Finally, consumers looking for an AWD minivan will have a second option beyond the Toyota Sienna. The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, which goes on sale later this year, adds an all-wheel-drive option in a bid to lure snow state buyers with extra all-weather traction. Fortunately, for the first time in a Chrysler minivan selecting all-wheel-drive does not preclude buyers from one of the minivan’s best features: Stow ’N Go seats that fold flat into the floor.
This is an engineering achievement for one simple reason: Stow ’N Go seats and their in-floor storage cubbies take up most of the underfloor space beneath the Pacifica, the same space where driveline components for the powering the rear axle would go. Chrysler’s solution involves packaging the rear prop shaft, which takes power from the front-mounted transfer case to the rear axle, along the same narrow void running front-to-back through the floor where the exhaust plumbing goes. Engineers lowered the exhaust piping slightly to make room, and to maintain the same ground clearance as the front-wheel-drive Pacifica, raised the suspension height an equal 0.8 inch to make up for the difference. Work on this front took time, according to Chrysler representatives, which is why the AWD option didn’t launch when the Pacifica was new for 2017.
As we’ve written in previous reviews, Chrysler’s Stow ’N Go seats rock because they are easy to fold and, when raised, leave handy hidden storage cubbies in the floor. To fold them flat, all you have to do is touch a button to move the front seats out of the way, pull up the floor panel with a light tug, pull a strap on the seat to release it, and press and fold the seat into the floor. We found it a better solution that Honda’s Magic Seat solution in a comparison test between that van and the Pacifica. Buyer still can’t combine Stow ’N Go with the Pacifica’s plug-in hybrid model—that version’s battery pack lives where the seats would fold into the floor, and also where the AWD components would go, meaning the hybrid is front-drive-only, as well.
The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica features a plethora of other updates, including a new 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with the ability to connect two phones simultaneously. Chrysler says it has also reduced road noise and wind noise thanks to enhanced body sealing, thicker sliding-door glass, and other upgrades. A new top-trim Pinnacle model features luxurious quilted Nappa leather seats in all three rows, as well as lumbar pillows for second-row passengers. (It also received refreshed styling, although that won’t transfer to the lower-spec 2021 Chrysler Voyager.) All of this is overshadowed, of course, by the new all-wheel drive option, but taken together it adds up to a nice step forward for Chrysler’s sleek van.
The post 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Lets You Order Stow ’N Go Seats and All-Wheel Drive, Too appeared first on MotorTrend.