Have you ever experienced buyer’s remorse? The awful feeling that lingers after a major purchase… nagging at you, making you feel like maybe there is something better you should have waited for…
When choosing a car, the last thing you want to experience is buyer’s remorse, which is why it’s so important to do your research and explore the options available to you. If you’re looking for a Chrysler Pacifica for sale, you might be wondering if the Pacifica is the right minivan for you or if you should explore other options like the Honda Odyssey.
These minivans are the segment leaders, with all others grasping at their heels for a taste of greatness. The Chrysler Pacifica has seen some serious upgrades over the years, with features that are hard to find elsewhere, while the Odyssey boasts Honda’s ingenuity. So, which one stands higher on the minivan mountain? Let’s find out…
Safety in the Carryall Segment
When choosing a vehicle—any type of vehicle—safety will be paramount. After all, who wants to buy a car prone to catching on fire or dying on the roadside? Making sure you choose a vehicle with sufficient safety features is essential, and this is an area where the Chrysler Pacifica shines.
The Pacifica offers the most standard safety features for its class, which means you don’t have to shell out buku bucks just to feel safe and secure on the road. More than 115 safety and security features are available, with many of these included as standard—so whether you are cruising on the highway or running errands in the city, the Pacifica has you covered.
When toting the kids around, ParkSense Rear Park Assist watches your back—literally. Sensors in the rear fascia are on constant watch as you back up, assisting in a situation where obstacles may crop up; warnings then indicate if your vehicle is getting too close to something, and your brakes will automatically engage if a rear collision is presumed imminent. Similar technology in Rear Cross Path Detection monitors when you’re leaving a parking space, improving your awareness of approaching vehicles.
These are just a few of the safety features to expect when considering the Pacifica; Blind Spot Monitoring, LaneSense, and Adaptive Cruise Control are a few others. With such a long list of safety and security features, any other minivan will pale in comparison—but, of course, now we must take a look at the Honda Odyssey.
The Odyssey comes with Honda’s trademarked Honda Sensing suite, which includes similar features to the Pacifica, like Adaptive Cruise Control and a Blind Spot Information System. However, even though they share many of the same features, the Odyssey doesn’t offer quite as much as the Pacifica; for instance, Rear Park Assist is only an optional add-on for the Odyssey but is standard on the Pacifica.
Even though these two vehicles share many of the same safety features, the bottom line is that the Chrysler Pacifica offers more as standard across the board. Leading the segment in security and safety, the Pacifica is a safe bet—so don’t pay more for safety features when the Pacifcia includes them.
Crucial Cabin Components
Another area where the Chrysler Pacifica takes the gold is in the cabin. The Pacifica offers the most luxurious interior in its class, putting most other minivans to shame. Chrysler has equipped the Pacifica with high-end, posh materials to create a refined environment suited for royalty.
The Pinnacle trim is rich and warm, with caramel-colored quilted nappa leather upholstery, matching lumbar pillows, and satin chrome accents. Special appearance packages offer a sporty take on the minivan, with black leather-trimmed seating, should you dare push your minivan into the luxury class. This appeal is enhanced by power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats and even a premium sound system; the available nineteen-speaker Harman Kardon audio system will fill the cabin with lush sound—and, thanks to the active noise canceling feature, that’s all you’ll hear.
Another fantastic feature of the Chrysler Pacifica is its ingenious Stow ‘n Go technology; this system provides straightforward storage of the rear seats, folding flat into the floor so you can open up the cabin for easy hauling. Simply open the hatch, pull a lever, and the seats fold quickly into the floor. When the seats aren’t stored away, their hideaway cubbies act as additional storage for personal items, important goods, or maybe even secret snacks.
Switching gears to the Honda Odyssey, we see it offers a unique feature that allows the second-row seats to glide forward—what Honda has cleverly called the Magic Slide. The seats can slide inward, opening up access to the rear. Although the Pacifica doesn’t offer Magic Slide, it does offer a tilt feature, which works just as effectively. Both the Pacifica tilt and the Honda slide take car seats into consideration, which is especially nice for families with car seat-bound kiddos.
The Honda Odyssey offers spacious seating, but there is no Stow ‘n Go feature to be found; although its second row folds flat, it isn’t as convenient or effective as the Pacifica. The Odyssey does offer some luxury finishes for their cabin, too, but these likewise fall short of matching the richness of the Pacifica.
Talking the Tech Talk
Cars are becoming more capable than ever, including mind-blowing features we never would have expected. Some of these might seem a bit like overkill, but many of them are downright genius and address a need many of us didn’t even know we had.
As a parent or guardian, one major stressor of driving little ones around is knowing what is going on behind you when your eyes are on the road. Well, like true visionaries, these two auto industry giants are beginning to fix this—and one is doing it better than the other…
The Chrysler Pacifica offers something called the FamCAM, a camera system that provides a clear view of the back seats. FamCAM allows you to zoom in and even view both cameras simultaneously via a split screen function. It even comes with automatic day and night modes, so you can see clearly without having to do a thing.
The Honda Odyssey also features an in-cabin camera system, which they have named CabinWatch; this behaves similarly to the FamCAM, but it does not offer a split-screen function.
To keep the littles entertained, the Pacifica offers available Fire TV displays: two large, high-definition screens in the back of the two front seats. Here, passengers can enjoy movies, television shows, and even video games. A built-in memory bank allows content to be downloaded to be watched without using data, and content can be paired between the two screens or played separately so everyone can watch what they want.
The Odyssey follows suit with its own in-cabin entertainment system, but theirs consists of only one screen. Also, the Odyssey doesn’t offer streaming services; it behaves more like an at-home DVD player than a smart TV like in the Pacifica. So, although it’s great that the Odyssey includes some backseat entertainment, it’s nowhere close to competing with the Pacifica.
The Pacifica or the Odyssey?
Both the Chrysler Pacifica and the Honda Odyssey are pretty great minivans, offering comfort, convenience, and safety. However, despite Honda’s efforts, the Odyssey falls short of the Pacifica.
The Pacifica leads its segment in safety, luxury, and technology—all significant aspects when considering a minivan. When choosing a minivan that will make everyone in the family happy, my vote goes to the Chrysler Pacifica for being downright awesome.
