Oh how I hated this vehicle! Perhaps it’s because I don’t know whether to call it an SUV, Minivan or a Station Wagon. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I had to drive around that frustrating one-way system known as Boston. Or potentially it was caused by the fact that I was by myself it that big ‘ol thing on a couple of cold and rainy days in RedSoxVille. I am sure that Hertz thought they were doing me a favor by upgrading my compact car reservation to this. This was a bright red 2005 Pacifica Touring AWD with less than 8,000 miles on it.

First Impressions

A literal doubletake. I had never heard of the Pacifica, and don’t know of anyone who even owns one. So I throw my gear in the back and climb into the drivers seat. A very comfortable drivers seat too, but how to adjust it? One Pacifica drawback becomes apparent – too many controls for everything. There’s stuff on the seat, the drivers door, the wheel and the dashboard. Eventually I set the seat, fix the morrors and away I go, braving the Boston traffic exiting Logan airport through the tunnel. Two positives now become apparent – a quiet ride and engine, plus above average visibility, both externally for the road and internally for the twenty thousand controls.
I merge into the I-93 traffic, putting on my best imitation of a crazed New Yorker to blend into the New England driving style and discover just how poor the acceleration is. Supposedly the 0-60 time is between 9 and 10 seconds, but it felt like an eternity with a big honkin’ truck bearing down upon me from behind.

The Details

The Pacifica is available in three styles – the Base (with a 3.8 litre 210HP V6 engine), the Touring (my model with a 3.5 litre 250HP engine) and the upmarket Limited. Standard equipment included a fine CD player, power-everything, keyless entry, six passenger seating ( 3 rows of 2) with middle row captains chairs, and the complicated 10-way power drivers seat. The interior was very well appointed, almost close to luxurious for a rental car, and quiet. There were no rattles, bumps, squeaks and minimal road/wind noise. Perhaps the theory is that the Chrysler engineers want you to be as comfy as possible whilst waiting for the acceleration to kick in?

Second Impressions

So the next morning I walked around the car, opened up the hood and the trunk and even looked under the vehicle hunting for the 500lb boat anchor I was obviously carrying around that would account for the sluggish performance. No such luck, I just decided at 4,444 pounds, the car is heavy.
Waiting for my business colleagues I climbed into the middle and back seats to check out the comfort level and leg room. Another surprise! Those captains chairs in the second row are incredibly comfortable and roomy. Plus for a slightly “squished” vehicle there is a deceptive amount of entry space. Score one for the engineers! The rear seats are a different story – definitely not recommended for adults on a long journey. But, more than adequate for smaller children in the local carpool. There’s also not a lot of space behind the rear seats – just a meager 13 cu ft. The rear seats do “fold” into the floor with relative ease, bringing you to a healthy 80 cu ft, but then you’re only carrying four people – the driver plus three passengers.



Safety

The Pacifica offers as standard: anti-lock brakes, driver (body and knee) airbags and optional traction control, tire-pressure monitoring and side curtain airbags for all three rows. NHTSA ratings are Excellent across the board, and it earned a Good for rollover. The IIHS ratings were Good (the best) and a Best Pick for Crash Offset, but only a disappointing and pathetic Poor for the Bumper Bash. My personal experience proved the brakes to be sharp and accurate in rainy conditions – and the raised seating gave me a good view of the road ahead. Driver visibility, coupled with the mirrors, was surprisingly good with only a minimal blind spot. Just don’t rely on Porsche-like acceleration to get you out of trouble.

Final Impressions

Not the automobile for me. But it is a good choice for anyone torn between an SUV and a minivan. Mom, Dad and two kids will fit in fine, four kids (or five in the base model) leave little space for luggage. Fuel economy seemed average, its rated at 17/23 city/hwy with a 23 gallon tank. I averaged 18.5 mpg throughout two rainy days of mixed driving on interstates and stop-and-go city traffic. The handling was responsive, actually more sedan-like than an SUV, and the back-end stayed put through a couple of tight corners.

Summary

In summary, this is a vehicle that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up, suffers from sluggish acceleration and a lack of baggage space when fully loaded. Yet it’s quiet, comfortable, relatively luxurious and safe.

Amount Paid (US$): .
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: Touring AWD