The new Chrysler Pacifica has a newly designed front and back and new wheel designs.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
I’m just going to say it: There is no more practical vehicle for a family than a minivan, and nobody knows more about minivans than Chrysler.
Here’s the proof: All minivans offer comfortable seating for adults across three rows, and close to 1,000 litres of cargo space behind that third one. Fold the rows flat and that luggage space will double and triple, but Chrysler goes a step further with its Stow ’n Go seating, storing both rows under the floor and turning its minivan into a cargo van with almost 4,000 litres of luggage room. Nothing else comes close.
This is why the Chrysler Grand Caravan and Pacifica are popular with contractors – they can carry full-size sheets of plywood during the week and, unlike a pickup truck, whatever’s inside the van is dry and secure. Then, on the weekend, they pop the seats out of the floor and carry up to seven people. They can even keep their backpacks in that space under their feet.
The Chrysler Grand Caravan remains basically unchanged from last year.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
With Stow ’n Go seating the seats fold into the floor so there is no need to haul them to a garage if you want a full flat area for cargo.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Stow ’n Go was introduced for 2005 with the fourth generation of what’s now the Chrysler Pacifica, which had begun with the world’s first minivan, the Plymouth Voyager, in the 1984 model year. One of its two defining features – the sliding right-side rear door that didn’t hit other parked cars when your kids swung it open – doubled to both sides with the third generation in 1995.
Since then, other makers of minivans have introduced their own firsts, such as all-wheel drive with the Toyota Sienna, and an onboard (and overpriced) vacuum with the Honda Odyssey, but none can match the convenience of Chrysler’s patented Stow ’n Go option. Every other brand – and in Canada, that’s now only Toyota, Honda and Kia – forces you to fold the second row forward, unlatch the seats, and store them somewhere outside the van in order to maximize cargo space.
The dash of the Chrysler Grand Caravan.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The second row of seats in the Pacifica S.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Chrysler’s minivan is in its sixth generation, last overhauled 10 years ago. Some other makers have tried to make a go of it with minivans in Canada, and they’ve succeeded elsewhere, but Chrysler currently holds about 40 per cent of the North American market for the segment. That amounted to almost 400,000 Chrysler minivans sold in the United States in 2025, with another 43,000 sold in Canada. The really good news is that most of the more than 16 million vans built so far were assembled in Windsor, Ont., and parent company Stellantis says it has no plans to change that – though who knows what may happen with the current volatility of the trade war.
Much of the reason for that success is the relative affordability of the Grand Caravan, which has an all-in price of $49,995 plus taxes. It’s basically unchanged this year from last year’s model – including in its price – and comes standard with Stow ’n Go seating, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and power sliding doors.
The three more-costly Pacificas that complete the line have a newly designed front and back, new wheel designs and subtle differences within the cabin. Think of them as Grand Caravans, but more plush. Most important, their prices have dropped significantly. Nothing’s been removed and the software’s been updated, but the prices for every trim level have dropped by at least $4,200 and as much as $7,200. This follows Stellantis’s recent move to drop the cost of Jeeps.
“The competitive landscape’s changed,” says Trevor Longley, chief executive officer of Stellantis Canada. “We just looked at it and said, ‘We’re not as competitive as we need to be.’ And frankly, if we wanted to continue to sell the volumes and grow the production here in Canada, we were going to need to do it through a more competitive, sharper pencil.”
If nothing’s been removed and the materials are the same, does that mean Chrysler’s now simply making less profit on each minivan?
“It’s a real, real alignment with the segment to make sure that we’re super competitive,” says Longley, choosing his words carefully. “You have to be competitive if you want to sell anything. It needs to be priced right.”
The three trim levels of the current Pacifica offer all-wheel drive and even – with the most expensive Pinnacle at $72,995 plus taxes – the onboard vacuum. There’s no longer a plug-in hybrid version, however – its additional technology under the floor meant it could not be equipped with all-wheel drive or with Stow ’n Go, and it just didn’t appeal to enough drivers to make it a worthwhile proposition. Toyota and Kia are the only makers to sell hybrid-powered minivans.
It’s too bad there’s not a hybrid option because the Pacifica is thirsty on gas. Its front-wheel-drive edition claims a city consumption of 12.4 litres per 100 kilometres and a highway consumption of 8.4, and I saw an average consumption of 13.7 while driving the all-wheel-drive version on the country roads of the Niagara Peninsula. This is a large and heavy vehicle, but the hybrid Toyota’s official city consumption is half that of the Chrysler, and the hybrid Kia is almost as frugal.
The Pinnacle also provides second-row seats that are more cushioned than in the other Pacificas, but this means they’re too thick to fit under the floor and so it does not include Stow ’n Go. Instead, its second-row seats must be removed – just like the seats in its competitors – in order to gain more floor space.
After more than 40 years, however, all Chrysler minivans still maintain their two defining features for family travel: sliding rear doors and space for everyone to stretch out with their stuff. Car and Driver magazine defined it best when it drove the original Plymouth Voyager in 1984: “You can pull over, walk back through the interior, and thwack some miscreant in the third row who’d be too much trouble to go after in a station wagon,” wrote the reviewer. “You have to think of these things.”
There is still ample trunk space even with the third row up.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The Pinnacle has a new-for-2027 "Blue Agave Nappa" leather interior.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2027 Chrysler Grand Caravan and Pacifica
- Price: $49,995 - $72,995, including freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus taxes
- Engine: 3.6-litre V6
- Horsepower/torque (lb-ft): 287/262
- Transmission/drive: Nine-speed automatic/FWD or AWD
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): FWD: 12.4 city, 8.4 highway; AWD: 14.1 city, 9.4 highway
- Alternatives: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival
The Pacifica comes with a new grille and front lights.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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