Can you believe it’s officially been more than a decade since we first saw the Chrysler Pacifica minivan? On Jan. 11th, 2016, Chrysler’s sixth-generation minivan rolled on stage at the Detroit Auto Show, giving families and rental fleets a much-desired dose of modernity. Little did we know that rounded styling, a nicer interior, and a gearbox that didn’t date back to the K-Car’s Ultradrive would define America’s family car for the next decade. However, you can’t leave stuff on the shelf forever. Sometimes you need to switch it up, which is why the Pacifica is getting another facelift.
Right now, details are scarce. All we have to go on are three photos published to Chrysler’s official Facebook page, all showing a dramatically different face on the same basic van we’re all deeply familiar with. It’s unapologetically weird, yet not unprecedented. After all, it’s largely a mix of trends we’ve seen before.
Let’s start with the big statement pieces, the largely vertical headlights. Alright, they’re technically L-shaped, but all the important bits stack in a straight line up-and-down. We’re talking low-beams, additional elements, and what look to possibly be turn signals. As the driver of a small sedan and an even smaller convertible, automakers effectively lowering headlight beams on tall vehicles is a rather welcome thing, as it generally strikes a nice balance between headlight throw and glare reduction.
At the top of the fascia sits possibly the most controversial trend in modern car faces: A light bar with gaps. While several thin elements effectively span the width of the Pacifica in a singular line, I can’t help but wonder what this arrangement will actually look like at night. Maybe the stylistic gaps around the new-look Chrysler emblem will balance out the panel gaps between the headlights and the center element. We’ll just have to wait and see.
This newly slimmed upper grille treatment has really given Chrysler leeway to play with texture on the front fascia. The latest Pacifica comes across all texture-and-trim, especially where dimpling on the bumper cover meets stylized brightwork on the lower grille. Sure, the forward-facing radar unit isn’t as neatly hidden as it could be, but I’m definitely interested in seeing this latest front-end treatment up close. Add it all up, and you get a face perfectly in line with where the latter half of the 2020s is going.
What else can we see from these initial shots? Well, there is one thing perhaps unsurprisingly absent from the new Pacifica: A charging door on the left front fender. While you used to be able to order Chrysler’s modern minivan with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, recalls and eventual discontinuation brought an end to the only plug-in hybrid minivan in America. Sometimes making batteries is hard. That begs the question: What’s under the hood of this latest van? While the outgoing model features Chrysler’s ever-present Pentastar V6, there have been recent efforts to phase out the Pentastar in favor of the GME T4 engine family seen in the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, and Alfa Romeo Giulia.
For now, we’ll just have to wait for Chrysler to give us a closer look at the refreshed Pacifica. Don’t be surprised to find updated infotainment and some interior renovations, but it looks like America’s last homegrown minivan keeps a lot of what we love. Same flexible Stow-N-Go platform, just with a fresher look. If one thing’s for certain, this latest update is a whole lot more interesting than the 2021 facelift.
Top graphic image: Chrysler
Well at least it is still a minivan, and soccer moms will still continue blaring Evanesence through the speakers. At least that hasn’t changed.
We blare Yellowcard in our Pacifica, thank you very much
This looks like a ripoff of the Toyota and Kias of the world. I rather liked how they did swooping lines and felt that design to be more timeless but what do I know?
EDIT: Also, from the side angle it appears the
taillightsrest of the van is still the same? What the hell is going on here? lolAgreed that it looks like they only put a new grill / lights, and it otherwise looks 100% the same. Maybe the back had different taillights too? Or maybe a bigger screen inside?
It seems like even the front fenders and hood are the same, which looking back was what they appeared to do with the first refresh as well.
The original front end and this facelift are at polar opposites of the design spectrum, so sticking this face on the original body looks terrible.
At least the rest of the tooling stayed the same, though…
they really don’t understand the Pacifica buyer, do they? Until this article, I wasn’t even aware they did a previous (ugly) refresh in 2021, because I don’t think I’ve seen a single example.
This monstrosity will surely solve this sales issue /s
As an owner of a Classic Pacifica, I can tell you there are a lot of the ones out there with the new face. But I can understand it blends in to most people.
That thang got a hemi in it?
That is very disjointed. The front looks very Kia-esque, with sharp edges and creases, no roundness. Then you get around the side, and it’s all bulbous and round. Sure there’s still the sharp character line, but it’s so much more round and American looking which does not mesh well with that front end. Not a fan of this significant downgrade.
I was about to complain about the same thing. It’s very obviously the cheapest possible refresh – just stick a new front end on it, but leave the rest of the unibody style, stampings, and crash testing results exactly the same.
I get the need for a refresh, I get doing it cheaply, but they should be cohesive designs.
So American design stolen for the Asian design stolen back for American design.
It’s weird and seems a bit insurance ad Anycar-y but I am also here for it?
The grille was my only issue with the 2021 facelift, it seemed like the bumper was almost designed for a Dodge crosshair grille to flow through. The back was an improvement, although even that hinted at Dodge racetrack-style taillights if they connected all the way through.
I didn’t know Kia made a Pacifica! Neat!
In all seriousness though, the original face was the best one still. This is really bad and looks nothing like a Chrysler. Then again, Chrysler is essentially a zombie brand that doesn’t have its own look, so… sure, go make a Kia.
Designer: Does this go with our current design language?
Boss: We only have 1 vehicle, so sure.
“Who was working on the Pacifica facelift while everyone has been scrambling on the Dodge vehicles?”
“Oh, we just gave it to the new guy who came over from Kia. Dude knocked it out in, like, a week.”
For people who either can’t afford a KIA – or buy KIAs because they like the way they look?
Just shut Chrysler down already.
The press release will say, “Chrysler refreshes entire lineup!”
I really dislike the current trend of placing slim marker lights where the headlights historically went and then putting the actual headlights down below in a blob.
I disagree. If anything the headlights are going back down to where they were when people drove sedans, and you could be a pedestrian without being blinded.
We have strayed so far from the simple perfection of the 2nd gen Honda Odyssey
The middle photo, where it’s being driven on road: The front end looks like some part of the Kia Carnival, I just can’t place it.
Anyways, I thought it looked okay as it was, I don’t love this. A van’s a van to some extent. I think companies that make vehicles like this should stick to a look, and then just improve the interiors and motors.
Nothing to see here folks, just a Routan facelift on a Stellantis product.
I wonder how little they’ll change the interior. The door panels appear to be identical to the current facelift.
My guess is, they won’t. They haven’t really changed it much since it’s inception, other than super-size the screen, and bulkify the center console for certain trims. Considering that the dash design can’t really fit a larger screen (it’s seriously maxed out right now) I would bet that it’ll look the same.
To be fair, the interior of the Pacifica is mostly pretty nice.
Yeah, the Pacifica interior still holds up really well against the competition. Honestly, the whole package does. Sure, a bigger refresh or even all new model would have been sick, but I get why they are stretching it: it’s still competitive.
My biggest complaint is the powertrain side. The hybrid is just so unreliable (and now discontinued?) and the V6 so thirsty, especially w/AWD. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Stellantis has anything available to address this yet.
IDK, I like the Pacifica. I would certainly pick one over a Odyssey or Carnival. I strongly considered it over a Sienna this past fall, but 35mpg, AWD, and (hopefully) fabled reliability ended up being too tempting even if I liked how the Pacifica drove better and how the interior felt better put together.
I bought mine used and honestly, it simply won on price. Similar aged Siennas and Odysseys were nearly 10k more expensive. It seemed tough to believe the Chrysler could be such a piece of shit that it would not be able to outperform that sort of value delta.
And I certainly like it, and it’s been pretty good to me so far. And I agree, updating for the sake up updating is a pretty bad policy. But this is now a decade old design that’s now on it’s third face. At some point Stellantis needs to put some money and effort into what is one of their only winning products before it’s too late.
A surprise new powertrain option would forgive a lot of sins but I don’t see that happening. Unfortunately the new 1.6L hybrid they’re putting into the Cherokee is probably a little too weak to bother putting into the van.
Yeah, Sienna and Odyssey resale is pretty impressive, but you also pay more up front so I don’ think it makes a huge difference in total life cycle costs. At least in my area, a $10k delta in OTD pricing is probably generous, but not completely out of the realm of possibilities compared to an as similar spec Sienna as you could get. I was getting pricing more like $7k in favor of the Pacifica, but I think I was just somewhat lucky on finding a reasonable Toyota dealer more than not finding a Chrysler dealer willing to offer deep discounts.
I dream of a new EREV offering in the Pacifica. It would be so nice to have a van on the market that had like 100+ miles of EV range and then another 250+ miles of total range.
Even 50 miles of EV range would cover most of my commute.
It sucks that the PHEV version ended up being so problematic. Now that’s the sort of powertrain (if it actually worked lol) that I would stay in brand for. My only major gripe with the van is the fuel economy. Fix that and we’ve got a stew going.
which were identical to the original.
So much better a face than the current Pacifica. The original Pacifica (now on the… Voyager?) face I thought was actually quite nice and their redesign missed the mark. I’m fine with this! And I have an opinion give that I rented both a Pacifica and a Voyager in the past month haha.
Exec: “Alright guys, the one vehicle we produce under the Chrysler brand hasn’t had a generational change in nearly 10 years, let’s get some changes coming so it isn’t so stale”
Designer: “Awesome, a groundbreaking new van from the ground up?”
Exec: “Nah, just put a new nose on that thing and call it a day. Every car now has those led strip lights that go all the way across the top of the hood. Do that and add an angle on the nose to make it look different. Don’t even worry about cool headlight design, just put some square pod lights under some plastic and we can phone this thing in. There’s beer and wing specials at Ronnie’s Pub at 4p, see you guys in an hour.”
I clicked on the link to the 2021 refresh. Reading ‘punim’ made me think of my late grandmother, who was the opposite of a sourpuss. Thanks Torch!
Will they make a rugged version like the Sienna Woodlands?
If they get rid of stow-n-go seating sales will nearly stop. It is the only reason people do not just by a Sienna or Odyssey.
That or their credit score.
or xenophobia
Plenty of ppl bought the hybrid which had to drop SnG to make room for the batteries.
The PHEV was also a pretty desirable feature that no one else offered, though, so I think that was the reason dropping SnG was forgiven.
At least, it was desirable until it started showing its Stellantis reliability.
100%. I was so pumped. It seemed like such a great vehicle. Right up until the first SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM error.
They gave it the front of a 2026 Bolt
I was thinking more Cadillac Optiq
Headlights have a strong Kia vibe, and Kia is trendier than Chrysler.
Or they could, you know, try to gain sales the hard way by actually improving the vehicle.
Meh….Will it come in any colors? Not that I care.
It looks cheaper. The pre facelift was by far the most cohesive of this generation, and it seems like each update has made it look worse.
1) I can’t wait for the “make this vehicle look like an insect” headlight trend to end. And the light bars.
2) It doesn’t really mesh with the aesthetic of the rest of the vehicle, does it?
3) Are they seriously rolling out the next generation Pacifica with no exterior update other than some news lights and bumpers? Or is this just a facelift on a car due for an update that they can’t afford to update?
The original front end that my Chrysler van has, I think it relatively attractive, and is coherent with the rest of the design. The refresh wasn’t an improvement, but at least it sort of made sense. This is just plain ugly, and tacking on such a “trendy” front end on what’s obviously a decade old design otherwise, is just sad. It would be sort of hilarious if they opted to not change the powertrain, though the regular-ass Pentastar is probably the most reliable powertrain they have (certainly the most proven) so updating that probably wouldn’t be a real improvement.
It just seems like a poor attempt to modernize it.
The “we can make LED headlights super slim now so we can make all cars squinty” trend is finally wrapping up, and now we’re apparently going with “make all cars look like EVs”. But I’m thinking that these Kia-esque headlights are gonna look pretty dated by the time this thing even hits the lots.
Yeah, the front screams “this is an EV” so loudly that I’m actually shocked to find out that it isn’t.
It’s the lowest effort imaginable (at least based on what we’ve seen so far). But that has been the Stellantis way for it’s entire existence.
It sucks because I awkwardly root for a turnaround. I have a Voyager and I think it does a ton of stuff really well. So far at 104k, it’s been totally reliable. I’d love to see a real redesign, so that maybe when this van’s time is up, I could consider a new one as a replacement. But so far… that’s not looking like it’s going to be an option.
Its never going to mesh with the rest of the vehicle, because its a new front end designed according to the latest current trends, bolted onto a decade old body, that’s just what happens. Stellantis is following the VAZ Lada/GAZ Volga playbook here, just wait till the next facelift in 2037 if you want to really see awkward
Is there no front logo when the vehicle is off?
It’s embarrassed to be identified as a Chrysler.
It really shouldn’t be. Even after this facelift, it’s by far the most handsome vehicle in their lineup.
Look how they’ve massacred my boy.