Cars Worth Noting – 2004 Chrysler Pacifica

The first thing you notice while driving Chrysler Pacifica is how quiet it is. NVH topped the priority list and with the help of Mercedes’ virtual driving simulator engineers have designed one of the quietest vehicles I have ever driven.

From behind the driver’s seat, you’d think you were in a luxury sport sedan. They’ve even included the obligatory dash-mounted analog clock. The IP flows into a console that carries back between the second row seats. Interior material quality is good. Designers opted for a sports car brushed metal look instead of luxury wood trim. The high belt-line creates a sense of security and the front and second rows of plush luxury seating offer up comfortable ride.

The second row folds and tumbles forward to allow for access to the third row that’s designed to seat adults, but when I squeezed my five-foot eleven-inch frame back there, my head bumped up against the headliner.

Pacifica handles like a big sedan with precise steering and almost no body roll. Pacifica’s shares it’s 215 hp 3.5L V-6 with the 300M, but this 4,675-pound ‘segment buster’ could use a little more help under the hood. With three adults on board, it was huffing and puffing up some of the steeper inclines. Once the car was up to speed on the freeway, it proved a formidable cruiser. Chrysler says that Pacifica is undefinable, a segment all its own. Pacifica is perfect for the family of four who has graduated out of their minivan and needs something geared more towards grownup kids.