2004 Chrysler Pacifica

Chrysler has a storied history of creating new market segments from thin air. From mass-appeal ideas like the minivan to popular niche products like the PT Cruiser and the aspirational (and fairly outrageous) Viper, Chrysler is a company that has few reservations about forging ahead on its own. Today, as DaimlerChrysler, that heritage is alive and well. Proof comes in the form of the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica—a brand new name and a brand new vehicle that is designed to carve out a fresh market segment of its own.

The idea behind the Pacifica was to distill the best qualities of several distinct types of vehicles into a single sport-touring machine that could fill many needs.

Few people quite "got" the first minivan in its earliest days, so if you find yourself trying to force the Pacifica into an SUV, wagon, sedan or minivan pigeonhole, don't feel bad. Certainly, when you look at the Pacifica's lines, its features and attributes, you can see clear lineage to all of those conventional types of vehicles. But there's also something unique and distinctive about it. Of course, that was the idea behind the Pacifica: to distill the best qualities of several distinct types of vehicles into a single sport-touring machine that could fill many needs. The Pacifica isn't supposed to be compromised, but optimized. And from the driver's seat, you can't help but appreciate its appeal.


The Pacifica comes standard with most of the niceties you expect in a car that has a base price of just over $30,000. There's comfortable seating for six passengers and a full complement of power convenience items. There are standard side curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seating, a driver's knee airbag and the comfort of the coveted five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for frontal and side-impact testing. The sole powerplant is a smooth 3.5-liter SOHC V-6 that's borrowed from the Chrysler 300M luxury sedan. With 250-horsepower and 250 lb.-ft. of torque, it gives the Pacifica good response and passing power. A four-speed AutoStick transmission is standard, and lets you choose between fully automatic operation or hands-on manual mode.

The Pacifica boasts comfortable seating for six passengers and a full complement of power convenience items.

Two different drive systems are offered; the basic arrangement is front-wheel drive backed up by traction control. The car we drove for this review was the all-wheel-drive version, which has a road-oriented system that requires no intervention from the driver. With the all-wheel-drive option, traction control is deleted. When traction is good, the all-wheel-drive system sends all the power to the front wheels. If they happen to slip, the system automatically sends up to 90-percent of the power to the rear wheels. On rain-slick streets, the system works seamlessly, and lets you accelerate hard in places where front drive—even with traction control—simply can't keep up. The all-wheel-drive system is a definite asset that gives the Pacifica the same sort of road-going all-weather capability you find in the better SUVs.


The Pacifica's option list offers some enticing possibilities. You can add leather seating, high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, big power sunroof, power lift gate, chrome wheels, and more. There's a wide selection of electronic options, including Sirius Satellite Radio, an eight-speaker Infinity Intermezzo surround sound audio system, in-dash 6-disc CD/DVD player and a rear seat video system. A wireless hands-free cell phone is available, as is a GPS navigation system with its bright color display mounted front and center in the instrument panel.