Chrysler brings the refreshed 2027 Pacifica to the State Fair

Chrysler had the third Stellantis press conference of the morning at the State Fair of Texas media day, right after Ram and Jeep. It was indoors at 10:30, and there was one vehicle on the agenda, the refreshed 2027 Chrysler Pacifica. If you’re wondering whether Chrysler even still sells cars, well, no. But they still sell a minivan, and it’s a good one.

I’m a minivan guy

I’ll say it up front. I’ve always been a fan of the Pacifica, and I consider myself a minivan guy. I’ve been reviewing Pacificas since the redesign launched, and back in 2016, when the new Pacifica was brand new, I took one on our family road trip from Dallas to Destin, Florida. All six of us fit, with our luggage behind the third row. We made the 700-mile drive down with one fuel stop and averaged around 28 mpg on the highway, even breaking 30 for a stretch. On the way home we hit heavy rain in Mississippi, and the van stayed planted the whole way. My only real wish was the Uconnect Theater rear screens, which our base Touring didn’t have. The kids made do with their iPads.

When we shopped for our own minivan a few years ago, the Pacifica was high on our list. We ended up in a Kia Carnival, but the Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Pinnacle I reviewed around that time reminded me why it was on the list in the first place.

A new face and new lights

The big change for 2027 is the styling, and I really like it. Select, Limited and Pinnacle trims get a new front end with vertical LED headlamps and an illuminated grille with a lit signature Chrysler calls “piano keys.” The Chrysler wing badge is new too, and it lights up. Chrysler says this face is the blueprint for its next vehicles.

That new lighting design is really nice, and I loved the headlights and DRLs in person. On Limited and Pinnacle, the Pacifica plays a welcome animation when you walk up. The center lamp, signature lights and badge come on first, and then the piano keys at each corner light up. There’s a matching animation when you shut it down at the end of a drive.

The lights do more than look good. Chrysler says the new projector headlamps are 20 percent better on low beam and 25 percent better on high beam than the old ones. Around back there’s a new lightbar applique and the updated badge. There’s a new Olive Green paint, and Chrysler lists eight wheel designs, including new 18- and 20-inch wheels for Limited and Pinnacle. The base LX, which used to be the Voyager, keeps the old look.

The family stuff

Stow ‘n Go is still the reason a lot of families end up in this van. The Pacifica is still the only minivan with second- and third-row seats that fold into the floor. Chrysler says you get more than 140 cubic feet of cargo space with them down, and with the seats up those empty bins are extra storage. Select and Limited are also the only way to get AWD in a minivan along with Stow ‘n Go in the second and third rows. The Pinnacle keeps Stow ‘n Go in the third row but uses removable second-row captain’s chairs to make room for its bigger center console.

A few of the new pieces for 2027 are aimed right at parents. Every trim now gets an adjustable-height power liftgate, so you can set it to stop before it hits a low garage ceiling or parking deck. The Safety Sphere Package, optional on Select and Limited and standard on Pinnacle, adds a blind-spot camera that pops up on the screen when you use your turn signal.

Chrysler also split the old Uconnect Theater Group into two packages. The Family Tech Group has FamCAM, the 10.1-inch Uconnect 5 nav screen and upgraded audio, while the Theater Group has the seatback screens and built-in Amazon Fire TV. So you no longer have to pay for the movie screens to get the camera that lets you check on a baby in a rear-facing seat.

One thing I noted at media day is that the Limited comes standard with Pirelli self-sealing tires. That sounds pretty cool to me. Nobody wants to change a flat on the shoulder of I-20 with a van full of kids.

One engine for 2027

Every 2027 Pacifica uses the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with a nine-speed automatic, rated at 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. AWD is available on Select, Limited and Pinnacle, and it can disconnect the rear drive when you don’t need it to save fuel. With the Trailer Tow Group it’s rated to tow 3,600 pounds. The EPA rates the front-drive van at 28 mpg on the highway and the AWD version at 25, which lines up with what I saw on that Destin trip.

The plug-in hybrid is gone. Chrysler now lists the Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid as no longer in production, and Stellantis dropped its plug-in hybrids starting with the 2026 model year. I’ve reviewed the hybrid more than once, most recently the 2023 Pacifica Hybrid Pinnacle, so if that’s the one you had your eye on, you’re shopping used now.

Pricing

Chrysler’s launch pricing starts at $41,495 for the LX and tops out at $58,255 for a Pinnacle AWD, before the $1,995 destination charge. A Limited starts at $49,705. Orders are open now. There’s also an America250 special edition on the Select trim, limited to 2,100 units for U.S. buyers, with a $2,995 package price. Like I said in the Jeep piece, I like that the Stellantis brands are leaning into America 250.

The Texas Auto Show runs alongside the fair through Sunday, Oct. 18 at Fair Park in Dallas, with the buildings open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you’re shopping for a minivan, it’s worth a stop. This is the third piece from Stellantis media day. Check out our full State Fair game plan, our look at what Ram brought and Jeep’s electric Recon and indoor off-road course. More State Fair coverage is on the way.