[WillyRo]

New car review of both vehicles by cars.com

https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-...les/2017-chrysler-pacifica-vs-2018-honda-odyssey-minivan-matchup-1420696136778/

 

[hevakmai]

New car review of both vehicles by cars.com

https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-...les/2017-chrysler-pacifica-vs-2018-honda-odyssey-minivan-matchup-1420696136778/

Funny, having driven both vans, I don’t agree with several of their points. On paper, Uconnect seemed better, but then when trying to adjust some climate control settings in the Pacifica, I found you had to do that through Uconnect, as it lacks the dedicated controls for things like the seats. I’m also not a huge fan of either electronic shifter, but I prefer the Odyssey’s to the Pacifica’s.

What’s also weird is many other reviews finding the odyssey to be faster than the Pacifica, yet this one says the opposite.

 

[OdyDudy]

Funny, having driven both vans, I don’t agree with several of their points. On paper, Uconnect seemed better, but then when trying to adjust some climate control settings in the Pacifica, I found you had to do that through Uconnect, as it lacks the dedicated controls for things like the seats. I’m also not a huge fan of either electronic shifter, but I prefer the Odyssey’s to the Pacifica’s.

What’s also weird is many other reviews finding the odyssey to be faster than the Pacifica, yet this one says the opposite.

Well at least the Pacifica has a tuning knob. Hopefully the Ody will get the new Accord's tuning knob. Personally, I like the knob better, as it takes up less real estate and you don't really have to look at it to use it. Lots of manufacturers use a knob, like Land Rover and Jaguar.

 

[dstrauss]

New car review of both vehicles by cars.com

https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-...les/2017-chrysler-pacifica-vs-2018-honda-odyssey-minivan-matchup-1420696136778/

That's a surprise result to me. My wife's immediate reaction when sitting in the top of the line Pacifica was that it "looked cheap" and upon driving it, was thoroughly unimpressed with handling, visibility, and front seat comfort. I would echo those same sentiments, but would give a plus to the Pacifica for the powered front passenger seat with more motion adjustment and much more front foot room due to the overhanging AC fan bulkhead in the passenger footwell.

2nd row seating - the Pacifica second row seats are down right uncomfortable (spent most of the test drive back there myself). Unless you haul big loads more than 20-25% of the time, I would not fall for the "Stow-in-Go" seats.

Controls and Multimedia: Carplay, that's enough, but the rest of the layout just comes across as 2017, not 1997 like the Pacifica.

Above all for the Pacifica, I can't get my wife's "the interior looks like a Dodge Caravan to me" out of my mind.

 

[dc_driver]

I agree on the lower trims, 2nd and 3rd rows look cheaper on the Pacifica - But if you go with the higher trims - no way! Perforated, heated leather seats with pipng, illuminated USB jacks in pretty much every seating position, illuminated hdmi, ac and dc power jacks, power third row reclining seats, led interior lighting (both task and ambient), dual 10" touch screens with touch pad remotes, tripane pano sunroof, 4-way adjustable headrests, no ugly magic slide rails/latches in the centre of the second row, illuminated foot wells in second row, and a nicer looking rear climate control system.

Of course the ody has some nicer looking elements too.....but those second row sticks for armrests are rediculous. Third row side armrests are nicer in the ody though. As are the sliding door pockets.

I guess aesthetics are a personal thing.

For me it was less the materials as it was the actual comfort level of the 2nd and 3rd row of the Pacifica. The seats are noticeable thinner due to Stow And Go (this was the same problem we had with the Caravan too when we cross shopped). On longer road trips the seats just are not comfortable and we have kids/adults sitting in both 2nd and 3rd row about 95% of the time.

I like the idea of Stow and Go, but sacrificing seat comfort for something we would only use occasionally makes no sense to me. Other people may use Stow And Go a lot more and feel the trade-off is worth it.

 

[OdyDudy]

If you guys don't like the 2nd row seats on the gas Pacifica, the Pacifica Hybrid has bigger and more comfortable 2nd row seats, because they use the stow and go well to house the hybrid battery. Here's a nice review.

 

[Accord07]

I had nothing against a seven-seat configuration in the past, but after spending more than two weeks on the road with a rented Dodge, I am glad that I bought an eight-seater. There were five of us and we had to sacrifice cargo room in the back to use one third row seat. While it is true the recess for Stow and Go in the second row can be used for storage, getting things in and out multiple times during the day was not practical. It so happened that the bags we didn't need access to during the day were all big and had to stay in the back.

 

[hevakmai]

If you guys don't like the 2nd row seats on the gas Pacifica, the Pacifica Hybrid has bigger and more comfortable 2nd row seats, because they use the stow and go well to house the hybrid battery. Here's a nice review.

Two things about the hybrid Pacifica, as we were super excited about this when it was first announced:
- the platinum trim on the hybrid still excludes things that are otherwise available on the highest trim of the gas version (like memory seats, high end sound system, etc)
- the entire lot of them seems to have been recalled for some pretty serious issue where the car just stops providing torque (and they seem to have put a hold on selling them too )

 

[InspektorGadget]

Since I recently went through this first hand, here are some of my thoughts.

-I really did not care for the Uconnect system at all. I'm a big technology buff, and have a fairly critical eye for these things. Uconnect was not for me.
-I'd be lying if reliability and resale weren't a consideration. This is my first Honda, but I know many people who've owned Odyssey's that will never own anything else.
-Price- We purchased an EX-L, and were looking at a Touring L Plus for the Pacifica. The Pacifica was a bit more expensive....we weren't eligible for a lot of the rebates/discounts because we weren't a former Chrysler customer or returning from a lease.
-I know this varies by dealer, but the Honda dealer offered me $3,000 MORE on my trade than the Chrysler dealer. That's substantial for our family.
-Features, while the Pacifica had the advanced safety features. The only thing I actually could see myself using that the EX-L did not have was the 360 surround....that would've been nice (Can I add this after the fact?) Navigation was a non factor for us for a variety of reasons.

All in all, we got fewer of what I deemed "Bells and Whistles" but still got the core/staple things we wanted. I didn't realize that I wanted Lane Keep Assist and adaptive cruise control, but I already see value in those features.


This is my first mini van, and I am loving it...so is my 3 year old son. We slid him to the middle and he was smiling like crazy because he could "See EVERYTHING!" as he puts it. Magic slide is really cool and handy. Sorry for the rambling post, but just wanted to add my thoughts.

 

[OdyDudy]

Hmmm. By the look of all the problems people are having with their new Odys, this survey say Chrysler has caught up in quality.

 

[WillyRo]

Hmmm. By the look of all the problems people are having with their new Odys, this survey say Chrysler has caught up in quality.

Yup. It's kinda sad. Still trying to make up my mind. I really wanted an Ody, but it's getting more and more difficult to take the plunge.....especially with 2018 Pacifica now out adding CarPlay and streaming. These quality rankings seem surprisingly very consistent among all the reputable reviewers. Huhhhhhh.

 

[WestTexasRanger]

Hmmm. By the look of all the problems people are having with their new Odys, this survey say Chrysler has caught up in quality.

I'd take this information with a grain of salt. I've filled-out a few of the J.D.Powers surveys over the years and wasn't impressed with their questions. Also, some dealers will give you a couple of free oil changes if they "help" you fill-out a Manufacturer's or J.D. Powers survey. I know of a Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Fiat dealer and a Chevrolet dealer that offer this "incentive" to keep their product scores HIGH.

While Initial Quality is important, what about Quality 2-3 years and 40,000 miles from now?

I see from your signature that you owned a 2011 Elite. Was it trouble-prone? According to many publications, it's repair history was worse-than-average.

We bought our 2011 EX-L brand new and traded it for a 2018 EX-L/NAV/RES. With the exception of a battery and a diode in the alternator (at 45K), I never had it in the shop for repairs. (I do all my own service work).

With the exception of a couple of pieces of exterior plastic trim around the windows coming "unglued", our 2018 has been perfect (Knock on Wood).

The Elites were the first model than Honda built - For the all important Press Day & Drive. It stands to reason that that model would be suffering the most teething pains, which by the number of complaints here on the forum, it is.

My Honda Dealer does a great job at the point of PDI and makes 100% sure that I'm completely satisfied with the condition of any vehicle I purchase, prior to taking delivery.

It appears that many dealers aren't doing a thorough Pre-Delivery Inspection and buyers are so excited about their new car that they drive off without every really looking at it. While Honda is having some initial manufacturing/technical hiccups, it's really up to the buyer to check things out before they sign on the dotted line.

-WTR

 

[csriram45]

The 2018 Pacifica will be having Android auto and apple car play. The safety features price is dropped so overall price has dropped for higher trim. With the Ody being still sold at MSRP if this goes on longer Pacifica might be back on reckoning especially with 1 year under belt to iron out any issues.

 

[piperpilot03]

We were going to buy a Pacifica Touring-L Plus with nav and upgraded wheels yesterday. Had test driven it before but not with kids in it. Did an extended test drive yesterday. Immediately we discovered the car seats did not fit well in the second row. The headrests got in the way. No problem, right? Those can come out easily. Wrong. You need to take the back of the seat apart and pry a ring off just to remove the headrest. I was never a fan of the seat quality of the 2nd and 3rd rows in the Pacifica but it's just kids sitting back there so they can survive.

We were still a bit surprised by the lack of engineering that Chrysler put into this van for car seats so we decided to drop by the Honda dealer while we were test driving the Pacifica. I explained the rather odd situation to the salesperson and they showed us an 18. Tried the car seats and they fit perfectly. The headrests come off without destroying the seat. The seats are beyond comfortable. Test drove it and was impressed. When we got back to the Honda dealer, there were 4 other salespeople that came out to look over the Pacifica.

For us, we also much prefer the sliding seats the Odyssey offers for getting around carseats. We had figured out we could get the Pacifica Touring-L Plus for about 32,000. The Odyssey the guy said we could get for $38,000 for a EX-L with Nav and RES. I have since found a few others willing to go a few hundred lower.

It's a big price difference but we have decided it's worth it. The Pacifica is a nice vehicle but I don't think it fully compares with the Odyssey.

 

[WillyRo]

We were going to buy a Pacifica Touring-L Plus with nav and upgraded wheels yesterday. Had test driven it before but not with kids in it. Did an extended test drive yesterday. Immediately we discovered the car seats did not fit well in the second row. The headrests got in the way. No problem, right? Those can come out easily. Wrong. You need to take the back of the seat apart and pry a ring off just to remove the headrest. I was never a fan of the seat quality of the 2nd and 3rd rows in the Pacifica but it's just kids sitting back there so they can survive.

We were still a bit surprised by the lack of engineering that Chrysler put into this van for car seats so we decided to drop by the Honda dealer while we were test driving the Pacifica. I explained the rather odd situation to the salesperson and they showed us an 18. Tried the car seats and they fit perfectly. The headrests come off without destroying the seat. The seats are beyond comfortable. Test drove it and was impressed. When we got back to the Honda dealer, there were 4 other salespeople that came out to look over the Pacifica.

For us, we also much prefer the sliding seats the Odyssey offers for getting around carseats. We had figured out we could get the Pacifica Touring-L Plus for about 32,000. The Odyssey the guy said we could get for $38,000 for a EX-L with Nav and RES. I have since found a few others willing to go a few hundred lower.

It's a big price difference but we have decided it's worth it. The Pacifica is a nice vehicle but I don't think it fully compares with the Odyssey.

Did you happen to see the Alex on Autos comparison of the two vehicles? He came to the opposite conclusion with respect to car seat accommodation. Not saying he's right - Maybe he didn't actually try and install car seats, but his conclusion was that the Pacifica was better if you have kids in car seats.

 

[WillyRo]

Here's the link...

https://youtu.be/M9Uw0scPPDc

 

[dweaver33]

We were going to buy a Pacifica Touring-L Plus with nav and upgraded wheels yesterday. Had test driven it before but not with kids in it. Did an extended test drive yesterday. Immediately we discovered the car seats did not fit well in the second row. The headrests got in the way. No problem, right? Those can come out easily. Wrong. You need to take the back of the seat apart and pry a ring off just to remove the headrest. I was never a fan of the seat quality of the 2nd and 3rd rows in the Pacifica but it's just kids sitting back there so they can survive.

We were still a bit surprised by the lack of engineering that Chrysler put into this van for car seats so we decided to drop by the Honda dealer while we were test driving the Pacifica. I explained the rather odd situation to the salesperson and they showed us an 18. Tried the car seats and they fit perfectly. The headrests come off without destroying the seat. The seats are beyond comfortable. Test drove it and was impressed. When we got back to the Honda dealer, there were 4 other salespeople that came out to look over the Pacifica.

For us, we also much prefer the sliding seats the Odyssey offers for getting around carseats. We had figured out we could get the Pacifica Touring-L Plus for about 32,000. The Odyssey the guy said we could get for $38,000 for a EX-L with Nav and RES. I have since found a few others willing to go a few hundred lower.

It's a big price difference but we have decided it's worth it. The Pacifica is a nice vehicle but I don't think it fully compares with the Odyssey.

Which dealer did you go to? Try Valley Honda in Naperville. For the Elite, they had the best price by far. I emailed 4 other dealers in the Chicago area and none would touch it.

 

[Sams Dovels]

In a comparison on cars.com, they favor the Pacifica over the Odyssey in many aspects, like acceleration, ride & handling, multimedia, among others.
The Odyssey wins (of course) on 2nd row comfort, and installing the car seats.
But ultimately, they come to the conclusion that the Pacifica is the better one of the 2 vans.

https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-...les/2017-chrysler-pacifica-vs-2018-honda-odyssey-minivan-matchup-1420696136778/

 

[davedrivesody]

In a comparison on cars.com, they favor the Pacifica over the Odyssey in many aspects, like acceleration, ride & handling, multimedia, among others.

Yes, I agree that the Pacifica is a very strong contender in these areas.

However, the elephant in the room is long-term reliability. If time proves that the Pacifica has it, this will be a first for Chrysler.

Dave

 

[piperpilot03]

Which dealer did you go to? Try Valley Honda in Naperville. For the Elite, they had the best price by far. I emailed 4 other dealers in the Chicago area and none would touch it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did email them. They got back to me with a price of 38,500. I have emailed probably 50 different dealers and the best price so far is $37,000. The vast majority have offered $39,300.