• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Inside Story of the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
  • Honda’s Big Bet on Fuel-Cell Tech Doesn’t Stop with Passenger Cars
  • First Look: 2024 BMW X5 and X6
  • Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Expand Global Partnership
  • Better the Second Time: Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
  • VinFast Raises Launch Concerns by Cutting 80 U.S. Jobs
  • Faraday Future Secures Cash, Prepares to Build Cars
  • BMW Spending $865M in Mexico for EV, Battery Plants
  • Q&A: Dave Marek, Acura Global Creative Director
  • Biden Admin. Makes EV Credits Available to More Buyers
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Accord
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus GX 460 Black Line
    • A Week With: 2023 BMW X1 xDrive28i
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Niro EV
    • A Week With: 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Auto Shows > Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle Aims to Take Minivans to a New Peak

        Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle Aims to Take Minivans to a New Peak

        New people-mover takes aims at SUVs with new features like AWD.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Feb. 06, 2020
        The new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will offer optional all-wheel drive for the first time in years on an FCA minivan.

        There was a time when the minivan was seen as the pinnacle of the automotive market, U.S. buyers snapping up more than 2 million of them annually. But these days, those people-movers are almost an afterthought, family buyers largely migrating to SUVs and CUVs.

        “Maybe this segment needs to go after utility vehicles,” suggests Tim Kuniskis who, among his many duties with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, oversees passenger car operations. And that includes the automakers remaining passenger car models.

        The eponymous Chrysler brand has scored a reasonable success rethinking the minivan formula with its Pacifica line – which was the first FCA product offered with an optional plug-in hybrid powertrain. Now, the brand is looking to take things up a big notch with the introduction of the new Pacifica Pinnacle model.

        The Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle also will be available with a plug-in hybrid option, like the rest of the Pacifica line.

        Appropriately, Pinnacle is the most lavishly equipped version of the Chrysler Pacifica line. It moves things up a big notch, offering, among other things, optional all-wheel-drive, which can direct 100% of the vehicle’s torque to the rear wheels when needed. Just as importantly, owners don’t need to give up the stow-and-go seating to get it.

        The Pinnacle features as many as 116 different safety features. Of the 97 that come standard, that includes LED headlights and the new Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking system.

        “For 2021, we’re going all-in on safety,” said Kuniskis, noting that as much as the U.S. market has changed over the years, safety is clearly a major factor for family buyers choosing their next vehicle.

        For the next model-year, Pinnacle will feature what Chrysler refers to as a “more aggressive and a little more athletic” front end, with a new, diamond-style grille finished in satin chrome.

        (FCA has big news coming on electrification.)

        Pinnacle adds more interior storage space, as well as luxury touches like quilted Nappa leather.

        The minivan rides on 18-inch wheels, though 20-inch rubber also is available.

        Inside, the emphasis is on functionality, as has long been the case with the minivan. There’s a total of nearly 228 cubic liters of storage space, for one thing. And a new console adds dual level storage and a large pass-through area.

        The people-mover also becomes the first FCA product to adopt the new Uconnect 5 infotainment system which takes the technology up another big notch, as well. The larger 10.1-inch touchscreen is now sharper and boasts better contrast. The system is significantly faster and also boasts a completely redesigned interface intended to make it quicker and easier to locate features and apps – with the driver even being able to integrate smartphone apps and then personalize the display’s layout.

        While there are plenty of other high-tech features, including FamCam, a camera system that monitors the back of the minivan, and includes the ability to watch children in rear-facing seats, and new USB ports, Pinnacle still addresses more traditional luxury touch points. That includes quilted and hand-stitched Nappa leather seating in all three rows.

        (Chrysler Airflow concept could hint at future direction of minivans.)

        The new Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle offers utility not only through its spacious cargo area but through its newly offered all-wheel drive.

        In terms of powertrains, buyers will have two options on the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle:

        ·       An update Pentastar V-6 making 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a nine-speed automatic and is available in either front or all-wheel-drive; and

        ·       The plug-in hybrid, which uses a modified version of that 3.6-liter V-6 paired with a dual-motor electric drive system. That allows up to 30 miles in all-electric mode and delivers an EPA-rated 80 MPGe, or miles-per-gallon-equivalent.

        Pricing for the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle will be announced closer to the third quarter when it becomes available for ordering. Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter.

        (Waymo using autonomous Pacifica hybrids for new delivery service.)

         

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Inside Story of the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

        Today
        2023 Honda CR-V hybrid production REL

        Honda’s Big Bet on Fuel-Cell Tech Doesn’t Stop with Passenger Cars

        Today
        2024 BMW X5 xDrive 50e - front 3-4 driving v2

        First Look: 2024 BMW X5 and X6

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: