2017 Chrysler Pacifica - The Originator of the Passenger Minivan Segment Does it Once Again!

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, the minivan re-imagined.

The family minivan has evolved from its original boxy form of the early 1980’s, originated by Chrysler. With the new 2017 Pacifica, Chrysler has once again they have re-imagined the vehicle from the ground up, filled with standard safety and technology features in an enjoyable to drive vehicle.

Pacifica has an option of tri-pane panoramic sunroof.

The all new Pacifica, produced in and for the North American Market is fluid in design, sleek and aerodynamic, and comes with plenty of standard features no matter the trim level. From LX, Touring, Touring-L, Touring-L Plus, Hybrid Touring, Hybrid Limited Platinum, keeping it simple, or fully loaded with video screens for passengers, and the optional tri-pane panoramic sunroof front and rear, the Pacifica comes with plenty of features, technology, and safety build in, no matter the trim level. 

3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 a standard FCA powerplant is in the
Pacifica, including the hybrid version with up to 80 mpg.

The Pacifica has seating is for 7 with an option for 8 in the non-hybrid model. Powered by corporate standard drivetrain, a 3.6-liter gasoline fueled Pentastar V-6 that produces 287 hp, with 28 miles per gallon, with s 9 speed electrically controlled automatic transmission driving the front wheels. A hybrid option with an expected 80 miles per gallon, will soon be offered, and while an AWD model is not an option, there is an expectation that it will be in the future.

Pacifica's driver seat provide a commanding view of the road
 and controls are easy to read and reach.

Slide into the driver’s or passenger seat, and you are surrounded by comfort and safety, as well as innovative technology like the new Uconnect services and features that benefit not only the driver, but also the entire family. From the all-new Uconnect Theater and the available 7-inch full color driver information display to the easy-to-use 8.4-inch touchscreen and the acclaimed Uconnect Access services, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is the most technologically equipped vehicle of its kind.

Interior design is efficient, seating comfortable with all controls effortlessly at your reach. Visibility is excellent, and the optional forward and rear cameras provide a 360-degree surround view to keep the driver alerted to all that is around the vehicle, and more than 100 standard and available safety and security features, including ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Hold and Forward Collision Warning-Plus

Chrysler's Stow n'Go makes the Pacifica go from a
passenger van to a cargo van in a touch of a button.

Removing the passenger seats in a minivan to handle cargo when needed has been answered by Chrysler’s Stow’n Go mode of seats that simply fold into the floor. A built in vacuum is there to cleanup those messes, while the hands-free sliding doors and lift gate make entry easy.

Passengers as well as drivers have it all in the Pacifica.

Our short drive of the new Pacifica, showed that it has plenty of power and handles well. Our only complaint that the ride was not as smooth as one would think of for a Chrysler, and that tire noise was noticeable.

Chrysler was the innovator of the passenger minivan segment 30 years ago and now raises the bar for the segment once again. The Pacifica is only offered under the Chrysler badge, while FCA’s Dodge brand still uses thelast generation Caravan platform, and the RAM brand, a small European designed work/cargo van, called the ProMaster City.

- William West Hopper.
Photos by William West Hopper & FCA

Racing the Mortal Minivan.Toyota's Sienna on the One Lap America Circuit

Sienna R-Tuned (rear) and Sienna SE+ front at Summit Point

Toyota and Racing: Toyota vehicles racing is nothing new, from enthusiast’s auto crossing Scion’s to Camry’s chasing round the NASCAR oval; Toyota Trucks going at it in the dessert in an off-road rally; Lexus IS F-Sport in a street race. Toyota has a racing brand, TRD, that you see proudly on street vehicles, pretty much everywhere you go. But the common family hauler, the Sienna minivan, that is not what is thought of when the topic of competitive racing is discussed.

Toyota Sienna One Lap America Poster

This April, Toyota took two of their Sienna vans and put them on a week-long – multi-state racing event, One Lap America. And this was not just for show, though they did invite the press out, but more to compete one-on-one with other race cars, and to expand their own knowledge of how well these minivans were able to compete. Each day when the event was finished, they were loaded up with gear (not loaded onto a transport) and driven, often 700 miles or more, well into the night, to the next stop, and then competed again the next morning, only to repeat the process of picking up and driving to another venue that next night, for eight days! This was not just Toyota, more than seventy other race cars joined in this event to raise funds for Brock Yates Tribute Fund, Alzheimer’s Association, and Tire Rack’s Street Survival program.

Rutledge Wood and Craig Stanton
sign autographs for fans in the pit.

The minivan long the admission, that one has achieved stable adulthood and needs to transport their kids, friends of the kids, the dog, and a variety of belongings, around suburbia. It is no wonder automotive marketers are wanting to appeal to that “younger Dad”, and make him think of motorsports and minivan in the same sentence. With this experience, Toyota is not only showing that the family haulers can be the equivalent to racecars, as these two Sienna minivans indeed hauled it down the racetrack with the best of them.

TRD Logoed Oil Filler Cap

Using original Manufacturer built vehicles, not customized racecars, Toyota USA’s Engineering and Marketing departments got together and campaigned two Sienna vans: Sienna R-Tuned, that they modified, and the Sienna SE+ that was more like one that rolled off a neighborhood dealership lot, the day before. They brought on Top Gear America’s bearded hipster host Rutledge Wood, as well as Grand-Am Rolex GT Champion race driver Craig Stanton, to drive these vans, and a crew to support them as they raced the week away, everyone working together, like a seasoned race team.

Inside the Sienna R-Tuned  Rollcage, but
little else but the metal body.

A Toyota Sienna R-Tuned Concept vehicle, interior stripped out, caged with a custom suspension, and many modifications the Sienna SE+ was tricked out with TRD Badging, on the shifter and oil cap, dark tinted lights and Pirelli P Zero tires, and the fluids replaced those that perform better under racing conditions. Inside, sans roll cage, the seats were slipped in for passengers, or removed when out on the racetrack in competition. While they labeled both vans “Concept”, each appeared to be using off the shelf parts and products that any amateur racer could get.

Toyota’s purpose was both a promotional, but also a engineering one. Showing off that both Toyotas could compete heartily with serious racecars, but also this as an opportunity for the engineering team to tweak the van for better overall drivability in everyday situations and longevity.

Our brief visit with the SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com team was on its third day, a stop at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, we then followed the team online, as it completed the event in first place with 160 points, 65 more than its Acura MDX Competitor, the other entrant in the Truck/SUV Class.

Based on time, the Sienna was competing with Corvettes, Vipers
and other fast cars with more powerful engines.

One Lap America is the ultimate road trip, stopping at 12 different tracks over 8 days, in 7 different states. One Lap America is a race series for the enthusiasts sponsored by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine and Tire Rack. Starting in 1984 this is the 32^nd year running. A legendary race, made even more so by the movie Cannonball Run.

More information on the Sienna One Lap program and the Toyota Engineering Motorsports team can be found at SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com as well as on  

toyotaengineeringmotorsports.com. In addition, fans can follow along via Toyota’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels.

Information on the One Lap of America event can be found at OneLapofAmerica.com.

As they say while out racing, "Keep the Shinny Side UP!"

Text and Photos by: William West Hopper

  

Four Door Coupe Sports Utility Vehicle GLE 450 AMG Coupe

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE, More than an SUV in Coupe Styling

The ML350, most are used to seeing a
Four Door Boxy SUV

There is a new Mercedes-Benz model on the road, the GLE Coupe. While it shares the model designation with the boxy SUV, that was the ML, it is designed in Mercedes-Benz’s 4-door coupe style. When M-B first leaked pictures of this new SUV, there were comments that it was a copy of BMW’s X6. A very different approach to the bread box shapped SUV that we have been seeing since the ML was brought to market in 1998 with the first generation ML320.

The new 2016 GLE Coupe, comes either as a 450 or a 63, both AMG models, each are very different as the price indicates; the GLE450 AMG starts at $65,100, while the GLE63 AMG starts at $109,300. The 450 is part of Mercedes-Benz’s new entry level AMG “Sport Model”, an entry point providing buyers AMG styling without the brawn the line has been known for in the past.

AMG Sport Models feature a Red detail on engine covers

The Exhaust of the GLE is is where the sounds of fire are made.

The GLE 450 comes with the AMG-Enhanced 6 cyl 3.0 bi-turbo engine and 9-speed automatic transmission, performance oriented 4MATIC all-wheel drive and Dynamic Select that allows drivers to select the level of performance they desire at any time from the car. Dynamic Select has four settings: Comfort; Sport; Sport+; or an individual setting, where a mix of all can be set. These adjust the ride comfort, engine response and steering. Sport+ sets a growl sound in the exhaust complete with pops and gurgles with engine management and a spray of fuel into the hot exhaust, for those who want a sound to come with their sportier driving settings. 

While the GLE 63 AMG continues to feature the handcrafted (one-man / one-engine) AMG 5.5 liter bi-turbo 8 cyl engine connected to a 7 speed automatic transmission, AMG High performance braking system, and a host of other goodies that make up the $40K difference in price between the two models.

GLE's rear seats fold down to provide plenty of cargo space

The spacious interior of the GLE Coupe provides plenty of room for five passengers and cargo even with the sloping rear hatch. Plenty of trunk area and folding down the rear seats increases that to be able to carry all but the boxiest of items. A large lift over rear sill, means you will not be sliding items in and out, like you would in the standard SUV. Passenger seating is comfortable, with a variety of different seat options including massage, heat and cool surfaces. Though we found the heavily bolstered seat cushion on some models required more effort to get in and out, than others.

Drivability is superb, the coupe’s ease of driving, tight turning radius, and command of the road, is like any other M-B. While the base model has plenty of bells and whistle, there are plenty of options that enhance the vehicle, like Driver Assist with Distronic Plus and Lane Keep Assist, for safety; Parking Assist with Parkronic for convenience. The rearview camera with the 360 degree view option is an excellent option on any Mercedes-Benz, showing you exactly where your vehicle is in relation to its surroundings. While Mercedes-Benz has included pretty much everything in the GLE coupe’s design, a heads up display would be an option that would be welcomed by many drivers.

The rearview camera pops out under the
 Star in the GLE

In talking to one new owner, who exuberantly stated it was a dream to drive, we have to agree. While it is a large vehicle, with plenty of power, it is nimble and drives like a smaller one. My only regret is that it is not sold as a non-AMG model, as the AMG add-ons seem unnecessary on this already excellently engineered vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz updated the model designations.

The nomenclature of Mercedes-Benz SUV’s are changing, all of them starting with the letter “G”: GLA for the smallest; GLC replacing the GLK; GLE replacing the ML, and GLS replacing the GL.

The legendary G-Wagen, while the almost 40 years old continues to be the daddy of them all. This coupe design of the GLE is the first real change we have seen since Mercedes-Benz released the mass market SUV’s, and like them it too is made at the MBUSI Plant in Alabama.



Build your own on MBUSA.com or better yet stop into a Mercedes-Benz dealer and see one for yourself.