Chrysler Pacifica Gets 22-mpg EPA Rating

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's all-new Chrysler Pacifica minivan has received an Environmental Protection Agency combined fuel efficiency rating of 22 mpg (28 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg in the city).

The combined rating equals that of the segment-leading Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey also gets 28 mpg on the highway but is slightly more efficient in the city at 19 mpg.

Chrysler says the 2017 Pacifica is 12% more fuel efficient than the Town & Country minivan it replaces. The new model is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine and a segment-first 9-speed automatic transmission. An automatic stop-start system will be added later this year to further boost efficiency.

The redesigned Pentastar V-6 has a two-step variable-valve lift system that improves combustion and reduces the amount of effort needed to pump air and fuel into the engine and exhaust gas out. Other new features include a cooled exhaust gas recirculation system to reduce combustion temperatures, plus a higher compression ratio, which goes from 10.2:1 to 11.3:1.

The Pacifica also benefits from a more aerodynamic design, which yields a coefficient of drag of 0.30. And its lightweight construction sheds 250 lbs from the Town & Country, thanks in part to a 22% increased use of high-strength steels—nearly half of which comes from ultra-high tensile blends—and the use of a magnesium instrument panel beam.

The new Pacifica launches this spring. It will be followed by a hybrid variant in the second half of the year. Chrysler expects the hybrid to have an estimated gasoline-equivalent rating of 80 mpg, including a 30-mile range in all-electric mode.