Our 2016 Odyssey EX-L has served us well, but I want to get the wife in something with adaptive cruise control (and the AEB that comes with it) and Apple Car Play. Third row access for three adults is important - with two car seats in the second row. Which rules out ALL 3-row crossovers. They are just a bunch of compromises - minivans with high floors and less-convenient doors, and many only have two seats in the third row. All but the biggest don't have room for our goliath two-kid stroller behind the third row seat, let alone any luggage. I tow a 2000# trailer now and then, and will bring it on long distance family vacations: 4-7 people, their luggage, and a trailer. But mostly the van will do mommy duty - a driver and two kids in big forward-facing car seats.
The Sienna checks the two boxes (ACC, Carplay) but doesn't really bring anything else to the table other than it's a "tried and true" design - meaning it's ancient. MSRP is reasonable especially with their ACC standard on all models. But there are minimal discounts and our local dealer is a bunch of smug crooks. Third row access is similar to our current Odyssey - doable, but not great. Available AWD might be a big deal for many buyers, but my other car is a Subaru and this will be driven by a stay-at-home mom = no need to be out in bad weather. My brother has an AWD Sienna and loves it, but complains of lousy fuel economy and tire life - and only one or two brands make tires for it.
The Sedona was okay but just okay. Third row access with two car seats in the second row isn't great. The second row seat folds flat against the front row - awesome access! IF there's no car seat attached. So a great idea, but doesn't work in our case. Local dealer starts their radio ads by yelling "BAD CREDIT? NO CREDIT?" and the dealer definitely has a "so this is your last resort" vibe to it. They also sell Mitsubishi. Which is still a thing. Rated well by Consumer Reports, otherwise I wouldn't have even bothered to check it out. Pricing was comparable to more established brands with better resale, and the dealer was not willing to deal. Great warranty, though. Towing is not a problem - just bolt a hitch on it.
The Odyssey was nice. Very quiet! I was all prepared to trade ours in on a 2020 EX-L. I know better than to bring kids car shopping so instead I asked for an extended test drive and took the van home to show my wife. Only on that trip did I realize that the ACC cuts out below 20 mph. I use this feature all the time on my Subaru and assumed they all worked about the same. As the car in front of me slowed, so did the Odyssey. Then it stopped slowing and flashed a "BRAKE!" warning at me as I was quickly approaching the almost-stopped car in front of me. That's a big strike against the Odyssey. And a good case for salesmen riding along on a test drive! This particular one (like my 2016) has terrible panel alignment. I don't know what they do in Lincoln Alabama, but getting doors and fenders to match up is not part of it. A Pilot in the showroom had a very visible paint defect on the front fender. I've had Hondas going back to a 1992 Acura Vigor that was spot-on flawless right past 200,000 miles and a cousin ran it up to 300K. That sold me on Honda Quality. But this ain't it! The second row Magic Seats are awesome. Third row access is a peach. (with the center seat removed and laying in the garage) I dealed hard and worked with a couple other dealerships and got a decent discount on the 2020. They also showed me good numbers on my trade. (I thought $20K on a 2016 EXL with 46k miles is more than fair - I'd have to sell it privately for more than KBB Private Party to beat that deal with the tax savings, and used car buyers here just don't have $21,200 cash to buy a used car) Bottom rated by Consumer Reports for reliability. (It did really well on the road test, however) Just bolt a hitch on it, and the 10-speed can tow 3500# they tell me.
The Pacifica - ACC that works right down to zero, and resumes when the car ahead moves - check! Around-view camera - she likes that too! It even parks itself. Probably a parlor trick, but maybe she'll use it. Unlike everyone else, I really don't care about the Stow-N-Go. We have car seats in the second row 100% of the time, and with current laws requiring children to be in car seats until they are 26 or something, they'll never come out. For that same reason, second row seat comfort isn't a concern. And even if they are uncomfortable - anyone sitting there didn't pay for the van. But the storage holes for the Stow-N-Go seats will be useful for the little pink plastic potty, and ten million Elsa and Anna dolls that live in our van. CR rated this van great for reliability. (not Chrysler as a whole, but I'm not buying their entire model lineup) Drawbacks - some come with an optional spare tire, the one we're looking at just has the flat repair kit. I've only destroyed a tire once during a stupid high school boy off-road excursion in a Carter-era Buick. The other few tire problems I've had were all nails that I plugged days/weeks later in my garage. But for $300 I can get a spare tire that fits in one of the Stow-n-go wells, or (for $400) I can order the van with one that replaces the storage cubbies in the wall of the cargo area. Trailer towing is a point of contention. WIthout the factory-only tow package, a Pacifica is rated at 1500#. Tow package includes a heavy duty radiator, and trailer sway control software. Factory tow packages are good for 3600# but are hard to come by, and that's really narrowed my search. There are 13 vans within 150 miles, and most of them are $50,000 Limited models with features I don't need (a vacuum cleaner, really?) I'd consider bolting my own hitch on and taking my chances, but the cars are out there and the factory install is tucked up flush and the wiring is already done. Sway control isn't a big deal with a boat (axle is far back on the trailer) but I got into a "tank slapper" with a popup once and it wasn't fun. Something I don't like about the Pacifica - lots of controls are buried in the big touch screen. I think I can put the frequently-used ones on the "homepage" but I'd prefer to hit a button than dig through menus at 70mph.
Chrysler is also willing to throw lots of money at the deal. I'm sure resale value won't be there, but if they're putting the money on the front end, it won't be too bad. I'm hoping to keep this one a decade so anything will be nearly worthless in 2030 when all cars are electric and powered by the solar shingles on our roofs. Resale value DOES matter if some texting idiot runs a light and totals it, however. It's hard to beat the total out-the-door cost of the Pacifica, and I think ownership costs of any purchased new car is a crap shoot, with all this technology. I'm going tomorrow to work a deal on a low-spec Pacifica that meets all my requirements, and has a heated steering wheel - a "want" but not a need.
Of the 70+ cars I've owned, only one was a Chrysler, and it was a $100 Dodge Aspen that I drove across the country in 4 days. My wife came with a Plymouth Breeze - her first car. An ex-GSA auction car. It got some problems around 90K and we traded it on a new Accord DX. I'm not a fan of anecdotal evidence, but a branch of our family has driven nothing but Chryslers and since the 80's it's mostly been minivans, and they've had a good run with them, including a Pacifica. The minivans get passed down through two generations and then through a few siblings. They've all lasted to 200K+ or are still accumulating miles.
Not really a question, just typing my thoughts out, and maybe they'll save someone some time van shopping. Your thoughts on these vans?
The Sienna checks the two boxes (ACC, Carplay) but doesn't really bring anything else to the table other than it's a "tried and true" design - meaning it's ancient. MSRP is reasonable especially with their ACC standard on all models. But there are minimal discounts and our local dealer is a bunch of smug crooks. Third row access is similar to our current Odyssey - doable, but not great. Available AWD might be a big deal for many buyers, but my other car is a Subaru and this will be driven by a stay-at-home mom = no need to be out in bad weather. My brother has an AWD Sienna and loves it, but complains of lousy fuel economy and tire life - and only one or two brands make tires for it.
The Sedona was okay but just okay. Third row access with two car seats in the second row isn't great. The second row seat folds flat against the front row - awesome access! IF there's no car seat attached. So a great idea, but doesn't work in our case. Local dealer starts their radio ads by yelling "BAD CREDIT? NO CREDIT?" and the dealer definitely has a "so this is your last resort" vibe to it. They also sell Mitsubishi. Which is still a thing. Rated well by Consumer Reports, otherwise I wouldn't have even bothered to check it out. Pricing was comparable to more established brands with better resale, and the dealer was not willing to deal. Great warranty, though. Towing is not a problem - just bolt a hitch on it.
The Odyssey was nice. Very quiet! I was all prepared to trade ours in on a 2020 EX-L. I know better than to bring kids car shopping so instead I asked for an extended test drive and took the van home to show my wife. Only on that trip did I realize that the ACC cuts out below 20 mph. I use this feature all the time on my Subaru and assumed they all worked about the same. As the car in front of me slowed, so did the Odyssey. Then it stopped slowing and flashed a "BRAKE!" warning at me as I was quickly approaching the almost-stopped car in front of me. That's a big strike against the Odyssey. And a good case for salesmen riding along on a test drive! This particular one (like my 2016) has terrible panel alignment. I don't know what they do in Lincoln Alabama, but getting doors and fenders to match up is not part of it. A Pilot in the showroom had a very visible paint defect on the front fender. I've had Hondas going back to a 1992 Acura Vigor that was spot-on flawless right past 200,000 miles and a cousin ran it up to 300K. That sold me on Honda Quality. But this ain't it! The second row Magic Seats are awesome. Third row access is a peach. (with the center seat removed and laying in the garage) I dealed hard and worked with a couple other dealerships and got a decent discount on the 2020. They also showed me good numbers on my trade. (I thought $20K on a 2016 EXL with 46k miles is more than fair - I'd have to sell it privately for more than KBB Private Party to beat that deal with the tax savings, and used car buyers here just don't have $21,200 cash to buy a used car) Bottom rated by Consumer Reports for reliability. (It did really well on the road test, however) Just bolt a hitch on it, and the 10-speed can tow 3500# they tell me.
The Pacifica - ACC that works right down to zero, and resumes when the car ahead moves - check! Around-view camera - she likes that too! It even parks itself. Probably a parlor trick, but maybe she'll use it. Unlike everyone else, I really don't care about the Stow-N-Go. We have car seats in the second row 100% of the time, and with current laws requiring children to be in car seats until they are 26 or something, they'll never come out. For that same reason, second row seat comfort isn't a concern. And even if they are uncomfortable - anyone sitting there didn't pay for the van. But the storage holes for the Stow-N-Go seats will be useful for the little pink plastic potty, and ten million Elsa and Anna dolls that live in our van. CR rated this van great for reliability. (not Chrysler as a whole, but I'm not buying their entire model lineup) Drawbacks - some come with an optional spare tire, the one we're looking at just has the flat repair kit. I've only destroyed a tire once during a stupid high school boy off-road excursion in a Carter-era Buick. The other few tire problems I've had were all nails that I plugged days/weeks later in my garage. But for $300 I can get a spare tire that fits in one of the Stow-n-go wells, or (for $400) I can order the van with one that replaces the storage cubbies in the wall of the cargo area. Trailer towing is a point of contention. WIthout the factory-only tow package, a Pacifica is rated at 1500#. Tow package includes a heavy duty radiator, and trailer sway control software. Factory tow packages are good for 3600# but are hard to come by, and that's really narrowed my search. There are 13 vans within 150 miles, and most of them are $50,000 Limited models with features I don't need (a vacuum cleaner, really?) I'd consider bolting my own hitch on and taking my chances, but the cars are out there and the factory install is tucked up flush and the wiring is already done. Sway control isn't a big deal with a boat (axle is far back on the trailer) but I got into a "tank slapper" with a popup once and it wasn't fun. Something I don't like about the Pacifica - lots of controls are buried in the big touch screen. I think I can put the frequently-used ones on the "homepage" but I'd prefer to hit a button than dig through menus at 70mph.
Chrysler is also willing to throw lots of money at the deal. I'm sure resale value won't be there, but if they're putting the money on the front end, it won't be too bad. I'm hoping to keep this one a decade so anything will be nearly worthless in 2030 when all cars are electric and powered by the solar shingles on our roofs. Resale value DOES matter if some texting idiot runs a light and totals it, however. It's hard to beat the total out-the-door cost of the Pacifica, and I think ownership costs of any purchased new car is a crap shoot, with all this technology. I'm going tomorrow to work a deal on a low-spec Pacifica that meets all my requirements, and has a heated steering wheel - a "want" but not a need.
Of the 70+ cars I've owned, only one was a Chrysler, and it was a $100 Dodge Aspen that I drove across the country in 4 days. My wife came with a Plymouth Breeze - her first car. An ex-GSA auction car. It got some problems around 90K and we traded it on a new Accord DX. I'm not a fan of anecdotal evidence, but a branch of our family has driven nothing but Chryslers and since the 80's it's mostly been minivans, and they've had a good run with them, including a Pacifica. The minivans get passed down through two generations and then through a few siblings. They've all lasted to 200K+ or are still accumulating miles.
Not really a question, just typing my thoughts out, and maybe they'll save someone some time van shopping. Your thoughts on these vans?