Sorry, but I make no apologies for liking minivans. I find them the absolute best overall vehicle for hauling every member of the family including (grandma and Fido) as well as everything you can fit in a few baskets at the big box stores. Combine that with awesome fuel economy and comfort and you have the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
There are hundreds of new cars, trucks, and SUVs for consumers to choose from when purchasing a new vehicle. I do my best to evaluate as many of them each year and this can be a daunting task. Of the vehicles reviewed this past calendar year, here is a listing of my five favorites.
Reinventing the vehicle that launched a segment might be headlines news all unto itself, but what Chrysler has done to the minivan segment is absolutely electrifying. Really. Chrysler designers and engineers have delivered the best minivan yet in the new 2017 Pacifica, and it is now offered with a hybrid gas/electric powertrain.
This year marks the 90th year for Chrysler as an automotive brand. Not too long ago it was incorporated into the Fiat Chrysler Automobile global family and part of that new partnership meant new models rolling out that received global influence. The Chrysler 200 midsize sedan was one such vehicle.
One in every six vehicles sold in North America is a midsize sedan, so it goes without saying that automakers have to remain very competitive in this segment. Chrysler, while making a presence, has failed to deliver a compelling vehicle consumers have been drawn to. All that is about to change with the 2015 Chrysler 200.
The Chrysler Group, consisting of Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram, debuted the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 Sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will be the first midsize sedan with a standard nine-speed automatic gearbox via new electronic rotary shift dial and offer an all-wheel-drive system with an automatic fully disconnecting rear axle.
Earlier this year, the “hot rodders” over at the Street and Racing Technology group of Chrysler expanded its “Core SRT” strategy to Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300 models. The Core program adds exclusive content to the performance versions of these vehicles, designed and built with the “back-to-basics” performance driving enthusiast in mind. Recently we tested the 300 SRT8 Core model.
Some things in life just don’t live up to the hype. Take, for instance, the much anticipated iPhone announcement this week. For many like me, it was a disappointment. Fortunately not all things fall into this category of “much ado/much a didn’t.” The new Chrysler 300 SRT8 is a shining example of “delivering the goods.” I was all set to be underwhelmed with this latest overhyped made in Detroit machine. When first seeing the redesign of the model line last year my reaction was melancholy at best and to be perfectly honest I never quite got all the popularity of…
Oops! … I did it again. I played with your heart. Got lost in the game. As the Brittany Spears song lyrics above suggest, someone “did it again.” Volkswagen. Once again they raise my ire as they deliver a minivan model “imported from Detroit” … literally. I am speaking of the Routan/Grand Caravan. When they first launched Routan a few years back I expressed in words that my opinion of the brand slapping their badge on someone else’s work was not winning any accolades from me. To be fair, this is a very good minivan and ALL the credit goes…
The king is dead … long live the king! Chrysler announced last week that its “luxury” minivan, the Town & Country, has once again taken the top spot in segment sales leadership and this week came the “better-late-than-never” launch of an all-new version at the North American International Auto Show. OK, it still looks like a minivan and Chrysler has chosen to stay away from drastic styling upgrades such as brought on by imported competition this year. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all radically redesigned their minivans recently. For Chrysler it appears about refining what has brought them back to the…
During my lifetime (thus far) I have witnessed Chrysler, Dodge and the late Plymouth (R.I.P.) deliver a wide range of vehicles, taking consumers and enthusiasts on a wild roller coaster ride. Ultimate highs courtesy the likes of Super Bee, Barracuda, HEMI (of course) and Viper and bottomless lows, a.k.a. K car, Jeep Compass and bankruptcy (twice). They even invented an entirely new segment known as the minivan and sent Lee Iacocca golfing with Snoop Dogg. Most likely, the future will be just as storied as the past, especially with the approaching stiff fuel economy standards. What is to become of…
Once again automakers rolled out some eye candy at the annual North American International (Detroit) Auto Show. And once again it leaves many of us wondering which of the vehicles on display will actually make it into production, will they be affordable and are they really practical. Inspired by this, I am rolling out a list of 10 things to watch in 2010.