For those who just can't drive a minivan

Overview
We purchased the Pacifica 2WD new in November 2007. We were looking for seating capacity for 4 adults and 2 kids and hated the ride and handling of every minivan we had tested. The Pacifica fits the bill quite nicely as far as passenger room but when using the 3rd row seating, there is barely room for a diaper bag in the luggage area. We solved this problem with a trailer hitch carrier but be aware that if you plan to buy groceries with the 3rd row seats in use you'll be tying them to the roof.

Comfort
Personally, I find the seating level in the Pacifica quite low. The door sill sits well below the knee and requires more of a drop into the seat than a climb. For us this was a benefit over the minivans as our elderly grandmother has trouble with elevated entries. She has no problems entering the 2nd row seating. Access to the 3rd row seating is best left to children as even with the 2nd row seats folded and "tumbled" it's still requires a wiggle to get in the back. The 2nd row seats are bucket seats and came with power adjustments as well as seat heaters. Ours has leather seating surfaces although the leather feels quite "plastic" rather than plush. The 3rd row seating offers minimum comfort and do not recline and are best left for short distances. The high beltline of the car made me feel as if i was sitting inside a box at first and i wasn't really comfortable with sitting that deep inside the car but over time this became less apparent. The dash and guages have the typical Chrysler cheapo plastic and fake wood/chrome look but are well placed and functional. The power seat controls are conveniently located on the inside of the door, but the window controls are in the arm rest and tend to accumulate water and gunk over time. The dual-zone climate control is nice, but we have found the AC to be completly inadequate for Florida summers, and the rear seating is almost unbearable even with the included rear vents and seperate fan control. This is probably due in some degree to the huge glass area the car has allowing a lot of sun into the car. We have found the ride in this car to be rather harsh, given that it is billed as somewhat of a luxury class vehicle. There is a lot of road noise and with the AC on high it sounds like a wind tunnel. We opted for the factory DVD and entertainment center and it has been great for the kids. The only complaint would be that the overall roughness of the ride causes the DVD screen to vibrate constantly.

Drive
The handling on this car is certainly not sporty. I would rank it as acceptable plus 1. It drives more car-like than any minivan we drove and handles day-to-day driving conditions competently but I wouldn't think anyone would rank this as a "fun" car to drive. The lack of acceleration is probably one of the biggest drawbacks I can find with this car. This is a heavy car to begin with, add 4+ passengers and the 6 cylinder engine simply struggles to keep up.There is "adequate" power to get you onto the highway, but the engine strains frequently and downshifts often. I will say Chrysler did a good job of smothing the shifts out, but the frequent shift changes can get annoying during long trips on cruise control or through hilly areas. This car could have definitely benefited from an optional V8 engine choice. As for stopping the car after you finally get it up to speed, the 4-wheel disk brakes do a fine job. Ours came with antilock brakes as well as traction control but our local prevents the accurate judgement of how they function as we never see snow. They seem to function as intended though and i've never noticed any "pulsing" on regular braking. Rear visibility on this car is terrible so opt for the backup sensors or make sure you park where you won't have to back in tight spaces.

Reliability
I won't bore anyone with the entire list of things that have broken or gone wrong with this car in the year we have owned it but I will list a few. Digital speedometer replaced, AC drain unclogged twice, power seat control fixed, broken motor mount replaced, wireless headphones for DVD replaced, tire pressure monitor replaced on 2 wheels, headlamp covers replaced,and the list goes on and on. Almost all items were replaced under warranty, but if you really don't like the idea of getting to know your dealer on a first name basis, you might want to consider another vehicle. I would also highly recommend taking the extended warranty.