Latest news with #minivan
Motor Trend
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
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, 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.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kylie Kelce Has the Best Hack for Surviving Family Vacations With Little Kids
Kylie Kelce Has the Best Hack for Surviving Family Vacations With Little Kids originally appeared on Parade. Parents everywhere know how challenging it can be to take young kids on a family vacation. Between the change in schedules and the time it takes you to get where you're going, making your way to paradise can turn into a bit of a nightmare. Enter Kylie Kelce. Everyone's favorite mom—who shares four daughters with former Eagles player, Jason Kelce—has got some great advice when it comes to traveling long distances with little kids, and even though it involves a little fib, you're definitely going to want to hear what the seasoned mom has to shared her family travel hack with her listeners during the most recent episode of her Not Gonna Lie podcast. During the episode, which dropped on Jun. 19, 2025, the mother of four said that she relies on a little white lie when she takes her kids on long trips. And unsurprisingly, it involves screentime. According to Kelce, the family recently got a minivan, which came outfitted with a small video screen in the back. "We have a TV. That is a game changer for the beach. The girls are obsessed," she began. However, it was what she said next that truly flipped the script for her family travels. "Although I won't lie to you guys," she joked, "I will lie to my children till the day I die—but I won't lie to you guys—and I did lie and tell my children that the TV only works on long car rides." 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 By fibbing to her family, Kelce keeps the backseat TV a novelty for her kiddos, which really helps during all those long trips down the shore that the Philadelphia-based family enjoy each summer. We have to admit, this is one of those lies we'd feel okay telling our children, especially if it helped us make our vacation travels run a bit smoother this Kelce Has the Best Hack for Surviving Family Vacations With Little Kids first appeared on Parade on Jun 19, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Associated Press
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
US Open tee time awaits Docherty less than a month after horrific car accident
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — What Alistair Docherty thought was smoke was really the powder bursting out of the freshly deployed airbag. There was no mistaking the blood and glass covering everything in the wrecked white minivan. Docherty was driving May 20 when he got T-boned in an intersection, two days before the Korn Ferry's Visit Knoxville Open. On June 2, the 31-year-old, who missed his PGA Tour card by two spots at the end of last season, qualified for the U.S. Open. At 6:45 a.m. Thursday, Docherty will tee off at Oakmont. It's no stretch to say he's happy to be here, but Docherty wants more than just a good memory to close out this wild three weeks. 'It's not a miracle,' Docherty said after wrapping up a practice round that hardly looked possible less than a month ago, as he was tangled in the blood and glass. 'I'm very thankful. But it's definitely where I believe I'm supposed to be. Everything works out for a reason. I'm just trying to take advantage.' The pictures tell the story best. One is of the passenger's side of the minivan, sitting in the grass near the intersection, crumpled almost beyond recognition after getting slammed by an SUV that ran a red light. Another is Docherty lying in a hospital bed, lips pierced, eyes barely open, wearing a hospital gown draped over part of his neck collar. 'My car spun around a few times. I felt glass and everything come at me,' Docherty said. 'I opened my eyes and thought I saw smoke. I jumped out of the car as quickly as possible. It ended up being the stuff coming out of the airbag. I walked around a little dazed, and I was covered in blood and glass.' At the hospital, doctors and nurses were able to clean the glass off his body — no major damage there. The scans came back clean — nothing broken, either. Docherty said his shoulder and legs took the brunt of the crash. Constant work with the physical therapist allowed him to set his sites on June 2 at Duke University Golf Club. He shot 72-64 in the 36-hole qualifier to earn one of seven spots available there. The third part of that photo essay is him holding his invitation to play in the U.S. Open this week. Docherty knows he's lucky to be here but he's aiming for more — knowing a strong performance in this, his first major, could result in his second life-changing moment in a month. 'This is a great test to see where my game is at right now,' he said. 'If you show up thinking 'I don't have a chance here,' then you're done. so, I believe I have a chance to play my best here and see where it puts me.' ___ AP golf:
Car and Driver
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Sampling the Best of the Brand for Chrysler's 100th Anniversary
It's been 100 years since former railroad mechanic Walter P. Chrysler gave his last name to a burgeoning car company. Chrysler cars were upscale and technologically advanced, early adopters of safety features like non-splintering windscreen glass (1933) and padded dashboards (1949) as well as experimental designs like the wind-tunnel-tested Airflow (1934) and the radical Turbine Car (1963). Later Chrysler cars competed with Lincoln and Cadillac to be the preferred ride for fat cats and big shots. In the '80s, Chrysler went family-friendly, introducing the minivan first as Dodge- and Plymouth-branded models, and later under its own nameplate as a Town & Country. When the Hemi engine made a return in the 2000s, Chrysler went for the sleeper muscle car with the 300 SRT (a highly slept-on collectible, in my opinion) but was soon eclipsed by the Hellcat-powered Dodges, Jeeps, and Rams, leaving what was once the flagship brand as the least interesting of the options. All of which could have left Chrysler celebrating its century in a kinda gloomy mood, but instead the company hosted a birthday celebration at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle—where Walter P. was a member—and invited all its favorite concept and production cars of the past. We also got a look at an anniversary edition Chrysler Pacifica, which unfortunately does not incorporate the woodgrain, big fins, or plaid wool seats of lovely Chryslers past, but does come in a patriotic trio of color options (Red Hot, Bright White, or Hydro Blue) and has special badges and new-for-2026 grille and wheel options. If you're excited about owning an anniversary edition, they should be on sale now (June 2025) and start at $44,390 ($47,385 with AWD) for the nonhybrid and $52,565 for the Pacifica PHEV. 2026 Pacificas sans birthday badges will retail at $42,465 with PHEVs starting at $51,070. Stellantis 2026 Chrysler Pacifica 100th Anniversary Edition. But a single minivan does not a party celebration make, even if it does have semi-gloss granite crystal trim, so Chrysler let us get behind the wheel, or at least in the passenger seat of some of the cars from its heritage collection. Here are a few favorites. 1924 Chrysler Six B70 Prototype Walter himself drove this car some 100 years ago, it's pretty cool to take it out on the road. We weren't allowed to drive this one, something about it being one of five prototypes that has been owned by the company since its inception. As its name suggests, the 1924 Chrysler is powered by a straight-six engine making 68 horsepower and backed by a three-speed transmission with a dog-leg shift pattern. Production versions of the B70 won the Mount Wilson hill-climb in California, finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and set a 100 mph lap record at Brooklands race circuit in the UK. We didn't get quite to 100 mph, but the B70 has good off-the-line acceleration and a spectacularly roomy back seat. Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1924 Chrysler B70 Prototype. 1934 Chrysler Airflow The Airflow (top of page) looks so normal by today's standards that it's hard to understand how shocking its rounded front and smoothed out fenders must have looked to car buyers in the early '30s, when every other brand was still upright and squared off. Orville Wright of the Wright brothers worked with the Chrysler engineers to test the models for the Airflow in his wind tunnel, and while the results were too wild for the consumers—and too complex for Chrysler to produce in a quick and affordable fashion—we can see the influence of the Airflow on today's aerodynamic profiles. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1934 Chrysler Airflow. 1948 Chrysler Town & Country, 1951 Chrysler New Yorker, 1955 Chrysler 300, and 1958 Chrysler 300D I'm putting all these together because they represent the introduction of name plates that would grace Chrysler fenders for decades to come. This was Chrysler's big shot era, making cars that paced the Indy 500, introduced power steering and semi-automatic transmissions, and (with the '55) shoved a Hemi V-8 engine under the hood. Riding in cars of this era is a reminder of how cushioned and soft a luxury car used to be. The plaid-covered seats and tall white-walled tires soak up every pavement imperfection. The interiors are also fantastic, with chrome and Bakelite details that make something as pedestrian as opening a fresh-air vent feel like an important event. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car Eeeek, this wasn't just a ride-along, it was a scientific experiment. Powered by a gas turbine mated to a modified Chrysler automatic transmission, this car represents the impact of of the space-race on the mainstream. There were 54 turbine cars made, and nine in existence today, of which only a few are in running condition. The turbine car whirrs like a jet engine and has a tach that goes to 60,000rpm—although most documents about the car suggest redline was closer to 45,000. Chrysler received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the turbine cars, especially after running a loan program which allowed regular civilians to borrow the cars for a few months. As is often the case with ambitious ideas, the project was expensive and never went into full production. This is truly one of the wildest cars ever to grace public roads, and getting to see and feel it in action was very cool. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. 1976 Chrysler Cordoba Is it wrong that out of all these fabulous machines, the '76 Cordoba might have been my favorite? It was just such a baller machine with its intimidating four-light front end, balck and silver paint, and grumbly 360 V-8. This particular car belonged to Ricardo Montalban, whose smooth voice made "Corinthian leather" into a phrase still used today. Ironically, this car did not have leather from Corinth, but instead was trimmed in silver vinyl. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Here's that woodgrain and nameplate again. The K-car gets a lot of grief, but it saved Chrysler from financial disaster, and I have to say, this was a pretty sweet ride. I felt like I should be heading to a country club to lay out by the pool but not go in for fear of ruining my new perm. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver 1996 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan Talk about nostalgia. The second I got in this, turned the key, and heard that distinctive seat-belt chime, I felt like I was back in carpool on the way to middle school. It actually gave me some unfinished homework anxiety. My mom never had a minivan but plenty of my friends' parents did, and it was quite the flashback to roll that heavy sidedoor back and scramble into the third row. Note to all modern SUV designers: The '96 minivan has a perfect space between the seats to keep a handbag or backpack. 2006 Chrysler 300 SRT8 Speaking of nostalgia, the Chrysler engineers must have been thinking back to the '55 when they stuffed the new 6.1-liter Hemi into the 300 and revived the idea of a luxury muscle machine. It was funny to drive the 300 after all the plush-riding machines that preceded it. The early 2000s were all about a stiff suspension and direct steering. Still, I think the 300 SRT8 was overlooked when it came out, and would make a good buy today for someone thinking of future collectibility. After sampling so many of Chrysler's excellent machines, one wonders what's next for the brand. Today's Chrysler is at a crossroads, with only a few variations of the minivan in its line-up. The role of glamorous SUVs is being covered by Maserati, Alfa, and of all things, Jeep. Big, fast cars are under Dodge, and trucks, even if there was room alongside Ram, have never been a Chrysler focus. It doesn't leave a lot of space, but there's still the possibility that Stellantis could return the company to big luxury cruisers, or even "banker's hot rods," like the 300. VIEW PHOTOS Elana Scherr | Car and Driver Recent concept cars like the futuristic Halcyon revealed in 2024, show that Chrysler's designers and engineers aren't just thinking about third rows and Stow 'n Go seating. Here's hoping they bring back five-digit redlines, under-cover performers, and fine Corinthian leather. Elana Scherr Senior Editor, Features Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn't know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver's license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story "A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2." In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story "In Washington, D.C.'s Secret Carpool Cabal, It's a Daily Slug Fest" was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club. Read full bio
Motor Trend
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
This Special Chrysler Pacifica Celebrates a "Century of Innovation"
Chrysler celebrates its 100th birthday today—as in, exactly today, June 4, 2025. As part of the little party it's throwing itself, Chrysler is releasing a new special-edition model highlighting its century of existence and what it refers to as a "century of innovation." No doubt Chrysler has found itself at the vanguard of automotive design and engineering at a few points throughout its history, from its groundbreaking 1930s Airflow that helped usher in aerodynamic faired-in bodywork—rather than the spindly separate fenders you'd see on, say, a Model T—to the oddball turbine-powered concept cars of the 1960s to, well, the modern American minivan, which it invented in the early 1980s. It is perhaps fitting, then, that Chrysler's special-edition 100th Anniversary model is a Pacifica minivan, the modern descendant of the brand's last big-time innovation. On the other hand, there is nothing else for Chrysler to slap some special badges and such onto; the brand has been whittled down over the years to a single model. (Yes, the Pacifica comes in three flavors—the Pacifica with a gas-only V-6, the Pacifica Hybrid with a plug-in hybrid system, and the low-priced Voyager—but they're trim levels of the same vehicle.) Other notable Chryslers have been long gone for years, including the 300 sedan, leaving the brand akin to an old person whose kids never visit. On the upside, Chrysler is said to have some interesting new models in the works, and the Chrysler Pacifica remains a top minivan. True to Chrysler's nods to innovation, it's packed with several class-exclusive features that serve as a reminder that the company not only invented this segment in America, it's arguably perfected it. Nonhybrid Pacificas enjoy clever Stow 'n Go second-row seats that, when upright, leave roomy underfloor cubbies for hidden storage. Or you can fold those seats flat into the floor cubbies, leaving a cavernous, flat floor for hauling cargo or setting up an impromptu hangout space. The Pacifica Hybrid is the only plug-in hybrid minivan on sale, as well, delivering class-leading efficiency and a solid 32 miles of electric-only driving range. And as we pointed out in a recent minivan comparison test (which the Pacifica won), while other vans might drive with more verve (Honda's Odyssey) or deliver more flash (Kia's Carnival), the well-rounded Pacifica delivers solid performance, comfort, and features across the board while nailing the small stuff that parents who buy minivans might appreciate, such as buttons and controls for the doors and seats that are easy to find and operate. So, What Does the Pacifica 100th Anniversary Edition Come With? The 100th Anniversary Pacifica starts out as an entry-level Pacifica or Pacifica Hybrid Select, and adds special 20-inch wheels painted Luster Gray (only on the gas Pacifica—Hybrids likely wear slightly different 18-inchers, since no Hybrid offers 20s), "Est. 1925" winged badges on the rearmost roof pillars, and Granite Crystal exterior trim, including the grille. The window trim is blacked out, as it is on the one-level-up Limited trim and its "S" package, as are the door mirrors. In aggregate, the changes are handsome—but they're also somewhat familiar. The very same wheel designs and gray trim have appeared on Pacificas before, most recently on the Road Tripper package available in 2024. Buyers can choose from three paint colors: Red Hot, Bright White, and—seemingly new for 2026—Hydro Blue. That blue is brighter and more electric than the Fathom Blue offered for 2025, and also appears elsewhere in parent company Stellantis' U.S. lineup, namely on Jeeps and Rams. Chrysler also tosses in some extra standard content, such as the Safety Sphere package optional on regular Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid Select models that includes front parking sensors and a 360-degree parking camera. Pricing for the 100th Anniversary Edition is pretty decent, too. A 2026 Pacifica 100th Anniversary Edition will cost just $1,925 more than a regular 2026 Pacifica Select, while the special edition runs an extra $1,495 on Pacifica Hybrids. That isn't a lot of extra cheddar for the 100th Anniversary Edition's special touches, considering the included Safety Sphere package normally adds $1,280 to the Pacifica's price tag. That means the styling goodies are only a few hundred bucks. Chrysler has not yet released destination charges for its 2026 vehicles (they are $1,995 for 2025), but the MSRPs of the gas Pacificas are $42,465 for the Select, $44,390 for the 100th Anniversary, $51,070 for the Pacifica Hybrid Select, and $52,565 for the Hybrid 100th Anniversary Edition. Comparing 2026 MSRPs listed above with the 2025 model year, the 2026 Pacifica (at least in Select trim) will only cost $15 more than a 2025 Pacifica Select (MSRP: $42,450). Do we wish Chrysler's celebration of innovation were more, um, innovative? Sure, but minivan customers are getting a good deal out of it, at least. The order books open in June for U.S. and Canadian customers.
