of the van was as good. I'll take port over GDI, good way to avoid carbon build up.
I would rather buy toyota sienna hybrid it looks great and highly reliable.
good luck getting one, 2 to 3 year wait