The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Astounding practicality
- Exceptionally comfortable
- Great ride quality
- High-tech interior
- Frugal hybrid
Dislikes
- No AWD with hybrid
- Some second-row compromises
- Kinda pricey
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is the best family hauler on the market, though the competition is catching up.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica? What does it compare to?
The Chrysler Pacifica minivan seats seven or eight passengers. Shop it against the Toyota Sienna, Honda Pilot, and Kia Carnival.
Is the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica a good car?
The Pacifica is an exceptionally well-rounded minivan, with great space utilization inside, good road manners, and few compromises. It’s a 7.3 out of 10, and a longtime TCC Best Minivan To Buy winner. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica?
After a rework last year with chunkier styling and big tech upgrades, the Pacifica adds modest equipment for the modern times of 2022. A new air-filtration system promises cleaner cabin air, a standard rear-seat reminder provides assurances, and the Pacifica can be equipped with Amazon Fire TV with games, videos, apps, and Alexa. Standard gear this year includes heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Higher trims come better equipped, too, with a surround-view camera system on the Touring L, and Harmon Kardon sound on the Limited.
Three versions are available: front- and all-wheel-drive models with V-6 power, as well as a plug-in hybrid with front-wheel drive only. All look the same, with conventional two-box styling that looks a little more SUV-like thanks to last year’s styling update.
The Chrysler Voyager that was based on the previous Pacifica has been relegated to fleet sales for 2022.
The 3.6-liter V-6 is standard fare in all versions, and it sends power to the wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. Hybrids add a lithium-ion battery pack good for about 30 miles of electric-only range and better fuel economy across the line.
Few if any new vehicles are as comfortable inside as the Pacifica. Even row three is decently spacious and supportive. The Pacifica’s best trick remains its second- and third-row seats that tumble into the floor to create a flat surface ready to handle just about any construction project. Caveat: Hybrids and the range-topping Pinnacle lack fold-flat middle-row seats.
A wide array of crash-avoidance tech is standard, and nice features such as a surround-view camera and the ability to park itself are optional. The Pacifica earned top marks from the IIHS and the NHTSA in crash testing.
How much does the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica cost?
The Pacifica starts at $38,690, but we’d step up to at least the Touring L for its easy-clean leather seats and the fact that it’s the gateway to even fancier options.
All in, a loaded-up Pacifica Pinnacle runs about $55,000, but it bests just about any premium SUV at that price in terms of pampering.
Where is the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica made?
It’s assembled in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Styling
By minivan standards, the 2022 Pacifica is downright sexy.
Is the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica a good-looking car?
On the inside and out, yes, it looks good enough to earn a 7 out of 10 on our style scale. If not for its sliding doors, the Pacifica does a pretty good job impersonating an SUV from most angles. Its headlights flank a purposeful grill, and its side proportions blend crossover chunkiness with minivan-style functionality.
Inside, the look is intriguing and upscale. Touring and Touring-L versions have a simple center console, while the bigger affair in Limited and Platinum trims gives the interior an SUV-like appearance. Chrysler offers a reasonably priced S package with black wheels, but it can only be paired with black or red leather inside, so shop carefully.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Performance
The 2022 Pacifica delivers sharp handling and decent acceleration.
The 2022 Pacifica comes with a potent V-6 capable of easily passing slower moving vehicles or an efficient plug-in hybrid that can run around town without expending a drop of gas. The powertrains, including available all-wheel drive, earn a point as does the mostly composed ride. It’s a 7.
Is the Chrysler Pacifica 4WD?
It can be, as long as you don’t want the hybrid. All-wheel drive is optional on Touring trims, standard otherwise with the V-6.
How fast is the Chrysler Pacifica?
The 287-horsepower V-6 in non-hybrid Pacifica vans offers up good power. Hybrids see a detuned V-6 good for 260 hp paired with an electric motor and battery pack. The emphasis in these models is more on efficiency, and to that end they can go about 30 miles on a full charge before the gas engine pops on.
A 9-speed automatic mostly does a good job shuffling power to the wheels, though it can stumble at low speeds on occasion.
Good steering heft and a balanced chassis make the Pacifica more fun than you might expect, but it can waft down the road since it’s tuned more for comfort. The optional 20-inch wheels can deliver an occasionally flinty ride, though.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Comfort & Quality
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica delivers first-class accommodations inside.
Simply put, there’s not a more versatile passenger-hauler out there than the Chrysler Pacifica. This van rates a 9 out of 10 thanks to its cavernous, flexible interior that offers great space for humans and gear.
Front-seat passengers ride in supportive thrones with good long-distance comfort, though the Toyota Sienna does it even better. Row two features captain’s chairs in most configurations, but an available middle seat extends overall capacity to eight. Models with Chrysler’s Stow n’ Go seating have chairs that easily fold into the floor, though they’re not as padded as we’d like. Hybrid and Pinnacle models have seats that slide forward but don’t tuck into the floor.
The third row is easy to access and offers more support than other vans. With all seats up, the Pacifica offers up 32.3 cubic feet of cargo room. Flop both rows into the ground where available and the seats give way to nearly 141 cubic feet. Technically, the Sienna offers more space, but you can’t put 4’x8’ plywood flat on its floor.
Materials-wise, all Pacificas are nicely equipped, with Limited and Pinnacle versions going a step farther with soft nappa leather. Pinnacles even include little pillows for middle-row riders.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Safety
The 2022 Pacifica comes with great standard safety tech.
How safe is the Chrysler Pacifica?
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica earned a five-star NHTSA rating and the IIHS rated it “Good” on all six crash tests, giving it a Top Safety Pick+ award. It’s a 9 based on that and its excellent standard equipment.
Every Pacifica comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and a rear-seat reminder. A surround-view camera system is optional, as are systems that can park the van automatically.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Features
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica comes in four well-equipped trim levels, and it’s priced smartly to boot.
We rate the 2022 Pacifica at 8 out of 10 thanks to its good standard equipment, its stellar technology, and its excellent options.
Which Chrysler Pacifica should I buy?
The Pacifica range starts under $40,000 for the Touring, and it comes even better equipped this year with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. LED headlights, DRL, fog lights, and taillights come standard, and on the inside a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a seamless operating system that keeps everyone connected, just not to each other.
We’d step over $40,000 to the Touring L for its leather upholstery and the ability to tack on more options. Two major packages include features such as rear-seat entertainment, upgraded audio, and additional driver-assistance tech. Shop closely as the two packages are pricey, but they do contain some worthwhile features.
The Limited includes a different center console, a sunroof, and softer leather. It’s also only available with all-wheel drive. Consider it if you’re planning to add most of those features to a Touring-L anyway.
How much is a fully loaded 2022 Chrysler Pacifica?
The range-topping Pinnacle comes in around $58,000 with every option selected.
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Fuel Economy
In hybrid form, the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica offers emissions-free commuting for many drivers.
Is the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica good on gas?
Gas-only versions aren’t too thrifty at 19 mpg city, 28 highway, 22 combined with front-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive versions slide to 17/25/20 mpg, which is on par with similarly sized three-row SUVs.
The real winner here is the hybrid, which nets 30 mpg combined and a 32-mile electric-only range. The Toyota Sienna offers better combined fuel economy, but it doesn’t have any electric-only ability for longer distances.
