Brent Snavely

Detroit Free Press

After letting its iconic minivans languish for years without an overhaul Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has thoroughly rethought and re-imagined just about every detail on the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica.

The result is a minivan with a striking design that weighs less, gets better gas mileage and drives better than its aging predecessors. It's also loaded with technology and features.

But lets' face it. This minivan should be far better than the outgoing Chrysler Town & Country. FCA spent at least five years agonizing over the Pacifica. The automaker fielded a concept version four years ago at the Detroit auto show as it fretted for years over the direction it wanted to take the new minivan. FCA even changed the name.

How the Chrysler Pacifica minivan shed 250 pounds

"Town & Country — that was the name of the past. It was time for a new name," Matt McAlear, marketing manager for Chrysler, told a group of journalists waiting to drive the new minivan in Newport Beach, Calif., two weeks ago. "It was time to turn the industry on its head."

The Pacifica has a lot to prove when it goes on sale this spring.

It must eventually replace two minivans with revered names — the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country. And it must be a hit with millennials who are starting families as it steals attention from seven-passenger SUVs and crossovers that continue to become more popular each year.

To do all of that the Pacifica must offer more than just good looks and a sharp new design — it must prove that its quality and reliability stand the test of time.

"They have come out with something that is really in tune with the needs of families and they have done a really great job with exterior styling — it looks great on the road," said Stephanie Brinley, senior analyst for IHS Automotive. "The challenge is that they will eventually be selling one vehicle in the same space as the two they have today."

A promising start

Based on initial impressions during about eight hours of driving, the Pacifica delivers on many of the promises made by FCA executives.

It was easy to maneuver in conditions ranging from bumper-to-bumper traffic jams outside of Los Angeles to rural roads in the steep hills.

The Pacifica weighs 250 pounds less than its predecessor and is the lightest minivan on the road today, according to Free Press research.

Its 3.6-liter, V-6 engine launched the minivan quickly off the line and makes climbing hills fun. The van's stiff suspension helps it get around corners with surprising ease for a vehicle of its size.

The Pacifica was "extremely quiet, very peppy, had good ride and handling and it felt lighter and more nimble than you expect in a vehicle like that," said Michele Krebs, senior analyst, Autotrader.com.

Features galore

The Pacifica also is filled with a number of simple-yet-functional features that will make life easier for parents such as a single button on the door handles of both sliding doors that automatically opens or closes the doors on most models.

Another nice touch is the presence of two plastic handhold wells on the underside of the liftgate that makes it easier to grip and close the liftgate it by hand without touching the outside surface that could be dirty, cold or wet.

The entry level Pacifica LX that starts at $29,590 includes Stow ‘n Go seats, active noise cancellation, a six-speaker sound system, a rear backup camera and many others features.

In fact, FCA has compiled a list of 40 innovations that it says the Pacifica has that no other minivan has. Here are just a few examples:

A rotary, electronic-shifter

Instrument panel drawer with storage for an iPad

Center floor consoles with four cup holders in any price class

Lane Departure Warning system with mitigation

Rear park assist system

Capless fuel portal

10-inch touchscreens in second row of some models.

"I can’t think of anything it is missing in terms of features," Krebs said.

Wide, wavy interior

The Pacifica's interior has a eye-pleasing design full of swooping horizontal curves that Chris Benjamin, head of interior design at FCA, said is designed provide a calming effect.

"Everything in there was meant to make it feel wide and stretched out. The wide aspect ratio makes people feel more relaxed," Benjamin said.

FCA designed the Pacifica to feel luxurious by sweating details such as the rubber ring around the volume control button and the tactile feel of the heating and cooling vents.

"The objects in there are meant to give you control of the car and to look and feel very precise," Benjamin said. "When you operate, they are intended to make you feel fully in control of the situation."

The instrument cluster resembles a pair of binoculars with dueling analog dials that display rpms and the speed on the outside and digital information in the center. At night the outside of the dials is ringed in bright blue and the numbers are white.

"When we designed the cluster we really looked at the quality of high-priced analog watches and the attention to detail on those watches and that attention to details is evident on our dials," Benjamin said.

FCA's big minivan bet

The Pacifica's admirable performance, design and extensive list of features underscores the automaker's big commitment to minivans at a time when only four other automakers -- Honda, Kia, Nissan and Toyota — continue to make them.

FCA's devotion to minivans also stands in contrast to its commitment to passenger cars. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the company will eventually stop producing its Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 passenger cars so it can put a greater emphasis on its Jeep and Ram brands.

"Why are we investing more than $2 billion in a segment that is declining and going away? It isn’t," McAlear said. "It's a steady half a million vehicle segment every year with just four players. There is a lot of volume to go around."

FCA has been the reigning king when it comes to minivan sales for years, but a large percentage of its sales has been for minivans under $30,000.

The company's goal with Pacifica isn't just to rack up sales. The company is aiming for profitable sales at a higher average transaction price. That means going after the heart of the sales of its two main rivals -- the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey.

McAlear said 65% of all minivan's sell for more than $30,000.

That means the Pacifica must eventually win over customers who currently drive Dodge Grand Caravans. The entire Dodge Grand Caravan lineup, for example, has a starting prices that ranges from about $22,000 to to $31,000.

Marchionne has said production of the Grand Caravan will eventually end but hasn't said when. Turning those Grand Caravan owners into Pacifica buyers might be harder than expected, Brinley said.

"What they do have is a good product that can generate a good profit margin," Brinley said. "But you still have to get people from the Dodge side of the showroom to the Chrysler side of the showroom, and that is not an automatic transition."

Krebs warns that FCA must prove that the minivan's quality — not just its good looks and features – are competitive, especially as it takes on competitors renowned for quality.

FCA has a history of performing poorly on a variety of third-party evaluations. All four of the automaker's brands ranked this year by Consumer Reports finished at or near the bottom of its annual Automotive Report Card. In February, J.D. Power ranked Dodge last (32nd) and Chrysler, Fiat, and Jeep all fell below the industry average for the dependability of 3-year-old vehicles.

"The Pacifica is a solid competitor," Krebs said. "But (with Chrysler) quality is always my question. And there is no way to know that until they are actually on the road."

Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.