The Official Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Review Thread

It's an idea that we're kind of surprised hasn't happened sooner — a hybrid minivan.
Read more at 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: Real-World Fuel Economy

If you drive 30-40 miles a day, mostly around town and minimize your highway use, you might never really dig into the hybrid's gas engine. Around town, I achieved an observed 45 mpg while driving more than 150 miles. That's a phenomenal achievement for a full-size, seven-passenger minivan. To get this higher mileage, I kept speeds below 50 mph, drove in stop-and-go traffic, charged up the Pacifica Hybrid when I got home, and maximized regenerative brake use by slipping the transmission into Low instead of Drive.

Out last minivan, a Nissan Quest, avg around 16.5mpg around town when my wife drove and 18 when I did.

 

"In a 241-mile test drive from Ann Arbor, Mich., to the Cars.com mothership in Chicago (of which 30 miles were electric-only) the Pacifica Hybrid garnered an observed mileage of 27.6 mpg — accomplished with the cruise control set at 75 mph. The Pacifica Hybrid's mileage from that trip is almost exactly what a conventional Pacifica is rated to achieve on the highway. So, it doesn't seem as if the hybrid system really does much to improve highway mileage at all, but what about around town?"

75mph is much higher than the EPA highway test's max speed. The ICE model will be getting worse than its highway rating at that speed.

 

kudo's to fca, i love everything about it. except that they make it.

 

Come on now, minivans are Chrysler's baby. If they can do one thing they do right, that would be it, and they do sell an awful lot of them.

 

having owned a few, and a couple fiats, i have to disagree. but i admit, it was all many moons ago. still, i'd be more comfortable if ford or gm were building one. they both have good hybrid track records under their belts now.

 

The minivans at work are Dodges. Haven't heard of any complaints with them, and they are okay driving. The Stow-n-go seats are clever, but they are still minivans.

Ford and GM have given up on minivans completely, and they aren't hurting for doing so.

The Mazda5 sales are just vehicles lingering on dealer lots from after the model was cancelled, and the Quest was dropped this year.

The crossover has replaced them, and for some families, offer more fuel efficient choices. Perhaps this PHEV can revitalize the segment, but I expect a plain hybrid one that might American's expectations for a minivan will carry too much of a price tag to justify the fuel savings here.

 

Confusing if this is Hybrid or Plug-In Hybrid...are they using the word Hybrid for Plug-In hybrid?

 

They are, because they're afraid their target market will be scared away by it being a plug-in hybrid, which is new and confusing technology. So, it's a hybrid (with a 16 kWh battery), and you can plug it in if you want to. And, you get no control over the energy deployment strategy - no EV/EV auto/HV selection, no CHG mode.

 

Is there also a Hybrid version without a Plug?

 

Nope.

 

it's a plug in, unless you are just buying it for the hov sticker. then, it's a hybrid.

 

all you have to do is never plug it in. It immediately becomes a regular hybrid as soon as the SOC reaches CS mode. That way if you ever change your mind, & start wishing you had a plug-in, all you have to do is plug it in ... & that way, ya didn't even have to buy a new car!

.

 

Going by what we've seen to date, a hybrid minivan sized for Americans likely wouldn't see enough improvement to the MPG number for people to be willing to pay the extra cash for it.

 

I do not know, I suspect it'd be fine, and get similar fuel economy, as a never-plugged hybrid with somewhere around, oh, 2 kWh instead of 16 kWh.

However, with 16 kWh, it gets $7500 of federal tax credit, and state incentives in some states, making it cheaper than, or at worst the same price as, an equivalent non-hybrid.

Without a plug, it gets $0 of incentives, making it more expensive than the non-hybrid.

 

...and since I already own a 2009 non-hybrid version, I know there is a ton of space under the floor when the stow-n-go seats would normally hide (but I do not have the stow-n-go seats, I just have a huge empty space under the false floor behind drivers seats). Basically a mini-van design accidentally pre-configured for plug-in conversion.

 

Placing the batteries is likely a good enough reason for Toyota or Honda to hold off on a hybrid minivan for North America until the model redesign.