I admit, I have never been a minivan fan. In high school, I even wrote in my life goals paper that I would never own one. But after a while with the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD, I almost broke my own rule. Of the cars to come across my driveway, few have surprised me as much.

Comfortable, luxurious, spacious and extremely well thought through, the Pacifica makes a strong case to be the best family hauler. And you know what? Most people would agree if they gave it a shot. It’s just that good. 

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Price and value 

Hauling your family in style doesn’t come cheap, but it is worth it. The MSRP range for the non-hybrid 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is $37,095-$54,167, with our Limited trim tester topping out at $57,552. It is available in four trim levels, with a suite of standard features that includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate, power sliding doors and more. Some of the major differences in trim levels are noted below. 

  • Touring: $37,095 

10-inch color touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay 

Adaptive Cruise Control

Blind-spot monitoring

  • Touring L AWD:  $44,093

Super console

Available dual-pane panoramic sunroof 

Available all-wheel drive

  • Limited AWD (our tester): $51,967 

Heated and ventilated front seats with heated second-row seats

Stow ‘n Vac integrated vacuum

Premium Nappa leather-trimmed seats

  • Pinnacle AWD: $56,962

Integrated ultra center console with wireless phone charger

FamCam interior cabin camera

Rear seat entertainment with Amazon Fire TV 

In almost every trim, the Pacifica comes with everything but the kitchen sink and is one of the most versatile vehicles on the planet. 

Chrysler’s warranty is consistent with most of the segment, with limited coverage for three years or 36,000 miles, and powertrain coverage for five years or 60,000 miles. 

Performance 

The interior might be the advertised selling point of the Pacifica, but its character beneath the sheet metal is just as deserving of praise. Its smooth, composed and confident ride makes for a compelling driving experience, whether you’re on a long highway drive or toting the kids to soccer practice. It’s a delight to scoot around in, and the Limited trim’s added luxury only adds to the experience.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Engine 

The Pacifica is powered by Chrysler’s ubiquitous 3.6-liter V6 producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It’s smooth, adequately powerful and never feels out of breath. This Pentastar V6 has been around a long time and is well proven. Drivers should feel confident that with basic maintenance, this engine should provide many long miles of hiccup free operation. 

Fuel efficiency

We drove the Pacifica for about 300 miles in a pretty even combination of highway and city driving. We averaged about 25 mpg overall, exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimates of 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. 

Drivetrain 

Our Pacifica Limited was equipped with all-wheel drive, a rarity in the segment. The 9-speed automatic transmission provided smooth and intuitive upshifts and downshifts, making for a serene and effortless driving experience. 

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Acceleration and handling 

The Pacifica won’t set your hair on fire with its acceleration, but it does move with a purpose. Car and Driver clocked it at 0-60 mph in 7.9 seconds. Surprisingly, its confident powertrain, better than expected handling and chassis dynamics made it genuinely fun to drive.

Braking 

The brake pedal felt natural to modulate and operated without issues. Our tester was equipped with other braking goodies including automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, an electronic parking brake and advanced brake assist.

Interior comfort and convenience 

The Pacifica’s interior is so much better than you expect. On par with serious luxury offerings costing much more, this minivan is open, spacious and comfortable. And it’s packed with cubbies, bins and technology. There is more than enough room for passengers, even in the third row. With the seats folded flat into the floor, it has more cargo space than your first apartment. In short, the Pacifica’s interior is impressive. 

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review 4

Seats 

Every seat in the Pacifica is comfortable, even for adults. The captain’s chairs have heated and ventilated functionality, both of which work well. The leather feels top-notch, and there is ample legroom throughout the cabin. The Stow ‘N Go seats are extremely practical, offering loads of cargo space under the floor when up and folding completely under the floor when down.

Climate control 

Operated by a plethora of easy-to-use knobs, buttons and infotainment controls, the Pacifica’s tri-zone HVAC system did an excellent job quickly cooling the cabin on hot days. Every rear window — even the tiny quarter windows — have a collapsible sunshade that helps with the cooling.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Cargo space and cabin storage 

The amount of cargo space and cabin storage in the Pacifica is jaw-dropping. With all seats stowed, Car and Driver fit more than 50 suitcases inside. The Pacifica has 32.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row and 87.5 cubic feet behind the second. With both second and third rows folded, you get an enormous 140.5 cubic feet. Cubbies, cup holders and bins are also plentiful. If you run out of room in the Pacifica, you need to see a doctor. 

Infotainment system 

Chrysler’s Uconnect 5 infotainment system is one of our favorites; it provided flawless usability in our week of testing. The resolution of the 10.1-inch display is glossy and sharp. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a wireless hotspot. 

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Our tester included a $2,495 Uconnect Theater Family package that included two seatback video screens with built-in Amazon Fire TV, a FamCam interior camera and a Blu-Ray DVD player with a USB port. Whether it’s worth it to you will depend on how addicted your kids are to screens, so … probably yes.

Exterior appearance and functionality 

Taken on its own terms, the Pacifica is a handsomely styled vehicle, made better by the optional S Appearance package and Ceramic Grey paint our tester had. This package includes piano black interior accents, anodized ink badging, a gloss-black grille and a premium rear fascia with black accents. All worth the $1,495 charge, in our opinion. It’s a minivan, but that doesn’t mean it needs to look frumpy. 

The Pacifica is also available in other paint colors: Velvet Red Pearl, Fathom Blue Pearl and Silver Mist.

Towing capacity 

Minivans aren’t really made for towing, but the Pacifica can handle up to 3,600 pounds. Ideal if you need to haul a small pop-up trailer to go camping for the weekend, or are taking a utility trailer full of grandma’s old junk to the dump.

Wheels 

As part of the S Appearance package, our tester was equipped with some attractive 20-inch, gloss black wheels shod with 245/50R20 BSW all-season self-sealing tires. With plenty of sidewall surrounding those large wheels, the Pacifica glided down the road without interruption.  

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Lights and turn signals 

Illumination was impressive in the Pacifica. The bi-function LED projector headlamps were quite bright. The automatic dimming driver-side mirror was a nice touch, as was the power folding feature. The turn signals gave off a nice light and were easy to see.

Cameras and side mirrors 

The cameras in the Pacifica were some of the sharpest we’ve seen. The 360 surround-view monitor system offers several modes from four cameras. This bird’s-eye view is especially helpful while parking in tight spaces at the kid’s soccer games and for other low-speed maneuverings. The interior FamCam was fun and helpful for checking on the kids in the back. 

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Front and rear windshield 

As with any box-shaped vehicle with large, panoramic windows, the Pacifica delivers excellent visibility. However, the rear pillar does create a small blind spot. Front and rear defrosters are standard, and the rear and front wipers work well. 

Safety 

Vehicles don’t get any safer than the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. Packed with tech to keep your family secure, it’s a highly decorated vehicle, earning top marks from several testing agencies. 

Features 

A few of the standard highlights in the Limited trim are:

  • ParkSense front and rear park assist with stop
  • Parallel and perpendicular park assist with stop
  • Adaptive cruise control with Stop and Go
  • Blind spot and rear cross path detection
  • Lane departure warning
  • Full speed forward collision warning
  • Pedestrian emergency braking
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Awards and ratings 

The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica is a highly decorated minivan, having won awards for its safety and general excellence. The Pacifica was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, scoring top marks in every category. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the Pacifica with five-star safety ratings in every aspect of its testing. The minivan is also the recipient of many awards, including:

  • Editor’s Choice, Car and Driver 
  • 2021 Family Vehicle of the Year, AutoGuide
  • Family Vehicle of Texas, Texas Automotive Writers Association
  • 2022 Best Family Cars’ award, “Parents” magazine
  • Automotive Best Buy, Consumer Guide.

In short, the Pacifica is the most award-winning minivan on the market.

Final impression 

The 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD is an exceptionally well executed vehicle. It’s luxurious, spacious, comfortable, fun and easy to drive. If you have a family, or just need to haul a lot of things, the Pacifica should be on your list of vehicles to check out. We loved our time with it and can’t recommend it enough.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD Test Drive Review

Every trim is competitive, but for our money, we’d go with exactly how ours was optioned: the Limited trim with the S Appearance package. The Limited has all the options you could ever want, and the S Appearance package does a nice job at elevating the exterior’s aesthetics beyond the standard minivan tropes.  

FAQs 

Is the Chrysler Pacifica a reliable car?

Yes. The Pentastar V6 has been around a long time and has proven to be a robust engine capable of going hundreds of thousands of miles if basic maintenance is kept up. 

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KSL Cars does not endorse any vehicles. The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the views or opinions of KSL.com or its employees.