2003 CHRYSLER Pacifica 3.8L V6 4AT FWD (213 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The alliance between the Daimler and Chrysler made way for some interesting vehicles. Among them, it was the Chrysler Pacifica, a cross-over minivan that could bring seven people on a ski-resort.

When Daimler and Chrysler joined forces, the American brand was flooded with German technology. Some vehicles received rear axles, such as the 300C, others were based on Mercedes-Benz platforms and some received the know-how to be developed and produced. The Pacifica was the first product developed together by the two companies.

The Pacifica was developed to look and offer the convenience of an MPV, the high-driving position of an SUV, and car-like handling. To achieve that, the exterior look was of a minivan, but with front-hinged doors instead of sliding ones, which are more expensive. The platform was transformed from the previous one used on the Town&Country model. The headlights were from the new trend and the grille featured the new Chrysler badge.

Inside, the Pacifica was available with up to seven seats. The instrument cluster was very similar to the one found on some Mercedes-Benz vehicles. For the four-speed, automatic transmission, the plus-minus system to change gears was like in the German partner cars, with left and right movements, respectively.

The Pacifica was available with a front or all-wheel-drive system and it was powered by a newly developed V6 engine family. Since it was not built on a chassis, it couldn’t tow as much as other MPVs from that era, but its handling was far better.