Familymobile Perfection? | 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid 

I just got one of these. I was able to go my first 600 miles on about 4 gallons of gas.

I had one of these as a rental a couple years ago. It handled 4 adults, 1 child, and all our luggage with no problem. And it was a joy to drive. It made me want to get one of these things!

Congrats on 400k subscribers! You deserve it! You are one of my favourites reviewers. Keep up the good work!

I’ve had a Pacifica Hybrid for 3.5 years. It’s been great. Very happy with it. Have used less gas than I did in my Honda Civic.

Can't wait for the Hellcat version!

Got my 2021 hybrid last month, put 1800 miles on already, just pumped gas 1 time, loved it 👍

proud owner of a 2021 Pacifica hybrid limited here. Thanks for in-depth review Alex

2017 Pacifica Hybrid owner from Canada here, couple things... The instrument cluster screen is customizable, I have my battery gauge there completing the circle of the gas gauge so that part of the review was incorrect. There are a few options for how that screen can look and the driver can put the information they want pretty much where they want it. Also, for those living in cold climates DO NOT use the remote start button while the van is plugged in in your garage with the door closed.What Alex said is not entirely accurate. Depending on the temperature outside, the gas engine may come on. However, there is indeed a way to do it without having the gas engine kick in but you can't use the remote start button on the key fob. In the Pacifica forums online we call it the "Pittman method" after the guy who discovered this particular trick. If you want to make sure the gas engine absolutely does not kick in while you warm up the vehicle you have to go to the van and physically push the start button twice WITHOUT touching the brake pedal. As long as the van is plugged in it will heat up using power from the mains and will not run the gas engine. Any other way of remote starting risks having the gas motor come on, especially if it's well below freezing outside. My biggest gripe with the van is not being able to force it into EV-only mode. I find where I live the gas engine always comes on in the winter due to the cold (-20 here is very common). I wish there was a way to force it to stay in EV mode because most of the trips I do in the winter are well within the electric range even with the resistance heater going (especially if I preheat using the Pittman method!). It's a minor gripe that speaks more to my desire for it to be a pure EV than anything else. Our only issues have come from the gas engine the van carries around. Fully 2/3 of all our driving to date has been in all-electric mode. Our next van will be all-electric regardless of whether it's a Chrysler or not. As it stands now it looks like it will be a VW since they seem to be the only ones looking to make an electric minivan.

I don't even have kids and I want a Pacifica Hybrid. That shows how good it is. Lol

My favorite van in the segment

Hahaha I always , always tell people “watch Alex on autos”. He said “people normally get a Honda for reliability, BUT...” HAHAHAHA He always speaks the FACTS. LOVE LOVE LOVE Alex.

The best minivan out. Congratulations on 400k, Alex.

The Pacifica is a great family minivan tbh, and with the hybrid model, it’s eco-friendly

I just bought a 22 Hybrid Pinnacle and we are loving it!

Proud 2021 Pacifica Hybrid owner. Plug and play

Alex, sir, your studied knowledge and skilled explanation ability are unmatched.

Alex on Autos + You do the best reviews! 👍👌

As always, great video! I appreciate your positive, thorough, yet honest approach during your reviews.Mini-vans have always been a favorite of mine, ever since as a teen I rode in a 1970 VW bus, which had the first sliding doors in the industry. Chrysler seems to have hit a home run with this one. I will have to see if I can afford one, as it might be perfect for my 90 year old dad who needs an adjustable passenger seat.

Best review on this van I have seen! Great Stuff! Thanks for the help.

For that last 16 years we’ve driven three generations of Honda Odyssey minivans, with the last one being a 19 Odyssey with almost 80K miles. Well we bought the a loaded Pacifica Hybrid in Jan. $11,500 off sticker and another $8000 with Fed and State rebates! We love it. We went almost 1500 miles in April and only used 12 gallons of gas because we charge through the day on level 2 charger at home and around town. We are amazed at how comfortable and quiet this van is. Right now I’m saving between $80-120 a month on gas after factoring in electric costs, and as gas prices rise this delta will only get bigger. Love this van!

I love the red seats. I have them in my Dodge Charger. Most everybody likes them and as Alex said really brightens up the interior.

Love my 2021 Hybrid. Almost 31MPG to FL. And almost only use gasoline when its cold out.

My very first minivan!! Awesome job Alex.

Great review..have 19 model..perfect for every need..

Wowww, amazing and through review. I’m sold! Thanks!!!

We love our 2017 PacHy. We've gone 80k miles, equally split between gas and electric with a fuel cost of eight cents a mile (between gas and electricity). It's a great road tripper and daily commuter. It's ADAS is also really nice and not complicated.

Yes Alex way to go! 400K. Your reviews are amazing. I always get the best of what cars and more are when I watch your videos. So detailed and informative. Chrysler only real product that is great. Vans aren't cool, but they are so practical. I spent many years in MiniVans and they always got my stuff there or many people with me. No SUIV can beat a MiniVan for utility.

This was incredibly helpful. Thank you!

Great review of the battery system

I couldn't wait for this review, we pulled the trigger on a Hybrid Pinnacle trim 2 months ago and love it. The plug in range fits our needs and the 3rd row is far more comfortable IMO. Plus with the fed rebate and factory incentives, it's way less expensive than the new Sienna.

Had a 2009 Odyssey, loved it. Bought a 2019 Odyssey and hated it. Felt like it was designed by lawyers and department teams that weren’t allowed to collaborate. Our car also had some demons the dealer could never reproduce. Traded it in for a 2021 Pacifica Hybrid Limited S. Every gripe I had with the Odyssey was addressed and we are thrilled with the whole package. Literally shocked at how great this van is! I guess I was drinking the Honda Kool-Aid. We are averaging a fill up every 1000+ miles so far. We installed a Level 2 charger which allows us to charge the van quickly in between daily trips. We have done over 100 miles EV on some busy days carting kids to and from activities. Chrysler has put together an excellent vehicle for this segment. Great reviews Alex!

Superb review!!

Well organised. Subscribed.

As always Alex, an excellent & very informative review, i was one of your very early subscribers & you continue to wow , All the Best my Friend

Just ordered one sight unseen, big part is due to your review. Dealers just can’t keep any on the lot this summer

been waiting for this one

Thanks for this. We love our 2018 Pacifica Hybrid Limited (our second PHEV after my 2015 Ford C-MAX Energi, with which it shares our Level 2 EVSE). Beyond the efficiency, I particularly appreciate the well-programmed adaptive cruise control in traffic. My only complaint as a driver is that the steering is very light and uncommunicative. That's fine for long highway cruises, but on those occasions where I've been on winding backroads, it didn't help my confidence.

Chrysler should implement an electric AWD in its PHEV hybrid version the way new Toyota Sienna hybrid did for snow prone areas!

The 2021 Pacifica Hybrid is my first new car ever and its incredible. Never going back to ICE only cars!

Cheers to Chrysler (or the consortium that owns them) for making a PHEV minivan. Seems like the other companies are missing the boat. For many people 30 miles of EV is all they need in average use and any owners that have not installed a 240V charger are kinda silly to have a PHEV. I expect as batteries improve the future Pacifica will lose some weight and gain more EV range....then I'll get one. Great review Alex. Looking forward to minivan comparisons, but the Pacifica PHEV is likely the clear winner.

I'm liking the all electric range, more than enough to do things around town, and the fuel economy would be really good for road trips.

you rate cars the best. thank you.

I think I'd personally go for the new Sienna for a hybrid... But the Kia Carnival looks super luxurious and solid.

You can say what you want, but Chrysler literally thought of everything with this van. Packaging efficiency, passenger comfort, ergonomics, features, and of course driving dynamics and fuel efficiency all present. We just bought a loaded Pacifica Hybrid in Destroyer Grey to replace our 2018 Limited that was trouble free and given to our daughter now that her family is expanding. We haven't regretted the purchase at all, even after driving the hyped Carnival. Kia can't touch the Chrysler on seat comfort, total package offering, and after the tax credit and dealer deals, we ended up cheaper than Honda, Kia, and Toyota(

great! thanks...

The lease on our 2018 Pacifica plug -in hybrid is about due. What are we replacing it with? A 2021 Pacifica PHEV of course. It has been perfect. Absolutely trouble free. So quiet, wonderful to drive!

We love our PacHy. Just waiting for a full BEV minivan to replace it.

I test drove this couple of days back, super smooth and feels great. Interior is absolutely luxury and rich material not like odessey with cheap plastic interior . I did not get a chance to check 2022 Sienna . I am really impressed with this model but missing AWD in this model. Debating between Sienna and this model.

Chrysler really needs to put that plug in hybrid system in a compact crossover. I’m shocked they don’t make any crossovers right now.

Never had any issues with my Chrysler minivans with the ICE. After 2 recalls with delayed fixes and being instructed to park my hybrid Pacifica outside because it could catch on fire, we dumped it for a gas Pacifica. Reliability has been great.

Am loving AoA reviews' thoughtful, logical approach and incredibly clear diction while speaking in what is almost light-speed. Thank you! I am this close to pulling the trigger on a Pacifica Hybrid, but I'm not a typical family buyer. Almost never will I have use of any of the 2nd or 3rd row seats. Instead this will be my dog's realm and i regularly haul a lot of stuff around, for work or antiquing... I'm an abandoned station wagon lover refusing to pay for premium fuel required by the Euro-wagons, otherwise appealing as they are. Thus, to get low load floor along with driver's creature comforts, I'm left with minivans. Currently driving a 2015 Honda Crosstour all wheel drive, 6 cyl, XLE with the back seats permanently in flat floor position. I like a little giddyap, so the Siena is out. With the $7500 rebate + $500 in New York, the value proposition of the Pacifica is hard to ignore, even in higher trims. The lower reliability I'll offset with a bloated extended warranty, which will still leave me ahead in overall expenditure. Being short, I loved the low center of gravity combined with high seat position on my test drive, very comfortable seats, actual buttons and knobs for controlling Air & Audio systems, and quiet ride over potholed streets. The things giving me pause are: 1 - I can't make peace with no spare tire (donut is fine). Anyone have viable aftermarket/Mopar ideas including needed tools & secure storage option when the 3rd seats are occupying their own storage space under the floor? 2 - Interested in finding out of new Lexus NX 450h will provide more cargo space than my crosstour, and will it sip regular or premiumfuel? Of course it won't haul mega-loads like the Pacifica, but I'd trade some of that for peace of mind that comes with Lexus' reliability & a friggin' spare tire. (I do love creature comforts, too) Your input welcome, please!

@Alex on Autos Great review! Some amazing convenience features. Could you please compare legroom, headroom and space to both the Kia Carnival and the Kia Telluride in the future?

AoA scavenger hunt: 50 points: -These seats are all the way back in its tracks and 100 points: -Up and over a 22 hundred foot mountain pass -This seat is adjusted for a 6’4” passenger -Your favorite winding mountain road -Keep the child seat latched in place and still slide the second row forward Rare: 500 points -Reserved for your mother-in-law

If your hybrid doesn’t transition well between gas and electric, it can be the idle timing which can be reset. In Ford Fusion it needs to be reset every time the battery is disconnected for service. It will idle and transition rough if not reset, and it will affect fuel economy allot. It’s a very easy process to reset the idle timing.

Subbed very very thorough Thank you sir. You may have sold me one on this

Hi There - love your videos, Alex. What are your thoughts on the reliability of the Pacifica Hybrid? Consumer Reports does not recommend it due to engine and transmission issues. All the reviews I've seen otherwise seem to recommend the vehicle. The Consumer Reports rating is the only thing that's making me question the purchase. Thoughts? Thanks!

It would be great if you could demonstrate the cargo capacity with the seats stowed/& removed…

Someday, I can buy this hybrid minivan used.

I am very surprised for an all new platform that Kia doesn't have some form of electrification in the Carnival.

Still like my town and country. Would love this if I could afford it.

Great review Alex! Finally. Someone gives the Pacifica its due. I owned the pre-PHEV version and wished I had waited. I recommended it to my friend coming out of 3 Siennas in a row. I think it’s way better than the Sienna hybrid. PLUS, and this is a big plus, you pretty much pay close to sticker for the Sienna. You can get lots of $$$ on the hood for the Pacifica. Add that to the tax incentive, and my buddy could have almost purchased two Pacificas for what they wanted for the Sienna! His wife absolutely loves it hauling around their 3 kids. Adds well to his Tesla Model 3.

Love our 2018 Hybrid Pacifica but the UConnect system keeps freezing for the theater section which makes the 2nd-row screens useless as you can control them while driving. Too buggy. They need to put in a bigger battery pack like a 30kwh as it is way more efficient in EV only compare to the hybrid mode.

A long time ago I ordered THE FIRST Plymouth MV but they were so popular my small dealer never received any.

Not sure why, but the new Voyager is called the Grand Caravan here in Canada

PHEV is so tempting with this one !

Great review. I had the Pacifica right before the PHEV came out. Wish I waited. I loved everything about that car except the transmission. It was terrible! Otherwise, our favorite minivan after owning 3 Odysseys. Glad to see the PHEV doesn’t use the same tranny. Wish you could control the EV/hybrid mode better like I can on my RAV4 Prime. On long trips it’s nice to turn on EV only for local roads, then put it in gas mode/hybrid mode for the highway, and preserve EV mode for local roads again…On our vehicle that had the heated steering wheel, the metal strip didn’t heat up, so it gave an odd feeling of the cold strip on your hands while the rest of the wheel was hot! Is that changed now?

I've had electrical /software problems with my 2019 leased new Pacifica. Not just annoying issues, but actual problems where the car shuts down and wont start in the middle of traffic for no reason. I took it to the dealer and they said it was fixed, but we still have lingering issues where the display just freezes up and the radio wont work plus we had to disable some of the features to avoid constant problems. Love the engine and the ride and the space, but these other issues are BS. Plus the headphones broke 2x due to faulty design. Not good. Maybe they fixed these issues in the 2021 model BUT still disappointing we paid top $ for a faulty vehicle. Also this was not just our vehicle. Chrysler message boards confirmed many others where having the same issue and the service rep at the dealership couldn't hide the fact he was dealing with this software issue consistently.

If they had stow-and-go seating for the second row in the hybrid I would have bought it right away!

I like a good van myself. I wish all of them were available in AWD. Ranking size by the exterior dimensions can be deceptive. Some vehicles do a poor job (previous Tahoe/Yukon) and some vehicles do a really good of space utilization (Telluride/Palisade). Loving these new hybrid choices. 👍 for the front seat button. Thanks for the Carnival mention. I was just about to ask. ALL vans should be offered wi the Max seating. That’s the whole point of a van. Wake up manufacturers. No removable 2nd row seats for the Sienna is a huge miss. Huge MISS for Carnival for not offering Max seating in the Carnival. That’s the same gaff they made with the Palisade/Telluride.

This was informative, however, it would be better to know what trim and extras were on the model tested.

My biggest gripe about the Pacifica is that the nicer center console-all the way through the cupholders to the armrest-is reserved for higher trims. The lower trims have this wide open area with hardly anywhere to store or hide anything.

I'm surprised how much the price has gone up already within the same model year! It now starts at 45k for Touring L!

Honda needs to make an odyssey plug in hybrid !

I'd buy a Pacifica over an Odyssey if I planned to keep it for less than 7 years. Any longer than that though and I'll go with Honda (not the new Sienna though with that 4 cylinder engine)

The Pacifica Hybrid Plug -in is the best in quality and value, especially with their current rebates. If I had to pick a minivan or SUV, it would be close between RAV4 Prime and Pacifica Pinnacle...and the winner is the Pinnacle if it is within your price range- way more cargo and people space.

Chrysler should make more vehicles. This PHEV is very impressive but I don’t need a mini van.

Chrysler should do 8 seat plug in with softer seats, keeping family friendly 2nd row and send it to EU as well:)

You keep dissing the volt for how it reports electricity usage but that’s in the driver trip display. In the center console the MPGe DOES factor in the cost of electricity in the energy screen and gives you an accurate MPGe rating for after the last charge up.

Hey Alex, regarding the charging factor for the Pacifica Hybrid, would you recommend springing for level two charging at home or do you think charging from a 120V or 240V twist-lock overnight would do the trick?

I don't understand why IIHS hasn't tested the new Pacifica's headlights and collision avoidance system to see if it would qualify for their Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award. It received a "Good" score in all crash tests, and I would hope Chrysler kept the IIHS headlight tests in mind when engineering the new LED headlamps, so it should be able to earn the award. I don't know anything about the process at IIHS, whether they get loaner vehicles from automakers or have to purchase the vehicles they test, but I'd think someone in Chrysler's marketing department would really want to push to get the TSP+ if they can.

Hi can you make a ev or phev/ev playlist?

You have to get Pinnacle for push button start? LOL!

Fun fact: the interior design and features were all planned out by ONE woman, who actually has kids, and thats why the pacificas interior is nicer than the competition. My only gripe with her design is the metal ring on the steering wheel.

I have a 2021 Hybrid Pinnacle. We love it. I got it last month, $9,500 off MSRP. Yes I agree that the hybrid is the best model to buy. I wouldn’t buy the gas, 9 speed, Pacifica.

What's the expected lifespan of the hybrid battery and what do they cost to replace? I'm in Maryland and we get cold winters for a couple months, how bad is the battery in the cold?

We need an AWD hybrid

Any idea why Chrysler sticks to the Pentastar V6 instead of going to a 2.0T like in the new Jeep Wrangler 4xe? I mean going to a 2.0T will likely improve highway efficiency to match the new hybrid Sienna. I don't know the size of the Pacifica or the weight make it a concern to put in a 2.0T, but both the Wrangler 4xe and the Pacifica Hybrid pretty much the same at just over 5000 lbs. Also wouldn't a 2.0T engine fit in the space occupied by a 3.6L V6 engine? A Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid with a 2.0T and the same battery combination will be a market leader. Superb efficiency combined with lots of space!

With the middle row removed, can you still fit a full sheet of plywood?

So (I’m not very “car smart”), are we saying here that the plug in hybrid doesn’t work like a normal hybrid? Is there a normal hybrid option? I’d prefer to reap the benefits of a hybrid without having to plug and charge, or sacrifice the 2nd row stow and go.

Mine only has 6k miles on it, then I got the “service battery at dealer” message and it won’t start. I had it towed to the dealer, and they’ve had it for a week and can’t fix it - they said they don’t know what’s wrong? What are my options? I’m shocked - this is a 2021 50k+ vehicle with just 6k miles!! Even more frustrating - they don’t have a rental car available which is part of the warranty agreement! Someone please help!

Makes me want to have a couple of kids, again. Wish it had a spare tire. Can it hold a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood?

How is the lane keep assist? Does it keep the van centered in the lane or ping pong back and forth?

I know it's an old video. But has anyone verified that you can remote start in the garage safely with it plugged in? I owned a 2018 and it would start in the garage when it was pretty cold out but have upgraded to a 2021 model. I guess I can just wait and see till winter comes again

22:37 is it really true that the hybrid version have ambient lighting in the back? Where exactly do they have them? Does the gas engine only Pacificas have ambient lighting?

Does the pinnacle model have the vacuum?

I live in an apartment and I don't have a garage. Can someone unplug (steal) the cable while the vehicle is being charged overnight even when the car is locked?

Can you run the a/c in the garage like you can with the heat? Asking from Arizona.

Hi Alex, have watched your excellent reviews since from the beginning! Here I have a question: that $7500 federal credit is just taxe credit, or it is actually cash rebate? Thanks!

I wish they allowed towing with the Pacifica Hybrid.

Any news on the 2022 model?