More than adequate at 250-horsepower and 250 foot-pounds of torque, the spirited powerplant satisfied the Chief's need for power, although some of his opponents might
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| Solid construction and a nicely balanced chassis make the Pacifica a fine highway cruiser. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
dispute that claim. "The vehicle performed very well passing semis and getting through the mountain passes," exclaimed the Chief. The speed limit varied state to state reported Graham. Anywhere from 55 to 75 miles per hour, "but I never exceeded it," he insisted. I wonder if he would be willing to submit to a lie-detector test on that one. As noted by Vancouver's principal police officer, the Pacifica is a fine highway cruiser. The solidity of its construction and nicely balanced chassis isolates passengers from road surface imperfections and wind and road noise, especially impressive given the Pacifica's large frontal mass. Quite wisely Chief Graham made good use of the vehicle's cruise control system by setting it within the various legal speed limits. Due to the Pacifica's impeccable highway manners, failing to do so would have almost certainly resulted in a cash forfeiture to a local court of jurisdiction. Chrysler's
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| The Pacifica-R is equipped with a navigation system integrating a uniquely located screen. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
crossover cruises so effortlessly that it is easy to overstep the law and not even realize it. Congruent with the Pacifica's highway cruising talent, Chrysler coined term "Sport Tourer" to describe its blended automotive genre. In keeping with the sport tourer designation, the Pacifica-R is equipped with a
navigation system integrating a uniquely located screen. Snugly situated within the semi-circle arc of the speedometer gauge is a slightly smaller than normal nav screen that performs all of the functions and tasks one has come to expect of modern-day automotive navigation. The worthiness of co-locating the screen with the speedometer is as obvious as the screen is when the driver glances at the speedometer. The more information that can be imparted in a single glance, the less potential there is for driver distraction.
