The new Chrysler Pacifica makes us wish it were sold here

If you grew up in the late 90s and early 00s and were fairly well-off, your family’s transportation of choice would probably be European or American. Most likely, it was the Chrysler Town & Country, the American automaker’s upscale, family-oriented minivan.

This was also one of the more popular models of Chrysler Philippines, with the Town & Country having bowed out of the market sometime around 2016, just as global production ended. It was replaced by the Pacifica, but the Philippine market never got it after that, as Chrysler Philippines slowly faded from the market.

And it’s a shame, because the 2027 iteration of the Pacifica is one heck of a looker.  The front end has been significantly cleaned up with new “piano-key” style DRLs that flow into the new illuminated front grille, alongside a new Chrysler wing logo. The new projector LED headlights are hidden down in the bumper, but should provide better reach.

The rear end also gets a sleek lightbar (very much reminiscent of the Toyota GR Yaris), and Chrysler’s new wig logo is found once more. Wheel sizes range from 18 to 20 inches, and there is even a sporty appearance package that blacks out all the chrome and gives it more aggressive wheel designs.

Thankfully, for a family minivan, the updated Pacifica hasn’t fully adopted the “all screen” approach, with a dashboard that still has physical climate controls and analog gauges surrounding a center screen, alongside a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 5 that supports smartphone integration, an interior camera, and optional dual rear 10-inch touchscreens.

What makes the Pacifica a very interesting affair is how it balances practicality with the luxuries it offers, such as a panoramic sunroof, active noise cancellation, and extensive acoustic insulation using acoustic glass. Apart from having seats good for up to eight passengers, it has the Stow ‘n Go seating and storage system first introduced back in 2005.

Large cubbies in the floor allow for even more cargo with all the seats up, or the second and third-row seats can be folded into the floor for maximum cargo capacity. Plus, there’s a complete suite of advanced driver assistance systems and an integrated vacuum to help keep the car tidy when the kids eventually spill their snacks all over.

We save the powertrain for last, because there’s zero electrification here. Instead, it is the tried-and-tested 3.6-liter Pentastar gasoline V6 with 287 horsepower and 355Nm of torque, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and available all-wheel drive with front-wheel drive as standard.

Granted, in the current economic climate, a naturally aspirated gasoline V6 won’t do any good, especially with how the Philippine market is now banking heavily on electrified MPVs, with contenders like the Kia Carnival HEV, the Toyota Alphard, or even the various Chinese offerings like the BYD eMax 9 and Denza D9. However, if Chrysler were to reintroduce the plug-in hybrid version or even an electric version of this Pacifica and bring it to our country, would you consider getting one?

^{Photos from Chrysler}