What we purchased: Chrysler’s Pacifica was the proper household plug-in hybrid, till it wasn’t | Engadget

It’s a horrible time to purchase a automobile. The international chip scarcity and a pandemic-driven demand for secure transportation has pushed costs to obscene ranges. It’s commonplace to see sellers including on $10,000 or extra in “market adjustment fees.” For most individuals, the neatest resolution proper now’s to carry onto your present automobile for so long as attainable. But as my spouse and I started making ready for our second baby, we realized we would have liked a bigger car for carrying twice as a lot child gear, in addition to to take the occasional street journey.

As a lot as I cherished my 2017 RAV4 Hybrid, it will have been too tight with two automobile seats within the backseat together with two children value of substances within the trunk. It additionally did not have CarPlay integration, which meant I needed to depend on Bluetooth audio and Toyota’s abysmal infotainment apps. (I used to be notably aggravated that I could not even play the radio whereas utilizing Google Maps navigation.) There weren’t any rear vents for heating and cooling, both, which inevitably turned the again seat right into a furnace throughout Georgia’s obscenely humid summers. That’s a surefire solution to make a toddler cranky, and it will be even worse with an toddler onboard.

Thankfully, I’ve spent the previous few years obsessively researching the proper household automobile. (You can thank the pandemic and my need to tinker with new {hardware} for that.) Toyota’s hybrid 2021 Sienna taught me that minivans can truly look cool today and get first rate mileage. I’ve additionally examined out Toyota’s RAV4 Prime, Prius Prime and the Kia Sorento, all of which had been plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with a bit of electrical driving vary.

At first, I leaned in the direction of the up to date Sienna: I genuinely cherished our assessment unit, and Toyota’s reliability is famous. But it seems tons of different individuals had the identical thought earlier this yr. New Siennas had been promoting for $8,000 over their checklist worth, based mostly on what I noticed at a number of native sellers. (Who, after all, did not inform me about these additional charges till I stepped foot of their godforsaken workplaces.) And used 2021 fashions had been truly going for greater than their unique checklist worth. I wasn’t about to spend over $50,000 on a used Sienna.

Then I remembered the different well-liked minivan, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s the one PHEV minivan available on the market, delivering 33 miles of electrical vary and 32 MPG of gasoline driving. We gave it a glowing assessment in 2018, and, effectively, my choices had been fairly restricted earlier this yr. My dream automobile would have been a big family-sized EV, however with the Tesla Model X nonetheless far out of attain and no options accessible, a PHEV merely made extra sense.

After being burned by a number of ineffective automobile sellers, I spent weeks looking by means of Carvana listings. I appreciated that they had been up entrance about additional charges, they do not gouge you as a lot as sellers and I had a terrific expertise shopping for my RAV4 from them in 2020. Eventually, I discovered my perfect Pacifica: a Limited 2018 mannequin with low mileage, CarPlay, a tri-plane sunroof, superior security options and a 20-speaker sound system. There was no manner I used to be going to appear like a cool dad in a minivan, however not less than I might have a little bit of enjoyable driving it.

Per week later, Carvana took away my RAV4 as a trade-in and delivered the Pacifica to my driveway. It was love at first sight. Even although it is not as sporty because the Sienna or RAV4 Prime, I really like the Pacifica’s cute and quirky aesthetic. It’s as if Chrysler took the thought of a household van and processed it by means of a ’90s anime filter. Its arched LED daytime working lights appear to be they’re winking at you, whereas the elegant physique traces give it a way of movement whereas it is standing nonetheless.

The sheer practicality of the Pacifica additionally gained me over rapidly. The Pacifica’s sliding doorways made it a cinch to put in my daughter’s 30-pound automobile seat, and I appreciated having way more room for baby loading/unloading. Being a minivan, its trunk space was large, even when I made a decision to have the third-row seats opened up. Those rear seats are a critical improve over mid-size SUVs, the place they’re solely meant for kids.

My spouse and I additionally cherished having extra inside area normally, since we inevitably discovered ourselves buried in toddler toys and equipment within the RAV4. There’s even sufficient room for my daughter to make use of her transportable potty between the seats! Another bonus: The rear seats even have two separate video screens, which might be excellent for maintaining the children entertained throughout lengthy journeys.

Things obtained even higher within the driver’s seat, the place the Pacifica’s UConnect infotainment system lastly made me really feel like I used to be driving a contemporary automobile. The 8.4-inch display was vibrant sufficient to be clearly seen in direct daylight (one thing my RAV4 struggled to do), and it had a surprisingly responsive touchscreen. While I used to be most excited to have CarPlay integration, it was good to see that UConnect’s whole interface could possibly be custom-made as simply as an iOS machine.