If your life requires you to switch from maximum passenger capacity to maximum cargo space regularly, and you need as much of each as you can get in a single, reasonably affordable vehicle, the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica is perfect for you.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Thanks to its Stow ‘n Go seating, it takes just a few minutes to transform this minivan from a seven-passenger shuttle into a 140.5-cubic-foot cargo van. The 2027 Pacifica even offers an eight-passenger seating option and all-wheel drive (AWD) to help with traction in the snow.
Though Chrysler has not redesigned the Pacifica since the 2017 model year, this decade-old design holds its own in the minivan segment. However, for 2027, Chrysler makes several changes.
Here is what is new for the 2027 Pacifica:
The Pacifica Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model is no longer available.
For the 2027 model year, the Pacifica is available with a V6 engine and front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD. You can choose from four trims, including LX, Select, Limited, and Pinnacle, and base prices range from $43,590 to $56,905, including the destination charge.
For this 2027 Pacifica review, Chrysler provided a test vehicle equipped with Limited trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $57,360, including the $1,995 destination charge to ship the minivan from the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, assembly plant to a dealership. The price does not reflect any current rebates, incentives, or price adjustments since Chrysler manufactured the test vehicle.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
As minivans go, my Red Hot Pacifica Limited test vehicle, with appealing 20-inch machine-finish wheels, looked good. The new front styling adds an edgy, technical appearance, and the rest of the Pacifica’s bodywork has aged well.
Inside, the Pacifica has not changed much. It still has the rounded, organic forms that made this minivan feel modern in 2017, but they now make it seem dated. The dished analog gauges are also a throwback, separated by a narrow digital driver display. The 10.1-inch infotainment screen is small by current standards. If you are into technology, the Pacifica will not impress.
However, Chrysler’s lack of advancement on those fronts means the Pacifica is littered with knobs and buttons. Traditionalists will appreciate the stereo volume and radio tuning knobs, with matching rocker switches on the backs of the steering wheel spokes. The climate control panel is separate from the infotainment system, and a rotary dial for shifting the transmission sits to its left. The steering wheel controls are legibly marked and intuitive to use. Overall, the Pacifica’s cabin is delightfully simple.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
I have long contended that nothing beats a minivan when you are loading kids in and out of a vehicle, and I stand by that assertion today. Cramped parking situations, whether in your garage at home or the parking lot at the big-box store, make it hard to load infants, babies, toddlers, and young children into child safety seats through the hinged rear doors of an SUV or pickup truck. They turn the process into an uncomfortable, back-breaking exercise. With a minivan, it is not a problem.
Even when your children grow older, you will appreciate a minivan’s sliding doors. I used the Pacifica to move my daughter into her dormitory for her first year of college, and campus parking was tight. The Pacifica’s hands-free power sliding side doors, not to mention all the test vehicle’s parking cameras and sensors, made our lives much easier than families trying to negotiate the same confined parking garage space in big SUVs and full-size pickup trucks.
My family spent a lot of time traveling in the Pacifica, and everyone was comfortable. Up front, the test vehicle had power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel. Chrysler adds padded surfaces wherever you might rest your arm, plus plenty of storage for the driver and front passenger. The cupholders even held my 32-ounce Hydro Flask water bottle.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
In the past, I have found the Pacifica’s second-row Stow ‘n Go seats to be narrow and uncomfortable. However, I am 50 pounds lighter these days, and they are no longer a source of complaint. The test vehicle’s second-row seats were heated, and an overhead climate control panel gives rear passengers control over their temperature settings.
Second-row storage is not easy for younger children to reach, but older kids like mine had no trouble using the cupholders, the hooks mounted to the front seatbacks, and the giant bin that slides out from the back of the front center console. Our test vehicle had side window shades, but they covered only about 70 percent of the glass. Consequently, you will want to add a small suction cup shade to cover the remaining exposed glass before putting a baby in a reverse-facing child seat in this minivan.
It is easy to access the Pacifica’s third-row seat. You can release and move the second row seat out of the way, or step through between the second row seats. Once you are seated, you will find the rearmost bench seat sits well off the floor, providing proper legroom, and foot space is not an issue. Two adults or three kids can ride in the third row for longer trips. However, the third row window shades have the same problem as those in the second row: incomplete window coverage.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Around back, the new-for-2027 programmable height power liftgate rises to reveal a substantial recessed cargo well and 32.3 cubic feet of cargo space. To use all of it, you must stack things to the roof, and that is an unlikely scenario.
Fortunately, you can quickly flip, fold, and tuck the third-row seats into that well using just one hand. That transforms the Pacifica into a two-row vehicle equipped with 87.5 cubic feet of cargo space, which is more than some midsize three-row SUVs offer after you have kicked everyone out.
To access the Pacifica’s maximum 140.5 cubic feet of cargo space, you must collapse the second-row Stow ‘n Go seats into their individual storage bins located under the minivan’s floor. This process is not as easy as dropping the third-row seats, but compared with unlatching and lifting heavy seats out of competing minivans from Honda and Kia, Chrysler’s approach is priceless.
Unfortunately, the optional all-weather floor mats in my test vehicle completely defeated that simplicity, especially since the second-row mat runs the width of the van. At a minimum, it would be better if there were two or three middle-row mats to make using Stow ‘n Go more convenient.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Every 2027 Pacifica has a Uconnect 5 infotainment system with a 10.1-inch touchscreen display. It includes:
An upgraded version of Uconnect 5 is available for the Pacifica Select and standard with Limited and Pinnacle trim. It adds:
During my family’s travels, we relied primarily on the wireless Apple CarPlay connection and Siri to get around. However, during the evaluation drive, I used the Pacifica’s native Uconnect 5 Voice Command system to run the technology through my standard digital voice assistant testing.
Based on previous evaluations of Uconnect Voice Command, I expected a 50-percent success rate, and that is exactly what happened. However, with minor fine-tuning of the failed queries, the technology eventually figured out what I wanted and executed most commands properly.
Still, the results were not entirely satisfying. For example, when I told the digital voice assistant, “I need to go to a hospital,” the resulting list included all nearby medical offices, not just hospitals with an emergency room. Also, in my experience, I often know the name of a place and the street it is on in a particular city, but not the exact address number. The Pacifica was no help when I gave the voice assistant the name of a favorite local restaurant, the road it is on, and the city.
Another complaint is the odd audible notifications my family experienced while driving across Los Angeles and Orange counties while using Apple CarPlay. They were not related to the Pacifica’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and they quit happening when we entered San Diego County. It would have been nice to get some explanation of the notifications on the Uconnect screen, but they were and remain to this day a mystery.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Chrysler Connect includes the Connect One and Wi-Fi Plus packages. Connect One is complimentary for 10 years, and includes features like remote engine start, automatic SOS emergency calling, and an emergency vehicle alert system. That latter feature works; I saw it on the test vehicle as I approached a building fire that had closed the street.
Wi-Fi Plus is available for three months at no cost but then requires a monthly subscription to continue the service. It equips the Pacifica with a Wi-Fi hotspot, Amazon Alexa Built-in, a stolen vehicle assistance system, TomTom navigation, and owner alerts related to vehicle speed, geographic location, and time of day.
Other technology available for the 2027 Pacifica includes the FamCam interior camera system that gives the driver a view of the second- and third-row seats displayed on the Uconnect screen (shown above). A rear-seat entertainment system is also available, featuring dual 10-inch second-row touchscreens with independent streaming capability, a Blu-ray DVD player, and Amazon Fire TV built-in. My test vehicle also had a terrific 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Chrysler has discontinued the Pacifica Hybrid, which had a PHEV powertrain that provided 32 miles of electric-only driving range and 30 mpg combined. That leaves a 3.6-liter V6 engine making 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque to power the minivan’s front wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. An AWD system is optional.
With AWD, fuel economy drops from 22 mpg combined to 20 mpg. That explains why my Limited AWD test vehicle seemed to gulp gasoline. On my fuel-economy evaluation route, which includes a 50:50 mix of city and highway driving in a relatively flat area, the Pacifica AWD averaged 19.5 mpg. On the mountainous evaluation loop, the minivan returned 18.5 mpg. Over more than 400 miles of driving, half of those miles covered with four people and a full cargo area, and most of them on California freeways, the fuel economy average was 18.7 mpg.
Based on the test vehicle’s behavior, the powertrain response is inconsistent in the city or in traffic. Sometimes, you get plenty of power when you press on the accelerator pedal, and sometimes you do not. The quirky response to right-foot inputs is easier to manage when the Pacifica is unloaded, but with four people and a bunch of cargo aboard, it is really aggravating. At least the V6 sounds good when it finally starts revving.
Later, when I evaluated the minivan on my testing loop with just a driver aboard, I discovered my favorite thing about the Pacifica’s driving dynamics was the Pirelli P Zero all-season tires. They are excellent. The rest of the hardware is meh. With the driver assistance technologies set to medium sensitivity, I experienced five automatic emergency braking events and one stability control engagement while running the Pacifica down Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains.
For a minivan, what else should I expect? Well, I will say that a Honda Odyssey is a lot more enjoyable to drive, so if that is important to you and you need (or want) a minivan, start with that model. Next, I would look at a Toyota Sienna XSE, which gets a standard hybrid powertrain that is much more fuel-efficient than the Chrysler’s V6, paired with what Toyota calls a sport-tuned suspension.
Nevertheless, the Pacifica was an agreeable road tripper for hours at a time, displaying a comfortable fully loaded ride quality and a quiet enough cabin that my wife and I could talk without raising our voices while our teenagers were plugged in and entertaining themselves in the second-row seats. The Pacifica’s climate control system is also excellent, keeping the cabin frosty during a Southern California heat wave.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Chrysler equips the 2027 Pacifica with the following standard ADAS:
Available upgrades, depending on the trim level and equipment, include:
I appreciated the range of cameras my test vehicle provided. While the ADAS placed artificial limits on the Pacifica’s handling, I recognize that early intervention is the best course of action for a typical driver carrying loved ones in a minivan.
However, on a long highway drive, the Pacifica’s lack of lane centering assistance or hands-free semi-autonomous driving technology was glaring. Not only that, but the adaptive cruise control (ACC) was not sophisticated. In moderate traffic, it braked the Pacifica suddenly when other motorists cut into the gap ahead, rather than gradually as a human driver would.
Nevertheless, I appreciated some aspects of the Pacifica’s old school technology. For example, when using ACC, it was refreshing not to suffer artificially low curve-speed reductions as I drove a coastal highway and up a mountain grade on a freeway.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica five out of five stars for overall safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has issued some results, and the Pacifica earned only a Good rating for small overlap frontal-impact protection. In other tests, the IIHS gave the Pacifica Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor ratings. A family-friendly vehicle should perform better in this regard.
According to the JD Power 2026 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Kia Carnival ranks highest in the Minivan segment, with the Honda Odyssey ranked second.
According to the JD Power 2026 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the Kia Carnival ranks highest in the Minivan segment, with the Toyota Sienna ranked second.
Minivans are practical first and foremost, and by that scorecard, the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica is a winner. This model’s second row Stow ‘n Go seats are a key differentiator, and for some buyers, they are what the decision comes down to.
However, minivans are also about safety, efficiency, and technology that simplifies life and keeps a family entertained. The Pacifica’s IIHS crash-test ratings are not impressive, the V6 engine is not efficient, and some of Chrysler’s technologies are not up to modern standards.
Chrysler refreshed the Pacifica for the 2027 model year. What this minivan needed, and deserved, was a complete redesign.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
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