The 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Is the Only 3-Row of its Kind: But Is It Good?

No minivan has ever made me feel as special as this one.
The 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid offers plug-in flexibility and luxury, but faces challenges with safety ratings and infotainment speed. It boasts a solid drive and competitive pricing with tax credits, but has higher insurance costs. Resale value lags behind Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey.
This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next
Sure, it's just a minivan, but you must understand—this one has quilted leather throw pillows inside.
Our 2025 Pacifica Pinnacle Hybrid represents the fanciest minivan Chrysler offers, so it was only fitting we got a red-carpet welcome during a recent family weekend getaway. The only other cars in the valet parking lot were other Pacificas; five of them awaited our arrival.
The Pacifica is one of the oldest cars on the market, yet the plug-in still feels competitive years after its 2017 debut. After a holiday full of urban, suburban, and highway driving, however, we discovered a few ways the Pacifica has fallen behind the three-row family hauler competition.
Here's how the top-of-the-line 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle Hybrid beats rivals and where it needs to be updated. What We Like
Plug-In Hybrid Flexibility
Plug-in hybrids are great for those who will actually plug in the car at home. Although you can use a faster Level 2 charger at home like an electric car, a standard outlet works, too. The difference with the 2025 Pacifica Hybrid is simply time: You'll get a full 32-mile charge in a little over two hours with the Level 2 charger or about 14 hours with a standard outlet.
Like fully electric cars, plug-ins are wonderfully quiet in traffic and at red lights. With no engine idling, you can better hear what's on the radio or what your passengers are saying.
Chrysler doesn't let you choose when to use your electric power the way some plug-ins do, but a drive to work will use very little gas unless you drive at a constant 90 mph with the defroster on. In which case, this 1,514-hp Pacifica might be more your speed.
Thanks to the Pacifica's plug-in hybrid powertrain, we could quickly fill up with gas anywhere on the drive and benefit from quiet electric motoring at our destination thanks to our hotel's electric car chargers. Even if you don't charge up often, the Pacifica Hybrid still operates as a gas-electric hybrid—and is more efficient in everyday use than the gas-only Pacifica with its 3.6-liter gas V-6.
Driving Experience
The Pacifica Hybrid is a solid car to drive. We spent time in a 2025 Toyota Sienna minivan shortly beforehand, and it seems to us the Chrysler has more road noise, while the Toyota, a standard gas-electric hybrid you don't plug in, has a smaller four-cylinder engine that frequently whines. We'll take the six-cylinder Chrysler's trade-off here.
We didn't have as much of an issue with the Chrysler's brake feel as we reported in the past, but we did think the suspension could be slightly cushier. Perhaps on the base model's smaller wheels, the ride improves a little.
Value (Purchase Price)
Value is a tricky subject with the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. With so much in flux in the auto industry right now, we strongly suggest buyers look beyond the loaded Pinnacle model's scary $62,275 price tag.
As this is written, most 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid trims are eligible for zero percent financing for 72 months as well as a $7,500 federal tax credit; some markets often have manufacturer incentives on the table, as well. Although the EV tax credit may disappear in the future, it's worth noting that it probably won't go away before the end of 2025 and this minivan is the only non-all-electric car to qualify. Pretty cool.
Also, the tax credit can be handled by the dealer at the point of sale, meaning you can treat it like a cash incentive if your gross income isn't more than $225,000 as head of household or $300,000 for a married couple.
Summed up, you have a plug-in hybrid minivan at the price of a loaded non-PHEV, with far better financing rates than you'll find on a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna.
Old Van, Old Tricks
Convenient second-row captain's chairs are standard on the plug-in hybrid, which can't be optioned with the gas Pacifica's clever Stow 'n Go second-row seats that fold flat into the floor—but the hybrid's chairs (which are removable) are more thickly padded and therefore more comfortable.
We appreciated the driver display and steering-wheel controls even more. These features haven't changed for years, yet they make a big impression. Chrysler puts volume and track-forward controls on the back of the steering wheel in a location that's out of the way yet never requires a huge stretch of the hand to reach. Good job.
Then there's the 7.0-inch driver display, which is surrounded by old-style analog gauges. A fully digital driver display isn't available, but take it from someone who spent a year in a car with a cluttered 7.0-inch driver display, this one is clean and easy to customize.
The Biggest Pacifica Pinnacle Surprise of All
Picture it: There we were in a tourist-filled coastal town, desperately searching for a parking space on narrow streets in a 204.3-inch van. Our delight at finding an open spot was doubled when I used the parking assist system. Called ParkSense parallel/perpendicular park assist on the spec sheet, the system was intuitive—important when you're on a small busy street.
I quickly activated the system, which found the space we wanted. As I adjusted from drive to reverse and controlled the throttle, the car controlled the steering angle. The end result was a decent parking job. On the hybrid, the feature is standard on Pinnacle and available on the other trims. What Needs Improvement
Safety Test Results
This is where the 2025 Pacifica shows its age most. The Chrysler simply can't compete with newer-engineered minivans in crash tests. With IIHS, the Chrysler's last safety award was a 2023 Top Safety Pick, but the awards get harder to earn every year. That's why we acknowledge the better performance of the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna; they earned a 2024 Top Safety Pick.
With NHTSA testing, the Pacifica Hybrid earns five stars overall—which is good. The frontal crash test result is four stars to the non-hybrid model's five, however.
What this all boils down to is that you are safe in the Pacifica, but the Toyota Sienna specifically does better with IIHS' tough crash tests.
The Drifting Minivan
We don't mean the fun kind of drifting, but the disconcerting variety that happens when your car rolls backward a little on hills. It happens occasionally with the 2025 Pacifica Hybrid, and we'd like it to not do that.
Quicker Infotainment
The 10.1-inch screen is a decent size, but its responses could be quicker.
No Digital Rearview Mirror on Higher Trims
As I enjoyed the beautiful rolling hills alongside the highway on our drive home, a passenger in the second-row captain's chair watched a movie via Amazon Fire TV on one of the two entertainment screens.
I knew she wasn't looking at me, but every time I checked my rearview mirror, it awkwardly felt like she was. For hours. A digital rearview mirror can help in these situations, as your passengers disappear and you have an unobstructed view behind the car. The feature isn't offered on the Pacifica.
Value: Higher Insurance Costs
The average annual premium for a Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid is higher than what you'll find with the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, CarInsurance.com tells us. Yes, the Chrysler is pricier than those rivals, but the federal tax credit brings down the price considerably.
The data in this table is based on 2024 models
Predicted Resale Value
Resale value is another key part of many new car purchases, so we asked the experts at Black Book for some help determining where the Pacifica Pinnacle Hybrid stands.
What we found was that the 2025 Pacifica performs OK in resale value. That's not bad for a car that's sometimes sold with huge financing and cash incentives.
In this case, the high-end Toyota Sienna trims have the best resale value of our threesome—we know, what a shock. The high-end Honda Odyssey trims also slip in ahead of the Pacifica Hybrid.
The percentages below reflect Black Book data with a June 2025 effective date
What Does It All Mean?
We like the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, even though it's gone so long without a full redesign. With the awesome flexibility of the plug-in hybrid powertrain, it's clear why the van won a comparison in 2024.
So, although we'd really love for the Chrysler brand to rank higher in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability study, the Pacifica Hybrid remains an interesting option for anyone looking for a green-minded three-row family hauler and isn't ready to go fully electric and jump into, say, Volkswagen's new ID Buzz minivan.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Forbes

37 minutes ago

• Forbes

250 Million Acre Public Land Sale Would Ruin The Off-Road Industry

Ford Performance at the 2025 King of the Hammers in Southern California's Johnson Valley. Since President Trump took office in January, the amount of threats to anything considered public—from a large slice of our nation's workforce to the media—have been unrelenting. Earlier this month, these threats took on a new form: potentially robbing the American people of millions of acres of public land. Unveiled on June 11th and revised on the 14th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's budget reconciliation bill outlines over 250 million acres, to be slightly more exact, that could be offered up for sale to private business. As reported on by Jonathon Klein of Ride Apart, this could have a tremendous negative impact on not just our natural resources, but every corner of the outdoor industry as well. For those amongst us who enjoy off-road driving (or hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, cycling, climbing, etc.), the possibility of being cut-off from lands where we savor such activity is very real. Klein points out one particular swath of land in Southern California, Johnson Valley—home to one of the world's top off-road racing events, King of the Hammers—is on the chopping block, which would not only be detrimental to this event, but every single industry that's involved in it. Automakers, the aftermarket performance and racing industries, tourism, general outdoor equipment industries; the list goes on. Take that same scenario and multiply it by every other parcel of land that outdoor enthusiasts could lose access to, and the damage would be extensive. For a good overall picture of what's on the chopping block, The Wilderness Society has created a handy map. Competitors at the 2020 King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California. But why is all of this land potentially for sale? As stated in the bill itself, as much as $15 billion in revenue could come from expanded oil, gas, coal, and geothermal leasing. Other aims include increased housing production, domestic energy security and timber production, as well as, in the bill's summarized words, 'ensuring states and counties benefit from energy projects on federal lands.' The Wilderness Society has also outlined a handful of counter arguments. In its words, 'research suggests that very little of the land managed by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and USFS (US Forest Service) is actually suitable for housing.' It also explains that the federal government can revoke national monument status and that certain changes would negatively impact sovereign Tribal Nations. We can't forget the fact that increased energy production carries its own environmental hazards, too. It's all bad and very unnecessary. One thing that truly makes America great is its beautiful natural land that's here for all of us to savor, and this bill could cut off a very significant portion of it. And again, there's the immense adverse effect on every single outdoor industry, especially off-road driving and racing, and the massive amount of American companies that feed it. Contact your US senator and let them know how you feel. Especially if you live in Utah, which is Senator Mike Lee's turf. He's Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the creator of this bill—ironically, as many as 18 million acres of his state's land could potentially be up for sale. That's a lot of territory for off-road driving, hunting, shooting, fishing, climbing, camping, hiking, mountain biking, and so on.

CBS News

an hour ago

• CBS News

North Texas woman alleges discrimination, retaliation in lawsuit against Copart

For the first time, Christine Arnold is speaking publicly about her legal battle with Copart Inc., a North Texas-based Fortune 500 company and global leader in car auctions with locations in 11 countries. Arnold says it took years to rise to the position of vice president of human resources, a role she claims brought both authority and adversity. She alleges she experienced harassment and gender discrimination during her time at the company. Copart has described her allegations as baseless. "I'm angry," she told CBS News Texas, "We shouldn't be having conversations like this in 2025." Arnold says that in her role overseeing employee conduct, she was routinely dismissed whenever she tried to report misconduct by fellow executives, according to a new lawsuit. "There were just instances of just grossly unprofessional behavior; intoxication at work and leaving work, and obviously going somewhere where we became intoxicated and came back. [I was] unable to track someone down because they were at a club of, you know, a certain type," Arnold described in the lawsuit and to CBS News Texas. Allegations of unequal pay and stock disparities Arnold says she was also in charge of salaries, and claims in the lawsuit, the company withheld millions of dollars in stocks from her and her female colleagues. "In my position, I was given those documents. So, in looking at it, I noticed that there were only male names on that document. Five female vice presidents were left off that list. We received nothing. Myself being one of them," she said. Christine Arnold CBS News Texas Arnold says she complained about the stocks and was given a package worth around $200,000. She then alleged she complained about discrimination and harassment and was fired months later. "It's about making sure someone is held accountable for how myself and other women were treated at that company. I am a mother, and I have a daughter. I don't want her to go through this," she said. Copart denies allegations in legal filing CBS News Texas contacted Copart repeatedly for an interview or response to our questions, and has not heard back. However, Copart's law firm filed a response to her initial EEOC complaint in 2023. In that filing, the law firm states in part: "Copart fired Arnold because, on multiple occasions, Arnold used her position of significant authority and access to sensitive and sometimes personal employee information to violate — and threaten to continue violating — Copart's confidentiality policy. [BUTT] "At no point during Arnold's entire employment with Copart did Arnold ever assert a complaint of any alleged gender discrimination" .. and that Arnold created several fictional complaints." Text messages and testimony support claims, attorney says "What makes this case particularly compelling is the documentary evidence," Arnold's attorney, Rogge Dunn, said. He shared what he says is a text message from Arnold, which he argues, confirms she did complain to Copart's COO of gender discrimination in August of 20-21, 14 months before she was fired in October of 2022. He also says other women have since come forward anonymously, sharing similar stories. A copy of one of those alleged messages reads, "Thank you for making them take accountability. I wish I could." Hoping for change "The fact that she was head of HR, she complained, and they kept repeatedly telling her 'Stand down, we've got it handled.' Then, when you see the disparity of the millions of dollars of stock options and equity, that's compelling evidence," Dunn said. Arnold hopes her story inspires other women to come forward and creates what she argues is a better culture in her former company. "It felt like a family at one point. I hope someday they make the changes that they need to," Arnold said.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Tesla is set to launch its robotaxi service in Austin this weekend, entering a crowded autonomous vehicle field

The launch of Tesla's robotaxi service is tentatively set for this weekend in Austin, Texas, entering a crowded arena of autonomous vehicles already operating in the city. Tesla is competing with driverless Waymo taxis that are already transporting people around the city, while Amazon's Zoox and Volkswagen are testing robotaxis there too. Tesla's driverless taxi service launch has been highly anticipated by investors and fans, however, officials and lawmakers have expressed automotive safety concerns. On Wednesday, Texas lawmakers sent a letter to Tesla urging the company to delay its robotaxi service launch until September, when a new state law regulating autonomous vehicles takes effect. It adds to another letter, sent by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Tesla last month, asking for additional safety information about its robotaxi rollout. That same month, Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive, acknowledged the need for national regulations around autonomous vehicles. 'It's going to be important to have a unified set of national regulations for self-driving cars,' he told CNBC. 'Otherwise, you're going to get into this weird situation where, if you're driving from Maine to New York, you're going to go through 10 different sets of regulations. Cars are going to behave differently. It's not going to make any sense.' Here's what we know about the driverless service set to launch this weekend. For the initial launch of the fully autonomous ride-hailing robotaxi service, Tesla will use its internal fleet of Model Y electric vehicles, updated with the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, without a driver. If the autonomous cars run into a safety issue, a remote driver can step in and take control of the vehicle. The Cybercab is Tesla's driverless taxi that will also rely on the FSD software without a human driving the vehicle. The initial launch of Tesla's robotaxi service won't include the Cybercab because it isn't expected to go into production until at least 2026. Musk says each Cybercab will likely cost less than $30,000 to produce. The fully autonomous vehicle won't have a steering wheel or pedals and will have a large center touchscreen. The two-passenger vehicle won't have a backseat or a rear window but will have a rear cargo area. Musk says it won't have a traditional charging port and will rely on inductive (wireless) charging, which will charge by parking over a pad embedded in a designated charging area. Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch sometime in June. Bloomberg News then reported the launch was poised to happen on June 12, citing a person familiar with the matter. Two days before the anticipated launch, Musk reposted a video on X that showed Tesla testing a self-driving Model Y car in Austin, with what appeared to be no driver. Later that day, Musk replied to a user on X that the tentative rollout of the robotaxi service was June 22. 'We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,' Musk said. He also indicated that the first driverless trip from the Tesla factory to a customer's house will take place on June 28, which is the billionaire's birthday. The letter that Texas Democratic lawmakers sent Wednesday to Tesla's director of field quality urged the company to delay the robotaxi service launch until a new Texas law takes effect, on Sept. 1. The law revises previous state guidelines for autonomous vehicles and requires the operators to receive prior authorization from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The letter states that in order to get that authorization, Tesla needs to show: that the vehicles can operate while abiding by state traffic laws, have a recording device, comply with federal standards, are properly registered and insured, and can 'achieve a minimal risk condition' if the autonomous system stops working. The Texas lawmakers asked the company to provide 'detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law upon the launch of driverless operations in Austin' if they decide to proceed with the launch over the weekend. Yahoo News has reached out to Tesla for comment. In addition to the Model Y taxis being remotely monitored at first, Musk told CNBC that the vehicles will also be 'geofenced' to certain areas of Austin that Tesla considers the safest to navigate. 'We want to deliberately take it slow,' Musk said. 'I mean, we could start with 1,000 or 10,000 [robotaxis] on day one, but I don't think that would be prudent. So we will start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40.' For the initial launch, the robotaxi service is expected to only be available to Tesla employees or by invite. 'The service will probably not be available to the general public for several months, analysts said,' according to the New York Times. Musk says he hopes to have by the end of 2026 'over a million Teslas' doing 'unsupervised full self-driving, where you do not need to pay attention.' Musk had originally promised in 2019 that there would be 1 million self-driving robotaxis on the road by 2020.