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2020 Chrysler Pacifica: 10 Things Worth Knowing

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Michel Crépault
Why change the configuration of the minivan from 8 seats to none? Because we could

Auto123 decides what 10 things you really want to know about the versatile 2020 Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

No sooner was the Pacifica parked in my driveway, I undertook to do something I hadn’t done with a minivan for many, many moons – since the time, in fact, when I annually packed wife, children and gear (more or less in that order) into ours for a road trip to one of Maine’s lovely beaches. What was it I did? I started playing with the seat configurations of the versatile Chrysler to figure out just how many permutations were possible. And so it was that I came up with 10 things you really want to know about the 2020 Pacifica!

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# 1 The ultimate test

After all, the minivan’s versatility is its single most salient grace, the number-one reason buyers in the segment are ready to forego status and excitement to get a trusty family transporter. They are not drawn there by the engine, definitely not by the snazzy looks, and well maybe a little bit for the fuel economy. What matters is how well it accommodates the loved ones.

I attacked each of the Pacifica’s seats like it was a Rubik’s Cube. To make things more interesting, I forbade myself from consulting the owner’s manual. After all, it shouldn’t take a Mensa-level IQ to figure out how to modify the seating configuration of a vehicle.

Right?

Chrysler Pacifica, instructions for third-row seats
Chrysler Pacifica, instructions for third-row seats | Photo: M.Crépault

# 2 Advance to the rear

I started with the third-row seats, because most of the time when planning a road trip, these are the first ones to go depending on need in terms of people and/or stuff. Also it allowed me to ease into the project, standing as I was under the open hatch. The acrobatics and contortions on bended knees could wait for later, when I was more limbered up.

Chrysler Pacifica, straps for folding seats
Chrysler Pacifica, straps for folding seats | Photo: M.Crépault
Michel Crépault
Michel Crépault
Automotive expert
  • More than 45 years of experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 12 test drives last year
  • Attended more than 190 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists