2024 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Review: I Liked It (Even Though It Broke Down)

Minivans used to be the kings of the family car segment. In the late 1980s and 1990s, you couldn't walk even a few feet without bumping into a Plymouth Voyager, Toyota Previa, or Ford Aerostar. Fast forward to 2024, and crossovers and SUVs have become the dominant life form. Now, there are only four minivans offered for sale in North America: the stalwarts Honda's Odyssey and Toyota's Sienna, and two relatively new models, the Kia Carnival and Chrysler Pacifica.

Minivans are sometimes derided among both suburban dads and hardcore "car guys" who don't want to put off the impression that they've "given up." I do not belong to either demographic and I quite like minivans. So, when tasked with reviewing a 2024 Chrysler Pacifica, I was pretty excited. My family had a number of Chrysler minivans growing up, and one of my first forays into the automotive review world was a review of a friend's Honda Odyssey (sadly that review has disappeared into the aether).

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica Select Premium S I had for the week wasn't your average Chrysler minivan we all know and (maybe) love. First introduced for the 2017 model year, it was equipped with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, a relatively new venture for Stellantis — Chrysler's parent company — and unique in the world of minivans. Even now, with the 2025 Carnival getting electrified and the Sienna hybrid-only from the 2021 model year, this remains your only plug-in hybrid option.

The hybrid drivetrain consists of a 3.6-liter V6 and an electric motor, and outputs 260 horsepower altogether. Running just on the 16 kWh battery in EV mode, it has an estimated range of 32 miles. When the engine kicks in, the full range is — as Chrysler reports — about 520 miles. It's made to be a fuel efficiency monster.

I do not have children to take to soccer practice and my dog is too ancient to be taken anywhere regularly, so I did not partake in too many minivan-centric activities, but I certainly have gained a greater appreciation for the minivan as it exists in 2024.

First and foremost, set aside your minivan preconceptions. The Pacifica, as it was equipped during my test, was positively blinged out. It has Nappa leather seats, a huge infotainment screen, fancy embroidery everywhere, 18-inch alloy wheels, a 760 watt 20-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, and even illuminated cupholders. Chrysler didn't hold back, and as a result the interior was a very nice place to be over the course of the week. During a stressful work day, I can see it serving as a little metal and leather oasis in the cacophony that can be modern life.

Chrysler's UConnect 5 infotainment system takes some getting used to and the readouts on the digital instrument cluster aren't always easy to figure out, but after a few hours behind the wheel, I was able to get ahold of what I was looking at. It just took practice and presses of the steering wheel buttons to get a feel. It's not incoherent, just not always clear.

As far as driving dynamics are concerned, it's a minivan, so it's not going to fly around a NASCAR track with any credulity. It weighs 5,010 pounds, so it's closer to a KC-135 Stratotanker than a fighter jet. Still, the electric motors give it a healthy amount of oomph when accelerating and it certainly isn't slow. It's just not a performance powerhouse. On the miles-per-gallon side, it performed right within the window Chrysler estimated: 30 miles per gallon pretty much regardless of how I drove. I can see it cementing itself as a road trip king; fill-ups were rare over my tenure with the Pacifica. 

From behind the wheel, it was positively plush, the sound system was great, and the ventilated seats were a lifesaver in the hot and humid weather. I have exactly no complaints over Chrysler's ability to construct an interior save for the amount of reflective material that would likely attract fingerprints like an electromagnet.

Unlike a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade or Ford Mustang, I don't have anything philosophical or particularly poignant to say about the Pacifica. Although I am not the target demographic, it's a genuinely useful vehicle that I can see serving as a faithful steed to any family who would buy one. It's hard to qualify a metric like "usefulness" sometimes, but the Pacifica's maximum cargo capacity of 140.5 cubic feet puts it leagues ahead of something like a 2024 Honda Pilot's 87 cubic feet.

Against its peers, the Pacifica is nearly identical to the Honda Odyssey's 140.7 cubic feet. A behemoth like a Chevy Suburban only slightly inches out a victory at 144.7 cubic feet, at the sacrifice of fuel economy and agility. The Pacifica isn't as pretentious as something like a Mercedes or BMW, as it will likely live a life of having gummy worms ground into the carpet for eternity. 

I'm sure that if I were to go on a road trip with the Pacifica or go on a big trip to the hardware store, it would perform flawlessly. Chrysler's fold flat Stow n' Go seating is unmatched when it comes to usable cargo space. However, there is one avenue where the Pacifica falters, and that is price. The PHEV model is not cheap, at all. 

It starts at a positively hefty $53,425 (a substantial premium over the gas model's $39,645), and when you get into options, the price balloons even more. The $5,995 Customer Preferred Package adds an appearance package, all manner of exterior and interior lighting, USB chargers galore, ventilated seats, Chrysler's "Safety Sphere" driver assistance package, the aforementioned leather seats, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, metallic accents, and blacked out badging.

The $2,995 UConnect Theater and Sound group adds the Harmon Kardon sound system, HDMI inputs for two seatback screens in the second row, an interior camera to keep a watch on everything that occurs in the cabin, power sliding doors, and an auxiliary power outlet. Rounding out this particular 2024 Chrysler Pacifica Select Premium S eHybrid was its $195 "Silver Mist Clear" paint job and a $1,595 destination charge for a grand total of $64,205. That's a nice chunk of change for a fuel efficient minivan.

Unfortunately, on my last day with the Pacifica, an error message on the instrument cluster warned me to pull over immediately. After that, the minivan wouldn't turn back on (if you wondered why all my photos are from a Wawa convenience store parking lot, now you know). The Pacifica was hauled away on a flatbed and a friend and her dad rescued me in a valiant 2000 Toyota Camry (If you are reading this, thank you). Now, my sample size is only one, though it's worth noting that Consumer Reports rates the 2024 Pacifica Hybrid at a dire 14/100 for predicted reliability, based on its 2021 and 2022 data, and reliability for Chrysler as a whole.

Chrysler's warranty does, at least, go a little further than most. Along with the usual 3 year/36,000 mile basic limited warranty, there's a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain limited warranty, and 8 years/100,000 miles of coverage for the hybrid system and high voltage battery.

Alex Hevesy/SlashGear

Despite everything, I liked the Pacifica Hybrid. Its electrification added to the overall experience with a little extra power and great fuel economy. It was expensive, but it was nonetheless a great vehicle that did everything a minivan should do. If I had children to tote around, and didn't need the all-wheel drive only offered on the non-hybrid version, I'm sure I'd love it even more. Just make sure you have the service center's number saved in your phone.