With SUV look, tech touches, Chrysler aims to revive minivan

The new 2017 Pacifica will also be available as a hybrid – a first for a minivan.

Now, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles wants to revive the minivan segment by convincing millennials to buy one.

The V6-powered Pacifica will go on sale in the spring.

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan has a much hipper overall look, as compared to the traditional minivans; thanks to it more curved body than a boxy appearance. You can also do that hands-free thing and kick under the sliding doors or lift-gate to open them.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Reveal The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is revealed at the 2016 Detroit auto show.

A Chrysler-badged large crossover and hybrid based on the minivan architecture was still a possibility, but it hasn’t received final approval, said Marchionne.

Officially, FCAA says it will consider all new models available to it, but our sources suggest the company’s seven-seat models – including the Fiat Freemont and Dodge Journey – render the local release of the Pacifica unnecessary. On the comfort/convenience side, owners of the new Pacifica will enjoy a rear-seat theater system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen display paired with a premium audio system.

In the United States, the Pacifica will be offered with Chrysler’s familiar 3.6-litre petrol V6 producing 214kW and 355Nm, along with a new hybrid version that pairs a detuned version of that engine with an electric motor to produce a combined system output of 185kW 311Nm.

The front cover and front accessory drive system was re-engineered due to the elimination of the alternator and power steering pump which is common to most hybrid engines.

Chrysler said the engine delivers “unsurpassed fuel economy” for the segment, though the estimated fuel economy was not immediately released. Simply dubbed the Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler stated that the company’s first-ever minivan is capable of getting an extremely green 80 miles per gallon, with 30 miles of full electric charge, according to Autoblog. Kuniskis said all-wheel-drive sales make up a tiny percentage of the minivan market, so Fiat Chrysler didn’t think there was enough demand.

LaFond says her team targeted ride and handling and class-leading noise, vibration and harshness in remaking the minivan, adding independent rear suspension and increasing torsional stiffness 30%. Power numbers for the Pacifica Hybrid will be announced closer to the market launch.

Kelley Blue Book analyst Mark Williams said minivans face an uphill battle. This fall, small SUVs became the biggest segment of the USA new-vehicle market, at 14 percent.

“There is, maybe, a stigma associated with owning a minivan, but I think the utility and functionality, and versatility of the vehicle can overcome that”, Bruce Velisek, director of the Chrysler brand, said over the weekend.

And there’s one more selling point for parents: The rear touchscreens have a map mode that can show a child how far the minivan is from its destination.

For us, the Pacifica is a remarkable achievement as it can offer more than the latest Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV.