Chrysler Pacifica
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| Manufacturer | Chrysler LLC (2007) DaimlerChrysler (2004-06) |
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| Production | 2004—2007 |
| Assembly | Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Class | Mid-size Crossover |
| Body style(s) | 4-door SUV |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive / Four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Chrysler CS platform |
| Engine(s) | 3.5 L EGJ V6 3.8 L EGH V6 4.0 L SOHC V6 |
| Transmission(s) | 4-speed automatic with AutoStick 6-speed 62TE automatic with AutoStick |
| Wheelbase | 116.3 in (2954 mm) |
| Length | 198.9 in (5052 mm) (2007-08) 189.5 in (4813 mm) (2004-06) |
| Width | 79.3 in (2014 mm) |
| Height | 66.5 in (1689 mm) (2004-06) 68.3 in (1735 mm) (2007-08) |
| Related | Chrysler Town & Country Dodge Caravan Chrysler Voyager (Mexico) Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Designer | Freeman Thomas |
The Chrysler Pacifica is a mid-size crossover, introduced by Chrysler and marketed from model years 2004 to 2008.
The CUV was inspired by the 1999 Chrysler Pacifica and 2000 Chrysler Citadel concept cars.
Chrysler marketed the Pacifica as a “sports-tourer,"[1] building the vehicle at the Windsor Assembly Plant, alongside the long-wheelbase minivans from early 2003 [2] through November, 2007.
Notably, the Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals." [3] Chrysler developed the vehicle in 30 months at a cost below $1 billion. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Model year changes
[edit] 2004
Initially, the vehicle came in just one trim level, dubbed Pacifica.
[edit] 2005 and 2006
The 2005 Pacifica offered four trim levels: Base, Touring, Limited, and the limited-version Signature Series.
The interior was also slightly restyled. Faux wood trim came standard in Pacifica Touring and Limiteds, while the base-model "Pacifica" (Later Pacifica LX), offered interior colored plastic trim.
[edit] 2007
The Pacifica's exterior was slightly restyled for 2007, including its headlights, hood, fenders, grille, front fascia and wheels. The brand new 4.0 L SOHC V6 engine was added, to complement the standard 3.8 L EGH V6. With the addition of the new engine and transmission, Dual Exhaust was added. New options included a rearview camera incorporated into the navigation system, YES Essentials (stain, odor, and static-resistant) seat fabric and new wheel options.
[edit] 2008 (discontinuation)
Chrysler announced on November 1, 2007 discontinuation of the Pacifica,[4] producing the last Pacifica that same month.
Notably, Dodge almost concurrently introduced the Journey, a CUV sharing an identical wheelbase to the out-going short wheelbase Chrysler minivans.
[edit] Marketing and reception
The Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals." [3] Chrysler developed the vehicle in 30 months at a cost below $1 billion.[2] [5] DaimlerChrysler heavily touted the Pacifica as the next "big thing" in the fledging crossover market, forecasting sales of 100,000 per year. These estimations proved to be wildly optimistic, as sales never came close to expectations. There was stiff competition from similar vehicles, like the Infiniti FX, Nissan Murano, and Lexus RX330; the RX was the volume leader and widely considered the benchmark for the class. The initial production was plagued by quality flaws and glitches, giving the nameplate a poor reputation from the onset. [5]
A three year, multi-million dollar contract was signed with singer Celine Dion in 2003, with advertisements designed to reposition Chrysler as a premium marque. However, the promotional campaign was widely considered a flop and so DaimlerChrysler ended it just one year later. [6]
The Pacifica was designed to combine the convenience of a minivan, the elevated position of an SUV, and the handling of a sedan. Some unnecessary and expensive features were added, such as a navigation system and a load-levelling suspension. Compared to traditional (non-crossover) luxury SUVs such the Lincoln Navigator, the Pacifica had less heavy cargo-hauling capacity but otherwise it was superior in handling, comfort, interior, and amenities. However, the Pacifica was generally considered inferior to the Chrysler Town & Country minivan, for that class of vehicle. Despite the Mercedes-like interior and other Mercedes-derived technologies, however, the Pacifica may have been overpriced for its marque, as general public perception did not consider Chrysler a luxury brand like that of Lincoln, Lexus, and Mercedes. [5]
[edit] Description
[edit] Performance
Pacifica's offered a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg). The CUV's were equipped with "Autostick" transaxles, Chrysler's version of a manually controlled automatic transmission and three engine choices: a 4.0 liter V6 SOHC 6-speed transmission, 3.5 liter V6 DOHC 4-speed, or 3.8 liter V6 OHV 4-speed. Other features include five-link rear suspension, self-leveling rear shock absorbers, and variable assist rack-and-pinion steering.
[edit] Safety
In 2006 the Chrysler Pacifica won an award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as the “best pick frontal”. In 2007, the Pacifica won a five star front and side crash test rating. The Pacifica received this award for being equipped with traction control, four wheel disc brakes with anti-lock braking system, all-row side curtain air bags, Electronic Stability Program, and tire pressure monitoring system.[citation needed].
NHTSA is currently investigating a propensity toward engine bay fires in the 2007 Chrysler Pacifica's equipped with the 4.0-liter V6. [7]
[edit] Features
Third row seating was optional on the Pacifica. Front row seats featured an eight-way power driver seat and four-way power passenger seat on all standard Pacificas. The Limited and Touring included a ten-way power seat for the driver. The Pacifica came with a seating preference memory system that also controlled mirrors and pedals. Seats were available with stain and odor resistant fabric on all seats and six different fabric designs.
Cargo space was 79.5 cubic feet with second and third rows are folded. All Pacifica models came with AM/FM radio along with CD player and a seven speaker, 200-watt audio system. Limited models came with a year subscription of Sirius satellite radio, 6-disc DVD player capable of playing MP3, DVD audio, DVD video, DVD-R and DVD-RW discs, and an eight-speaker audio system. Standard models included dual-zone manual temperature control while the Limited and Touring offered automatic temperature control system. Limited and Touring models offered an available navigation system (unusually located inside the instrument cluster), along with an optional rear-view camera. A hands-free communication system was also available.
[edit] Professional and consumer reception
Consumer Reports magazine rates the Chrysler Pacifica as "much worse than average" in terms of reliability[8]. Consumer Reports also rated the Chrysler Pacifica with an extremely low consumer satisfaction of 48/100, one of the lowest ratings in the magazine's database for the consumer satisfaction survey. [9]
[edit] Sales
2006 - 85,243[10]
2007 - 72,947[11]
[edit] Trim levels
All editions were available in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive models.
- Pacifica • 2004 •
- Base • 2005-2007 •
- Touring • 2005-2008 • Pacifica with more seating and interior features.
- Limited • 2005-2008 • Pacifica with extra features, including DVD, GPS and sunroof.
- Signature Series • 2005-2006 • 2008
[edit] References
- ^ "Chrysler Introduces the Pacifica". Crittendon Automotive Library, John Birchard, June 19, 2003. http://www.carsandracingstuff.com/library/articles/0844.php.
- ^ a b c "Chrysler launched the Pacifica and the Crossfire in the USA". Global Auto Index.com. http://www.globalautoindex.com/news.plt?no=342.
- ^ a b "Long-Term Test: 2004 Chrysler Pacifica". Edmunds.com 06-25-2003. http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=100348/pageNumber=1?synpartner=edmunds&pageurl=www.edmunds.com/used/2004/chrysler/pacifica/100218686/roadtestarticle.html&articleId=100348&editorialpage=page003.
- ^ Day of pain: Downsizing aims to return Chrysler to profitability
- ^ a b c "Lessons from slow sales of the Chrysler Pacifica, August 2003". Allpar.com. http://www.allpar.com/ed/2003/pacifia.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
- ^ "Newspaper Archive". Nl.newsbank.com. 2004-03-04. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10123730AE072067&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
- ^ "Feds Probe Fire Hazard in Chrysler Pacifica". Joe Benton, ConsumerAffairs.Com, Feb 26, 08. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/nhtsa_pacifica.html.
- ^ ConsumerReports.com reliability document on the Chrysler Pacifica
- ^ ConsumerReports.com consumer satisfaction document on the Chrysler Pacifica
- ^ Automotive News Jan 7 2008
- ^ Automotive News Jan 7, 2008
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chrysler Pacifica |
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