Chrysler Pacifica - Marketing and Reception

Marketing and Reception

The Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals." Chrysler developed the vehicle in 30 months at a cost below $1 billion. However, DaimlerChrysler lost money on every Pacifica sold, as it used a modified minivan platform, but it didn’t have any interior commonality with other Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicles.

DaimlerChrysler heavily touted the Pacifica as the next "big thing" in the fledgling crossover market, forecasting sales of 100,000 per year. These estimations proved to be wildly optimistic, as sales never came close to expectations. There was stiff competition from other luxury crossovers like the Lexus RX and BMW X5; the RX was the volume leader and widely considered the benchmark for the class. Despite the Mercedes-like interior and other Mercedes-derived technologies, however, the Pacifica may have been overpriced for its marque, as general public perception did not consider Chrysler a luxury brand like that of BMW, Lexus, Lincoln, and Mercedes-Benz. Indeed DaimlerChrysler was reluctant to heavily promote the fact that the Pacifica (as well as several other jointly-engineered vehicles such as the Crossfire and 300) featured technologies from its Mercedes division due to fear of cannibalization, as Benz vehicles had much higher prices and profits than their Chrysler equivalents. A three year, multi-million dollar contract was signed with singer Celine Dion in 2003, with advertisements designed to reposition Chrysler as a premium marque. However, the promotional campaign was widely considered a flop and so DaimlerChrysler ended it just one year later.

Positioned as a large crossover wagon, the Pacifica was designed to combine the convenience of a minivan, the elevated position of an SUV, and the handling of a sedan, as the minivan's popularity was being eclipsed by the SUV which in turn lost favor due to high gas prices. Compared to traditional (light-truck based) luxury SUVs such the Lincoln Navigator, the Pacifica had less heavy cargo-hauling and towing capacity but otherwise it was superior in handling, comfort, interior, and amenities. Crossovers with three-row seating tend to be inferior to minivans in passenger room; the Pacifica was no exception as its third-row seats were considered too small compared to that of the Chrysler Town & Country which was less expensive and more fuel-efficient. However other luxury automakers have no minivans in most of their lineups which avoids cannibalization of the sales of their large crossovers, so it didn't help that the Pacifica inevitably drew comparisons to the Town & Country. Furthermore DaimlerChrysler was unable to convince the public that the Pacifica was a pioneer of new category of vehicle, as consumers preferred more traditional SUV-style crossovers, and they faced the same problem with the release of the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class in 2005. Like the Pacifica the R-Class is supposed to share the attributes of the minivan, SUV, and a wagon, and despite the R-Class being more upscale and sophisticated (based on a rear-wheel drive platform) with a better executed launch (while the Pacifica was plagued with production and marketing flaws), it has sold poorly compared to the GLK and M-Classes.

The Pacifica was widely praised for its carlike ride and handling, as its sophisticated suspension soaked up the bumps well, while the steering was fairly crisp and linear. However the 2004-06 model years of the Pacifica were fuel thirsty and vastly underpowered considering its hefty weight, with its weak 250 hp 3.5-liter V6 and aging four-speed automatic transmission, which gave poor performance considering the price of this vehicle. This was only rectified in 2007 with a new V6 engine and a new six-speed automatic which was nonetheless too late to salvage sales. Throughout its lifetime there were few engine options, yet despite client requests there was never an available Hemi or SRT version like the 2005 Chrysler 300.

During its first model year, Pacifica trims were equipped lavishly and were expensive as a result, as they included costly but mostly unnecessary features such as a navigation system, DVD entertainment system, and a load-leveling suspension. For the 2005 model year Chrysler released a de-contented LX trim that deleted the third row seats and had cloth upholstery.