mmarshall

He's old-school, even more than me.....and I'm no spring chicken.

The only reason I brought him up in the first place was not necessarily to give him, or me, any more attention on the side, but to show that, like Steve, others can purchase or lease a Pacifica with expectations of at least reasonable reliability. Although Chrysler products, in general, do seem to run more problems per vehicle than what is considered average these days, there seems to be a lot of comments in this thread (some of them inaccurate or excessive) about Chrysler products being lemons simply because of the badges on them. Being overwhelmed with video-electronics is not necessarily something wrong with the vehicle IF it works as designed.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

well said.

even if something works as designed it doesn't mean it works 'well' or is easy to use. usability is a HUGE deal. and not to veer off topic, but even vaunted apple has challenges, i was helping someone with an iphone x and the new swipe 'gestures' to use it without the button (now gone) are challenging and require a certain coordination and dexterity and practice! of course anyone 20 and under will master it in seconds.

back to vehicles and displays/controls, with apple carplay and android auto taking off, the car infotainment controls at least may become more consistent and simpler, as car companies simply leave it to the phone companies to get it done. climate controls shouldn't be on the touch screen i don't believe... my car is a mixture (like pacifica also u-connect) but certainly not difficult.

SW17LS

If he was satisfied with a used Jeep Patriot why on earth was he ever even looking at a Pacifica?!? My cousin had a Patriot, you could not find two cars more different. And what a terrible vehicle (the Patriot).

Anyways, just got back from WV. The Pacifica ran great, good power in the mountains, charged right up the big 6 mile long 7% grade over Sandstone Mountain on I-64 with nary a hiccup. We rode through both times 5 hours without stopping, kids were entertained by their movies the whole time. Very comfortable, my wife complained about the seat, but I was very comfortable in the drivers seat the whole time. Returned 24.7 MPG on the highway which is great with the mountains. I run cars pretty hard on this trip, heavy acceleration to 90-95 to pass trucks on 81, mountain grades with cruise set to 80 on 64. The transmission definitely handled the grades better than the Sedona, of course it didn't feel as effortless in the hills as the Lexus.

Couple gripes I have:

1. The uConnect Theater is a pain to use at times. Lockouts make it hard to get a movie going, my wife had to turn around and do it on the screen behind her seat which was needlessly unsafe. Then, when using a USB stick you have full menu control?!? Weird. Infared headphones are too big for our kids, and the plugs for wired headphones are where their feet lay on the seats in front which means they break the headphone jacks (cost us two sets of headphones). These issues will be solved when the kids are older, but could be implemented better now.

2. The 9 speed has a very high overdrive gear, and the van tends to race down mountain grades with very little engine braking. Crest a hill at 80 and very quickly you're doing 90 headed back down. Just something to be aware of.

3. Range isn't great, tank is a little small for the road trip focus of the vehicle. I usually get there with between 1/4 and 1/3rd of a tank left, do in the Lexus, did in the Sedona and the Jeeps, the Pacifica had less than a 1/4 tank left. Pacifica has a 19 gal tank, Sedona was 21.5, Jeeps were 24.6, Lexus is 22.2 gal. I'd like to see the Pacifica have a 21-22 gal tank.

Overall, very pleased. I really like it.

mmarshall

Wouldn't have been my first choice either (by a long shot), but the Patriot is at least a better choice than the Compass. The Patriot's traditional-Jeep boxy styling and tall windows give good space efficiency inside and good outward visibility. The Compass lacks even that LOL.

Actually, he wasn't replacing the Patriot with a Pacifica....he had already purchased the Pacifica. He replaced the Patriot with a Forester.....in several ways, a much better vehicle.

Good. The eastern part of WV (and the western parts of MD/PA/VA) are good places to test power (and engine braking) on long grades. IMO, the worst I've seen is the 3.5 mile, 10% grade from the summit of Chestnut Ridge into Hopwood/Uniontown, PA....the famous "Uniontown Hill" or "Summit Mountain". That grade was once used, back in the early 20th century, by a number of automakers to test engines, cooling systems, transmissions, and brakes. A hotel at the summit, with a wonderful view of the city below, entertained many celebrities of that era.....including Henry Ford when he brought his products there for testing.


That's one of the benefits of today's 8 and 9-speed transmissions, like in your Pacifica. I'm also doing better in the MPG department, with my 9-speed Lacrosse, than I expected....it combines a 9-speed with start/stop and cylinder deactivation.

That seemed to be what Jack was complaining about...otherwise, he's been happy with his Pacifica.

Can you downshift manually with the rotary-shifter (or other means, like shift-paddles?), or does it pretty much have a mind of its own on downgrades?

Might be a quirk in how Chrysler sets up their 9-speed. The new GM/Ford 9-speed seems to have an effective Grade-Logic program...and you can downshift manually if you're not satisfied with even that.

So does Jack.

And glad you are satisfied. Few things are as disappointing as Buyers' Remorse on a new vehicle.

(BTW, if you haven't already seen it, check my PM on the new local toll-lanes here on I-66)

SW17LS

I had mistyped the MPG, it was 24.6 corrected it after you had quoted it. There is an "L" mode for engine braking which helped.

I will check my PMs, saw I had one but hadn't had a chance to check yet

mmarshall

Good. That was (roughly) 1 MPG even better then what you originally posted. Not bad at all for a heavy V6 minivan, several people on board and packed up for a vacation....especially in the roller-coaster Allegheny mountains.

Keep in mind, though, that if you took the average MPG directly off the trip-computer, rather than figure it out for yourself from the distance covered and number of gallons needed, my experience has been, with several different vehicles, that the computer can be off as much as 1 to 1.5 MPG......but rarely or never more than that. Don't ask me why ......I'm not enough of an engineer to know the answer in detail (though I've got a couple of theories), but that has just been my experience, that's all. In general, though, it's within about 0.5 MPG or so of what I get by doing it manually.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

24.6 is remarkable for a large vehicle with a family and lots of gear on a trip not driven 'slowly' over mountains...

SW17LS

Agreed, very satisfied. Overall average right now is 21.6 which is amazing when you figure how much its idled around here

jrmckinley

Random question. I know in several threads you (SW15LS) have mentioned that in certain respects you thought your Sedona was equal or better in build quality to your LS. In reading through a decent amount of this thread, I'm wondering if you still feel that way as there are a couple of things where you're saying the Sedona was starting to "wear" a bit and it was relatively low miles in my book. So if Sedona is > 460 and Pacifica is > Sedona, is Pacifica > 460??!

SW17LS

I wouldn't say build quality was better, the material choices in a couple areas were better, namely the seat leather (which is also better in the Pacifica). I still would feel that way, I was satisfied with the Sedona, its a very well built, quality vehicle. In many ways it was built better and finished out better than the Pacifica, better materials, better trim, etc. I find the Pacifica MUCH more enjoyable to drive however, I never enjoyed driving the Sedona at all. Clunky transmission was a bit part of it, relatively unrefined etc.

I will also say, I think the brand played a role there. As much as I fought it, I think I always sort of felt like I was driving an "off brand" car...

SW17LS

Just to give everybody an update, we're 3,200 miles in and the Pacifica is doing great. We completed three sizable road trips, a 500 mile roundtrip trip to NJ, a 700 mile round trip trip to WV, and an 850 mile round trip trip to Albany, NY. All the trips went great, and seat comfort seems to have improved as the seats have broken in. My wife complained about numbness from the passenger seat over the first trip, but on the trip back from Albany I commented that she hadn't had any issues and she agreed. I spent 6 hours solid driving the van with no break coming back from Albany and was perfectly comfortable. Long stretch of the trip up there occurred at night, HID headlights and LED fogs are excellent. Base audio sounds great too (my Pacifica does not have the upgrade HK sound)

The Pacifica scuttles down the road with a solidity and a premium feel that was definitely not present in the Sedona. Road and wind noise is much better controlled than in the Sedona as well. Driving aids work great, the LKA does a nice job of nudging you away from the line without being overbearing and the adaptive cruise works very well too. Although with the latter I did have to clean the sensor off after driving on salted roads in Albany (the Pacifica was and is absolutely filthy) to restore ACC function. Kids love the uConnect theater and it keeps them happy and quiet.

I also got to drive it in the snow in Albany and it did quite well. VERY cold there and despite obviously no AWD and all season tires in 0-1 degree F weather it did great.

My only road trip issue continues to be small range due to the small tank, this van should have at least a 20 gallon tank. Only hiccup we have had, and I'm not even sure you could classify it as a hiccup, is sometimes the power lift gate will open and then stop, and you have to push it all the way up as if to reset it. Will watch that and see if its an issue or a user error.

Overall, very satisfied with the van. Have another trip coming up in a couple weeks to NJ, but will likely take the new LS460L on that trip to try it out.

mmarshall

Sounds like not much colder there than it's been here for the last few mornings LOL. 5 degrees at my house this morning when I came out to drive to church....although the wind wasn't as bad today as it has been recently.

If applicable, have you checked your oil-life monitor?....with most vehicles so-equipped, it's a push-button option on the trip-computer Ordinarily, with a new vehicle, once you start to get a few thousand miles on it, the monitor might be down to 40-50% oil life remaining, especially with the generally severe usage and stop/go traffic in this area. Long trips, though, such as the ones you've taken, tend to extend the life of remaining oil, so, in your case, you might have some time on it left (I get my first two oil--changes free.....that's just my dealer's standard policy). You'll also want to keep an eye on the dipstick to see if the engine uses any oil between changes.....chances are it won't if it has been broken improperly.


Did your wife do any of the driving, in the drivers' seat? Though usually of the same general design and upholstery as the passenger seat, the drivers' seat will often have more features in it (such as adjustable lumber support or massagers) that the passenger seat may lack. If she was uncomfortable in the passenger seat, she may or may not be uncomfortable on the left, in the driver's seat.

On the WV trip, did the transmission grade-logic and brakes keep things under control in the mountains? Or were you mostly on easy-grade Interstates? (I suspect the latter LOL)

When the lift-gate stops on the way up (or down), are you being careful to stand clear, out of its way? In today's litigious society, features like that often have prevent-sensors that prevent operation (or continued operation) if they detect something in the way. Same thing with power-windows, of course, particularly in the back where the Kiddies and pets are. The windows will not close all the way if they detect a head, neck, arm, paw, etc...in the way.

Without the UConnect, though, better bring along something to keep the Kiddies amused LOL

theory816

If im getting a minivan it has to be a Sienna. Those things seem solid.

SW17LS

I haven't but I'm sure its still fine, I'll check it out of curiosity next time I drive it.

She drives it day to day but she didn't do any of the driving on the trips. Passenger and driver seats are the same, its just a matter of getting used to them and breaking them in a little bit.

No it did a great job in the mountains. Several 7% grades up and down on I-64, the biggest being Sandstone Mountain in Hinton, WV which is a 6 mile long 7% grade. Shift logic was great, better than the Sedona and going down hill it did fine, although especially on that grade I use low gear at times to save on the brakes.

Thats definitely a possibility.

We'll use an iPad, I have a holder that goes on the passenger headrest posts and slides into the middle.

They're just so ancient, and so crappy inside. Lack much of the innovations newer vans like the Pacifica or certainly the new Odyssey have. The Sienna should have been an all new van this year instead of a second refresh of the same model thats been out since like 2010. IMHO the Sienna isn't at all competitive, only reason to buy one is if you need AWD or if you must have a Toyota.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Agree about the Sienna. How was your mileage on the longer trips? My Ody only got ~24 on a quick visit to Hershey which got pushed down to ~21 by a lot of parking lot idling.