The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is the best family hauler on the market, though the competition is catching up. The Chrysler Pacifica minivan seats seven or eight passengers. Shop it against the Toyota Sienna, Honda Pilot, and Kia Carnival.
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is an exceptionally well-rounded minivan, with great space utilization inside, good road manners, and few compromises. It’s a 7.2 out of 10, and a longtime TCC Best Minivan To Buy winner. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
After a rework last year with chunkier styling and big tech upgrades, the Pacifica adds modest equipment for the modern times of 2022. A new air-filtration system promises cleaner cabin air, a standard rear-seat reminder provides assurances, and the Pacifica can be equipped with Amazon Fire TV with games, videos, apps, and Alexa.
Standard gear this year includes heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Higher trims come better equipped, too, with a surround-view camera system on the Touring L, and Harmon Kardon sounds on the Limited.
Three versions are available: front- and all-wheel-drive models with V-6 power, as well as a plug-in hybrid with front-wheel drive only. All look the same, with conventional two-box styling that looks a little more SUV-like thanks to last year’s styling update. The Chrysler Voyager that was based on the previous Pacifica has been relegated to fleet sales for 2022.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
It’s not the quickest minivan we’ve tested, but the front-wheel-drive 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is far from sluggish (it reaches 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, about midpack in terms of performance) and feels plenty peppy around town.
In nonhybrid guise, it packs a 287-hp 3.6-liter V-6 and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Pacifica hybrid makes less total horsepower (only 260 ponies) from its 3.6-liter V-6 and two electric motors backed up by a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery.
In our testing, its zero-to-60-mph time trailed the gas-powered model by 0.5 seconds. We’ll perform instrumented testing on the all-wheel-drive 2022 Chrysler Pacifica soon and update this review with its results.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
In addition to being space-efficient, a minivan should also be fuel-efficient. The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited we tested delivered an impressive 31 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route—that’s tops for minivans.
According to the EPA, the Pacifica Hybrid can travel up to 33 miles on electric power and is rated at 84 MPGe combined. Around town, we were easily able to match the EPA’s 33-mile estimate. On the highway, the Pacifica hybrid managed 23.4 miles of electric-only driving before the gasoline engine kicked on.
While we haven’t had the opportunity to test the new all-wheel-drive model, we expect to update this review with test results soon. For more information about the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
Airy, spacious, and packed with cubbies, cupholders, slide-out bins, and connectivity, the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is big on the features that minivan buyers love. Fit, finish, and materials are all fairly decent, but a few down-market plastic pieces lurk inside the cabin.
Upscale Limited and Pinnacle models come with a taller center console that blends more seamlessly with the dashboard, giving those trims a more SUV-like feel from behind the wheel.
The fancy Pinnacle model comes with quilted-leather upholstery and even offers matching lumbar pillows for the second-row captain’s chairs—a feature we haven’t seen since the last time the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Maybach S-class visited our office.
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica’s standard Stow ‘n Go seats offer less padding than those in its rivals because they need to fold up compactly enough to fit inside the floor bins.
To make up for relinquishing the Stow ‘n Go second-row in hybrid models (the battery pack takes up all of the underfloor-storage space), Chrysler engineers added extra cushioning to the standard captain’s chairs. When it comes to hauling cargo, the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica doesn’t disappoint.
We managed to fit 53 of our carry-on suitcases inside with all the seats stowed. A built-in vacuum cleaner is available as an option, but it occupies space that can otherwise be devoted to an optional mini-spare tire.
Infotainment and Connectivity
Chrysler’s Uconnect 5 infotainment system is projected onto a glossy 10.1-inch touchscreen display that’s framed by climate-control vents on the van’s dashboard.
Uconnect 5 is new and offers a reconfigurable home screen and Amazon Alexa integration. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, which can be connected wirelessly, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.
An optional rear-seat entertainment system provides dual touchscreens to keep the kids placated and can be had with Amazon Fire TV, which provides access to movies and TV via embedded streaming apps.
Up to 12 USB ports dot 2022 Chrysler Pacifica‘s cabin, including some that are the new USB-C type that offers quicker charging for smart devices.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica adds to its safety standing by offering nearly every conceivable driver-assistance feature available today. For more information about Pacifica’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.
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