Chrysler basically invented the minivan segment 30 years ago with the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager. The automaker has been improving the concept ever since, constantly introducing new innovations to help its customers. Whether you wanted the latest in gadgets and technology or simply needed the safest minivan, Chrysler has always been your best bet.
So it should come as no surprise that the new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica received Top Safety Pick+ in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s tests. It’s the best score a minivan can get, putting the Pacifica right at the top of its respective segment. It also scored a “good” rating in the IIHS’ five crashworthiness tests, the best possible rating any vehicle can achieve.
Tim Kuniskis, one of FCA North America’s representatives said in a release that Chrysler understands what the core values of any minivan are. Practicality and technology are great, but they’re nothing without safety. The main purpose of the minivan is to carry lots of people, and if you can’t protect them in worst-case scenarios, you’re simply not going to fare well with customers.
Chrysler Pacifica Crash-mitigation Features
Now, protecting you in a crash is one thing, but helping you avoid one is entirely different. For starters, the new Pacifica is equipped with an Automatic Emergency Braking system. It works so well that IIHS has rated it as “superior,” the highest grade a system of this sort can get. Then there’s Forward Collision Warning Plus. It combines characteristics from multiple sensors, such as a camera and radar, to act more precisely when it senses that a frontal impact appears imminent. It will only activate when both types of sensors agree that a collision is imminent. This is called sensor-fusion technology and it’s only available on the Pacifica. No other minivan has it.
Test Drive the Chrysler Pacifica
If you’re in Lebanon, Salem or Albany, OR, and want to take a look at the award-winning 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, stop by Wilson Motors in Corvallis, OR. You’ll get a chance to inspect the vehicle yourself and if you’re in the mood for it, even take one for a test drive.