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Comments
I highly recommend getting the dark jade/light toupe interior. It results in the classiest interior you'll ever see in a car costing less than $75,000. The smoothness and comfort of the ride is exceptional. The only vehicle that I can picture feeling safer in is a Hummer.
My only glitch was an analog clock that registered more than two hours for every hour that passed. My dealer easily replaced it (Chrysler hdq. was really surprised and wanted to examine it). My Pacifica is rock solid and seems to get better as each week goes by. It has provided me with one of the few experiences in my life where the anticipation was not greater than the actual event. My "joy level" constantly grows instead of the usual decline.
I've have added only two accessories. The first was a grey rubber mat from my auto parts store that I cut to size to cover the folded third row seats when I need to transport items like plants. It rolls up and fits snuggly into the rear cargo compartment. The other is a chrome slant exhaust tip (#PM552) from stylinconcepts.com. It looks great and with shipping will set you back $37.90 (This includes $12.95 for shipping, which is over two times what it costs them. Don't you hate that?)
The view to the rear is marginal on the Pacifica. But if you set your side mirrors so that they cover what the rear view mirror doesn't (very little overlap), you get full visual coverage. I set up the driver's seat so that it is in the full down position for me and the full up position for my wife. This way the tilt of the steering wheel does not have to be adjusted when drivers are changed (Isn't it great to have all the adjustments occur when you press your remote key?) The lever for the tilt steering wheel is something Chrysler should change. It works OK, but one of my first impressions of the Pacifica was reaching to adjust the steering wheel and the lever had so much slop in it that quality questions immediately came into my mind. Fortunately, that is the only part of the car that I haven't found to be first rate.
If everyone owned a Pacifica, they would all be happy and it would be a perfect world.
2004 of course. 1699.
2. MPG & Driving habits.
Avg is 15.91 mpg. I live/work/some shopping all in the same city. My commute to work is 6 miles, so it's getting a lot of stop & go driving.
3. Any additional accessories & mods?
I added the MOPAR accessories of satellite radio, cargo net (because I didn't want the entire cargo convenience group), and the official Pacifica sunshade. No other mods.
4. Maintenance issues to date.
I'm hearing a slight rattle coming from the sunroof area, but I haven't taken it in for a checkout. Have not had it serviced at a dealer yet.
5. Any interesting trips or cargo experiences?
First major road trip will be in July (St. Louis to Madison GA via Chattanooga and Nashville TN).
6. Overall impressions pro/cons of your vehicle; any changes in that since you first purchase?
All pros. I had high expectations and I was not disappointed. I wanted a Pacifica for the roominess without Minivan/SUV styling like a box, styling (Chrysler designs kick butt!), safety features, luxury feel, and car-based handling/driving. Everyone that's ridden in it thinks it's divine!
Sorry... I feel better now.
Paul
Waiting for the LX, Indy.
I had been told that the Murano was $50k (Canadian) and had also been told that the Pacifica was $52k Canadian.
MSRP here: Murano, $39k - $52k.
Pacifica: $43k - $55k or so.
I drove the Murano when I discovered it was only a bit more expensive than the Pathfinder. I love it!
Today I drove the Pacifica when I learned that it's only a bit more than the Murano. I like it even more than the Murano, and for me, these are the only two vehicles in this PRECISE segment (not boxy, trucky, but AWD, sporty, and comfy).
So, now... it seems that (since Pacifica hit Canada about 3 weeks ago) prices may drop here, if they have done so in the US. If Pacifica drops to Murano price range, I just may get one.
In both cases, this is their first release, and my mechanic advises against anything in its first year, but come September, I have to get something to drive.
If you like Pacifica, there's a good chance you'd like Murano, for much the same reasons.
Bottom line: if this vehicle fails, I predict MB will dump Chrysler.
Chrysler 3.5L is a great engine. No need for MB engine there.
Drove home fom the shore today with my 2 kids happily ensconced in the 2nd row, no "he's touching me", "she's crossing the line". With their rear-seat headphones and a DVD playing, I relished the calm and enjoyed my favorite FM radio station (no problems with reception!) in total peace.
It was probably the most blissful ride with my kids in tow since they were born.
Best Regards,
Shipo
We took a drive yesterday to Seattle, logged 400 miles of comfort in driving to and from. Product performance is going to be key to me now, especially since I've never owned a Chrysler and this is a new product line. I'm over what I paid for the car but all of you out there thinking about buying all I can say is either wait longer or make sure you bargain the dealership down even further than their ad because they'll probably do it to move it.
I'd certainly buy one fully loaded with rear DVD and navigation for $34,000 which is the price of one of them with the $7,145 discount. There isn't another car out there so well appointed for the price.
5.9 inches is "lots"? I'm sorry, the Pacifica screams wagon/minivan. Don't worry, that's still a crossover, just not with an SUV.
Vehicles with similar ground clearance - Town and Country/5.7 Grand Caravan/5.6 Toyota Sienna/5.9 Honda Odyssey/4.3 Ford Windstar/8.7 Mazda MPV/5.3
Again, I'm not saying I don't like it, I do. But, it isn't even close to being an SUV.
1st month: 16.7 MPG
2nd month: 18.9 MPG
Worst mileage: 15.2 on 1st tank
Best mileage: 22.2 on 431 mile run from Cincinnati to Buffalo on 6/29. Made it on 1 tank with 3 gallons left!
I've only got 420 miles on mine. I do a mix of local/highway driving (mostly local though), and was pleasantly surprised that my first tank of gas gave me 16.7 mpg.
I figure if I end up averaging 20 over the long haul I'll just about equal the mpg of the car I replaced, a 1990 Volvo 740GLE wagon.
I really like the larger gas tank (Volvo only carried 15 gal)...less time between fill-ups.
Yes, b25nut, I am in the same "mode" as you. I love the Murano, but the steering wheel (size), the interior finishing, and the ride of the Pacifica are superior.
I don't need high ground clearance or off-roading (I'd get another Pathfinder if I did). I need to stay ON the road, which is why I want to move away from the box-on-wheels.
I got stuck in mud here in my rear-traction Cressida (very low), but Pacifica is front or all-wheel drive and high enough for what I have to deal with.
It doesn't matter to me what anyone calls anything, and I suppose they'll have to come up with new names for these new types of vehicles.
I drove a Rendez-Vous today (Buick, is that the right name?). Yeech. The pattern on the seat cloth is designed to match the baby's room wallpaper (or is it a Pampers pattern?), and the column shift reeked of "middle-class, middle-aged".
Can you say "boring"?
The ride was comfy, though, and that I do want. It was simply too "mini-van".
Off to drive the Pacifica again at the dealer.
I have been eyeing the Pacifica for a month now and think that it is both stylish on the interior and exterior. I decided to take my wife for a quick look at the dealership and she hated the looks. She thinks that it looks like a squooshed minivan. She would not even get out of the car to see the interior. Needless to say, I was very annoyed. But since this next car is for her, she obviously has the final say.
Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I can tell my wife to overcome her emotions as to the Pacifica being ugly? I would love to join you all as Pacifica owners, but have this major hurdle in front of me. HELP!!
as far as Murano comparison: I found the Murano a nice looking car on the exterior and LOVED the paint color choices (unlike the Pacifica) but test drive the thing and the buttons are all in screwy locations (who designed the interior ??) plus the DVD screen is on the back of the center console (can you say kicked and broken sometime soon) ... the sales guy met me and offered Invoice out of the box on the Murano (no haggling there).. plus the rear window rake is extreme enough to limit the size of dog cage I can carry in the back ... so off the list it went...
Glad to see this board has livened up ... should reach post # 1,000 soon!
And since I paid $ 20,000 less than the price of a Pacifica I can buy about 11,000 gallons of gas with the money I saved !
That means I can drive over 253,000 miles with my gas savings alone!
And I can still carry 7 people around with me and tow about 3500 lbs of trailer.
Thanks Kia !
Thanks Yugo!
:-)
The Celine Machine keeps rolling.
BTW, I stopped by the dealer yesterday afternoon and being the last day of the month it was jumping, they had moved 4 Pacificas that day. They were of the ad and deep discount variety but at least they are moving some of their older units off the lot.
Its also just plain fun to drive...I haven't even let my husband take the wheel because I don't want to give it up!
Detroit News Online
AUBURN HILLS -- The Chrysler Pacifica, the upscale crossover wagon that hit showrooms earlier this year, is showing signs of life after a slow start.
Chrysler will report today that it sold about 5,000 Pacificas in June, or about twice May sales of 2,471.
"We are going to double our May sales," said Jan Zverina, Chrysler spokesman.
The Pacifica -- designed as an alternative to both dowdy minivans and gas-guzzling SUVs -- is critical to Chrysler, which must earn $1 billion in the second half of the year just to break even in 2003.
Though the Pacifica earned praise for its stylish design, interior comfort and innovative features, some potential customers have balked at the price and lease rates.
Well-equipped models can cost more than $40,000. Some less-equipped versions -- starting at about $31,000 -- have reached dealer lots.
Chrysler expects to get a sales boost later this summer when it introduces stripped-down version of the Pacifica that will retail for less than $30,000.
The automaker needs to sell about 8,000 Pacificas per month on average to reach its goal of selling 60,000 Pacificas this year and 100,000 per year thereafter.
"It was slow starting but all of a sudden it seems to be catching on," said Jerry Bowman, a dealer in Asheboro, N.C.
See if you can get your dealer to let you borrow an owner's manual overnight. Get to know it well and then take your wife in to see a fully loaded Pacifica (you may have to promise her a trip to Nordstrom's). Make sure it has a color your wife likes (the available colors each make the Pacifica look different). Once she experiences the interior, any other vehicle (except maybe the Lexus RX330) just won't match up. Also, don't forget the five star safety ratings. My wife now likes Pacifica and says we made the right choice (she really means it). Every one of her friends that she complained to about "my husband wants to buy a green [Satin Jade] wagon" who have seen the Pacifica ask her, "How could you not like it?".
My best friend's wife is handicaped and gets around only in a walker or an electric scooter. For the past three years she has only traveled in a Chevy pickup since it took the least amount of help getting in and out of. Last night we took her for a ride and she was able to go directly from her scooter into and out of her second row seat without any assistance! My wife's mother and father are in their late eighties and have difficulty getting into the back seat of my wife's Infiniti. The ease of entry into the second row of the Pacifica was one of the factors that influenced my choice. My in-laws are now able to get in and out as smooth as silk.
I saw the earlier post by someone trying to predict out how to create a stripped-down version of the Pacifica to price at retail less than 30k. I'd be interested to know if anyone knows of DCX's plans, if they've leaked out yet somewhere. I wonder if they will have any different body treatments or badging to indicate them as such, much like other car lines you can tell what model level one is. I'm almost thinking now that it was good that we picked one up fully loaded early on as if they won't be producing as many of the fully loaded ones that at least we were able to get one that had everything and more than we were originally looking at getting.
I agree with Charlee (post 941) that looking at a fully loaded one in a color the person will like might make all the difference in the world. Our first look was at the Satin Jade color but the car we were replacing was a green color. My wife had mentioned she liked the wedgewood blue color in the Fords or darker. I took her to look at a midnight blue Pacifica, fully loaded except for Nav system and dealer let us take it for the day. Put 60 miles on it and was sold.
I sat in the 3rd row of a Pilot yesterday while my Honda was being serviced. Although the Pilot has seat belts for 8 it certainly isn't for 8 adults. The third row did have more headroom than the Pacifica but felt my knees were at my chin, something that doesn't occur in the Pacifica 3rd row. As far as plushness goes, the Pacifica kills the Pilot. Also, in the Pilot I felt like I was sitting in a cramped mini SUV. If maximum seating is a goal that would beat the Pacifica. All other aspects I'd say the Pacifica beats the Pilot hands down.