Test Drive: 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle | The Daily Drive | Consumer Guide® The Daily Drive

2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle in Velvet Purple Pearl-Coat

Class: Minivan

Miles Pushed: 267

Gasoline Used: 12.2 gallons

Actual-world gasoline financial system: 21.9 mpg

Driving combine: 20% metropolis, 80% freeway

EPA-estimated gasoline financial system: 17/25/20 (mpg metropolis/freeway/mixed)

Gasoline sort: Common Fuel

Base worth: $53,390 (not together with $1495 vacation spot cost)

Choices on take a look at automotive: none

Worth as examined: $54,885

Fast Hits

The nice: Added functionality of all-wheel drive; glorious array of family-friendly comfort options

The great: Spacious cabin with upscale trimmings; nice street manners

The not so good: Backside-line worth is sort of $55K

Extra Pacifica worth and availability info

John Biel

Within the midst of what to all of the world seems like a midcycle freshening of its Pacifica minivan, Chrysler appears to have slipped in one thing virtually utterly new. That’s the Pinnacle, a line chief with primarily every thing that’s been carried out for the remainder of the 2021 Pacifica household, however with some options which can be wholly its personal.

Your entire Chrysler Pacifica lineup undergoes a refresh for 2021, gaining freshened styling, a brand new infotainment system, out there all-wheel drive, and a luxuriously trimmed, line-topping Pinnacle trim degree.

Nearly something that may be packaged in a Pacifica comes commonplace within the Pinnacle, which has a beginning worth (with supply) of $54,885. The one means the van sampled by Shopper Information might have come from the manufacturing facility any costlier would have been if it had been constructed with the Trailer-Tow Group, a $995 bundle that offers Pacificas a 3600-pound capability. On prime of that the Pinnacle provides luxurious upholstery and cabin appointments, and its personal entrance console design.

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Pacificas have a clear dashboard format with easy-to-use controls, and Pinnacles get extra-ritzy trim. Greater-line Pacificas have a satin-metal trim ring on the face of the steering-wheel rim that will get uncomfortably chilly to the contact on frigid winter days. Even with the usual heated steering wheel on, it takes some time for the trim ring to heat up.

All through the ’21 line, the CG “Finest Purchase” Pacifica wears a brand new fascia with a bigger higher grille opening, reshaped headlights, and more-defined bumper cowl. Infotainment is relayed by a new-generation Uconnect 5 system with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration (with the power to attach two telephones concurrently), Amazon Alexa voice management, Uconnect Market, and extra, plus a ten.1-inch touchscreen. On the driving-dynamics entrance, all Pacifica fashions can be found with absolutely computerized all-wheel drive—certainly, it’s commonplace on Restricted and Pinnacle fashions.

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Quilted Nappa-leather upholstery comes commonplace within the Pinnacle mannequin, as do lumbar-supporting throw pillows for the second-row passengers. The second-row seats slide and tilt ahead for simpler entry to the third row.

The place the Pinnacle reaches its peak is inside. Caramel-colored Nappa-leather seats with a quilted floor sample welcome as much as seven passengers. Center-row captain’s chairs are complemented with matching throw pillows that operate as lumbar helps. The seats’ upscale look could be wasted in the event that they weren’t comfy, which they’re—even within the third row—although the peak of the center seats struck this tester as a tiny bit low. Different cabin particulars of the brand new mannequin are Caramel distinction stitching on darkish surfaces just like the sprint pad, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and console; satin-chrome accents; woodgrain bezels across the instrument cluster and door releases; Berber carpet; and suede headliner.

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The third-row seats can accommodate average-sized adults if second-row passengers cooperate by sliding their seats ahead a bit.

The Pinnacle’s Built-in Extremely Console is distinct from the front-seat storage items discovered on different Pacificas. Together with a padded-top coated bin between the seats, there’s an open-side house at flooring degree that’s sufficiently big to carry a handbag. Behind the lid for the central bin is a slot that middle-row occupants can use, and a drawer with tray and two cup holders slides out of the again of the console at flooring degree.

Intensive commonplace tools discovered within the new premium mannequin consists of heated and ventilated 8-way power-adjustable entrance seats, heated steering wheel and second-row seats, wi-fi charging pad within the console, navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, 18-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, SiriusXM satellite tv for pc radio and related providers, triple-pane panoramic sunroof, integral “Stow ’n Vac” vacuum cleaner, second-row streaming leisure system with screens constructed into the entrance seats, and brand-new “FamCam.” A faucet on the touchscreen prompts an inside wide-angle overhead digital camera that permits front-seat occupants to see what’s going on within the rows behind them—useful for adjudicating territorial disputes of the “he retains touching me” selection.

Exterior options are 20-inch polished alloy wheels with gray-painted pockets, LED projector headlamps, hands-free liftgate and sliding aspect doorways, and a platinum-chrome “Stow ’n Place” roof rack. Security/driver-assistance applied sciences run to parallel and perpendicular parking help, surround-view digital camera, adaptive cruise management with stop-and-go operate, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic detection, lane-departure warning, and forward-collision warning with pedestrian/bike owner emergency braking.

To be a stickler, Pacifica’s all-wheel drive isn’t technically a brand new function as a result of some AWD Launch Editions have been produced late within the 2020 mannequin yr. Nonetheless, its broad availability is new. (AWD prices $2995 so as to add to the otherwise-front-drive Touring and Touring L fashions.) The Toyota Sienna is the one different minivan with an out there all-wheel drivetrain however the Pacifica is the one one that may switch one hundred pc of obtainable engine torque to whichever wheels have extra out there traction, even the rear ones. Chrysler notes that its AWD system primarily operates in front-wheel drive for the sake of gasoline financial system, however robotically redistributes energy when the entrance wheels slip, when the throttle is tromped, and even preemptively when temperatures are low or the windshield wipers are activated.

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The Pacifica continues to supply glorious cargo house. There’s 32.3 cubic toes of quantity behind the third-row seats, which grows to 87.5 cubic toes with the third-row seats folded into the ground.

Working with the carryover 3.6-liter V6 and 9-speed computerized transmission, the AWD Pacifica is rated at 17 mpg in metropolis driving, 25 mpg in freeway operation, and 20 mixed by the EPA. This driver acquired 18.8 mpg from a stint of 69 miles, 40 % of which have been beneath city-style situations. The engine, which develops 287 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm, shows pleasing standing-start acceleration and is hardy sufficient for worry-free freeway cruising. (Be aware that each trim degree is offered as a front-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid.) A quiet and composed experience continues to be one of many Chrysler van’s strengths.

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The Pacifica’s powertrains carry over for 2021. Non-hybrid fashions are powered by a 287-hp 3.6-liter V6. Pinnacle fashions come commonplace with 20-inch polished aluminum wheels with gray-painted pockets.

Naturally, there may be loads of room for passengers and cargo. In contrast to different non-hybrid Pacificas, the Pinnacle lacks the “Stow ‘n Go” second-row seats that fold into the ground, however its captain’s chairs have the “Straightforward Tilt” function that clears entry to the third row. (Passage between the seats is simple, too.) Center seats monitor fore and aft, which may open up sufficient legroom for a few adults to contentedly occupy the third row. Within the Pinnacle, an influence help will get the 60/40-split rear seats to jackknife and drop all the way down to type a capacious flat-floored cargo space. Although infotainment capabilities will be labored pretty instantly by way of the touchscreen on the brand new rig, exterior quantity and tuning dials are useful for radio operation, whereas exterior buttons and a dial for fan pace allow hands-on operation of the dual-zone local weather system.

Within the minivan world, Pacifica’s all-wheel drive offers snow-belt customers one thing new to think about whereas the Pinnacle gives luxurious lovers with one thing to lengthy for. How refreshing.

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The Chrysler Pacifica has been a Shopper Information Finest Purchase since its introduction as a 2017 mannequin, and it will get even higher with its properly executed refresh for the 2021 mannequin yr.

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2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle Gallery

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