Here it is: the all-new 2017 Chrysler Town & Country! Except it isn’t called the Town & Country—it’s now the Pacifica. Chrysler says it wants this vehicle to dramatically shift how people think about minivans, and the company no doubt felt that Town & Country was synonymous with mom jeans and regurgitated Cheerios.

So the Pacifica badge was exhumed after a long dirt nap. You might recall that the name was attached to a three-row crossover a decade or so ago, one that could reasonably be considered as being ahead of its time—no snickering, now—as it was softer and more carlike when America was still obsessed with more-truckish SUVs. But that Pacifica suffered from disappointing sales, and we’d question the wisdom of using its name if anyone outside of Chrysler even cared it existed. As for the T&C badge, we don’t believe this means it’s dead for good; prior to being applied to a minivan in the 1990s, it appeared on all manner of vehicle types over a 75-year run. So we wouldn’t bet against Town & Country reappearing down the line as a trim level, special package, or perhaps a large crossover similar in philosophy to, uh, the original Pacifica.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The key items to know about the new Pacifica are that it will be available in both conventional and plug-in-hybrid versions, that it offers a ton of technology (including a rear entertainment system with twin 10-inch touchscreens), and that Chrysler can’t use “class-leading” enough when describing the aerodynamics, NVH levels, ride and handling, interior volume, and a whole pile of other stuff. And with its dramatic styling, there’s no way it will ever be mistaken for the milquetoast original Pacifica. We particularly like the repeated use of what Chrysler refers to as a Mobius-strip detail; it’s most obvious in the way the chrome trim in the lower fascia wraps from one fog lamp to the other, and the overall look counts as positively outlandish as far as minivans go. As a whole, we like it.

Motivating Factors

The standard Pacifica will use an updated version of Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, which now boasts two-stage variable valve lift, cooled exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR), a revised variable-valve-timing system, and a multitude of weight-saving measures. It’s mated to a standard nine-speed automatic transmission; this counts as a preemptive strike against the next-generation Honda Odyssey, which we expect will also offer a nine-speed automatic when it debuts this year. The upshot is 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque (slight gains from before), as well as increased efficiency, although Chrysler hasn’t yet released any fuel-economy figures whatsoever for this version. The Pacifica uses an all-new platform, and weight is down by 250 pounds model to model thanks to an increased use of high-strength steel, magnesium, and aluminum. The sliding doors are made from aluminum, for example, and the liftgate is a mix of magnesium and aluminum.

The Pacifica hybrid—the first gas-electric minivan in our market, by the way—uses a 3.6-liter V-6, a 16-kWh battery pack, and a twin-electric-motor setup to produce 260 total system horsepower, as well as to deliver 80 MPGe in the city (no highway number was released). The battery pack is located under the second-row floor (which means no Stow ’n Go seating there), and Chrysler says a 240-volt electrical hookup can replenish it completely in as little as two hours. Electric-only range is stated to be 30 miles. The hybrid system also uses a Chrysler-designed dual-motor transmission that, in the latest plug-in-hybrid whizbangery, incorporates two electric motors that can both be called upon to drive the front wheels via clutches, rather than devoting one solely to recapturing energy, as in older systems.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

As mentioned, the hybrid powertrain is one fresh idea Chrysler’s new-generation minivan brings to the segment, and the company touts a further 36 more. Some are quite minor (first with optional 20-inch wheels, first with a rotary shift knob and all-LED interior lighting, first with an iPad-compatible storage drawer), while others are more notable (first with hands-free operation of the sliding doors and liftgate via a foot wave, first with an available full-digital gauge cluster). One innovation that Chrysler can’t claim is the Pacifica’s available vacuum cleaner; Honda was first to market with onboard suction in 2013. (You may insert your own onboard-suction joke here.) Developed with toolmaker Ridgid, the Pacifica’s vacuum is said to suck harder than the one in the Odyssey, and it’s located in the C-pillar rather than the D-pillar as is the Honda’s.

The second-row Stow ’n Go seating fitted to all nonhybrid models has been updated to accommodate tilting with a child seat installed to facilitate access to the rearmost seats, and it also now has the ability to fold into the floor at the press of a button. Maximum occupancy is seven as standard, or eight with the optional removable second-row middle seat.

That’s Some Tech in a Box

The Pacifica’s piles of technology can be split into two categories: safety and convenience. To keep occupants safe and sheetmetal unbent, the Pacifica now offers a 360-degree camera view, automatic parallel and perpendicular parking, forward-collision warning and mitigation, lane-departure warning and mitigation, rear backup sensing with automatic braking, adaptive cruise control that will bring the van to a complete stop and hold it there, and several other active and passive systems.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The fun tech includes the aforementioned Uconnect Theater system that brings twin 10-inch touchscreens on the front seatbacks. It will offer wireless connectivity to smartphones for app mirroring, built-in games, several USB ports for charging devices, HDMI connectivity, and an “Are We There Yet?” function that tells rear passengers the distance left on a journey and ETA. The center stack can be equipped with a 5.0-inch or a huge, 8.4-inch touchscreen. The latter is flush-mounted with the dash, giving it a personal-tablet vibe, and the graphics look sharp; owners who snag one will add the ability to customize functions and apps displayed on the menu bar. Pricing isn’t out yet, but we do know that the regular Pacifica will be available in LX, Touring, Touring-L, Touring-L Plus, Limited, and Limited Platinum trims. The hybrid will be offered in Touring and Limited Platinum only.

Chrysler believes this van’s style and available technology can make people believe that these rolling breadboxes are cool. We’re not sure about that—or even that such a goal is worthwhile; what’s wrong with the honesty of a minivan?—but we are sure the company has advanced the breed, at least on paper. We look forward to getting behind the wheel and experiencing the gadgetry for ourselves to find out if Chrysler also advanced the breed in practice.

MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

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