I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but I might feel cramped leg-wise on long trips.
I just read today in the latest Consumer Reports that there is a recall on the Pacifica (and a few other 2017-2018 vehicles by Chrysler) for a cruise control that will not shut off. (You can still get it to disengage by touching the brake.)
Boooo on that. Guess I’ll just have to stop every hour or two and get out and walk around the car, like doctors recommend.
No, I think you have to stop the vehicle and turn it off before the cruise will disengage. Touching the brake is the normal way to shut cruise control off. I think it was all 2017 and 2018 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep products, but not the imports. It requires a software fix.
By stop, I mean put the transmission in neutral, come to a stop, then turn the engine off. The recycle resets the software and the problem goes away until next time. It won’t happen if you buy a new Pacifica, because the dealer has to make sure the recalls are up to date before selling the car.
You do realize that there other vehicles being made that might suit your needs . The article I read said the cruise will not disengage by using brake and Chrysler has recommended not using cruise until reprogrammed . Frankly for me the list of reasons to not buy from FCA is long.
The reliability issues with FCA are a worry for me, too, but the Pacifica hybrid is a very nice van. Since it is a plug-in hybrid, it qualifies for a $7500 tax credit and Maryland offers a $3000 tax credit. That makes the price a few grand less than the equivalent Odyssey or Sienna model, providing a repair fund should it come to that. I used that logic when I bo ugh my Regal and Silhouette and never came close to bridging the gap in purchase price and repairs. If Mrs JT wants a minivan, I’m inclined to buy the hybrid. It gets 32 mpg EPA combined, too. Incredible for an extended minivan. I know the OP wants the regular Pacifica, but they are much the same except for the stow and go middle row in the non-hybrid. Those captains chairs do not stow, but must be removed in the hybrid. The middle row seats are more comfortable in the hybrid.
I get the impression that Ron has not even test driven this Pacifica .He seems to be condemning the console with out actually knowing if it will be a problem.
I understand dealers cannot sell you a new or used car that has a recall on it, unless it is fixed. I see newspaper ads for used cars saying, “No outstanding recalls.”
I liked the space and lighter weight of minivans compared to something like a Buick Enclave, which I once considered. My past three vehicles were minivans. Plus the seats fold down flat in the Pacifica so I can sleep back there if I have to. I hope to do a lot of driving now that I am retiring. Walmart parking lots, here I come! Got my National Parks Senior Pass just before they raised the price.
Yes, I remember reading those descriptions. I think I’ll pass on the hybrid. (And I want the stow-and-go.) It only goes 30 miles before a recharge is needed. That would be mostly OK if I were still working and driving 12 miles each way to and from work, with only errands along the way. Plus, you can’t just plug an ordinary household extension cord into it and then run it across puddles and snow drifts to your back porch so you can plug it into an outlet, can you? The wood-floored garage I have is too old (~1928?) to put a car in, and has no power to it.
You are correct on both accounts.
Ron
It has regenerative braking, and that raises the average EPA mileage from 22 mpg to 32 mpg. That’s 45% better mileage, and it’s OK if the stow and go seating is more important than gas mileage. Still, you can lift the middle row seats out if you need to, and they are more comfortable than the stow and go middle seats. Your van, your choice.
I didn’t know it has regenerative braking. I know other vehicles have it. That converts the loss of momentum from braking to additional battery charge, right? Good idea especially in city driving – recycling.
I’m the only one who will usually be traveling in the minivan so the comfort of the middle seats doesn’t matter, unless my luggage can talk. Or hitchhikers, and beggars can’t be choosers. (I’ve only picked up hitchhikers once, and they turned out to be drunk and left an empty beer can on my back seat floor. Could have been worse – their urine, or my blood!)
Have you ever had mud flaps? I think they detract from the look but should delay rust from snow and salty water being kicked up and deposited, which is a problem here in Rochester NY. My mechanic says it will happen anyway, but I’d like to slow it down since I try to keep a car for ten years at least. The first time I begin seeing rust is at about six years. Flaps are an option on the Pacifica.