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2021 Chrysler Pacifica: 5 Fantastic Features of FCA's Flagship Minivan

From FamCam to four-by-four.

ManufacturerPhotographerFrank MarkusAuthor

Sure, minivans are supposedly dead or dying, but every second minivan sold in 2020 has been a Chrysler or Dodge. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is keen to hang on to this market, so with Dodge having phased out the Grand Caravan, FCA gave the Chrysler Pacifica a refresh for 2021. (It also kept the lower-spec Chrysler Voyager around for good measure, too, albeit without the Pacifica's new looks.) Here are five highlights of the spiffed-up Pacifica.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: FamCam

A fish-eye lens camera on the ceiling above the second row can help mom or dad discern a tantrum from a potential sibling battle wound. To activate, touch the camera icon that lives at the top left corner of the screen (or select "Apps" and page down to the FamCam icon). This brings up an overview of all five rear seats; touching any seat on this screen lets mom or dad zoom in on the caterwauling.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: FamCam

This feature comes bundled with the rear-seat entertainment system, which is standard on Pinnacle, $2,495 on Limited, and $2,995 on Touring L. Note that if that's too rich for your blood, there is a parabolic rear-view mirror on the overhead console that flips down to provide a small convenience-store perp-view of what's going down in the back rows.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: AWD to Heighten SUV Cosplay

From its bolder, butcher grille to that big center console armrest on Pinnacle models, lots of the design changes inside and out of the Pacifica were aimed at making it look and feel more like an SUV. To give the new look some street cred, Chrysler added an all-wheel-drive system to the minivan's options menu (interest was so high, in fact, that Chrysler made a small batch of 2020 Pacifica's with all-wheel drive), complete with a one-inch increase in ride height (but be aware that ground clearance only increases 0.3 inch).

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: AWD to Heighten SUV Cosplay

The additional driveshaft packages between the Stow 'n Go seat storage wells, preserving that feature, but because the Pacifica Hybrid's battery pack spans the full width of the van in that area, the gasoline-electric hybrid van remains front-drive only. To save fuel the system can idle the three-piece driveshaft when rear torque is not needed (EPA fuel economy still drops from 19/28/22 mpg to 17/25/20 mpg). All-wheel drive adds about 350 pounds and $2,995 to the curb weight and price of Touring/Touring L models; it comes standard on Limited and Pinnacle gas models.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: 97 Standard Safety Features

Newly available and now standard on Pacifica is automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Thanks to the existence of the cut-rate Voyager, which covers the cheapskate/fleet end of the price spectrum, the following safety gear becomes standard on every Pacifica: full-speed forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic high-beam headlights.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: 97 Standard Safety Features

In all, Chrysler tallies 116 total safety features, including a new Safety Sphere package that includes a surround-view camera, parallel/perpendicular parking assist, and front park assist. For now, it's only available as part of the Premium and Safety Sphere Group, which also includes Uconnect 5, an audio system upgrade, and more. Plan on dropping $1,995 for it on Touring L models and $1,595 on Limited ones.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: Full LED Lighting

Better performing LED headlamps are new for 2021 and standard across the Pacifica line (the quad-halogen reflector lights carry over on the cheaper Voyager).

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: Full LED Lighting

This should improve the Pacifica's IIHS headlight ratings, which had been poor, marginal, and acceptable, presumably for the quad-halogen reflector, halogen projector, and high-intensity discharge lamps that previously came on L/LX, Touring, and Limited trims respectively. Whether it's enough to bump the Pacifica's rating from a Top Safety Pick to a Top Safety Pick+ remains to be seen. The fog lamps and tail lamps also switch to full-LED as standard this year.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: Uconnect 5's Crazy Customizability

Uconnect 5 allows six different users to program personal preferences. These obviously include normal items such as audio and climate control presets and seat position, but serious gadget enthusiasts can drill deeper and individualize the display language and units of measurement, program whether or not the screen beeps when you touch it or the horn honks when you remote start the car or when you lock it (on the first or second press of the lock button).

2021 Chrysler Pacifica: Uconnect 5's Crazy Customizability

Each can decide whether turn-by-turn navigation appears in the cluster or not. And there's programming for key sense (so things are programmed to each key). Drivers can each set different thresholds for the various safety warnings and interventions, activate a "wake word" for the voice control or turn it off, and even activate a "voice barge-in" feature that allows the user to respond before the voice-prompt statement is completed.