2004 Chrysler Pacifica in Hawthorne

When it first unveiled the all-but-ready-for-production Pacifica to the media at last year's Detroit auto show, Chrysler boasted that, true to a legacy of advanced engineering and advanced marketing smarts, it was set once again to create a new vehicle segment--"sports tourers"--much as it had with its landmark minivans of 1984. No one really believed the claim at the time, because, let's face it, it's not easy to invent a new market segment. Now, close to a year later, we've just driven a production Pacifica, and we're still dubious. Mind you, we like the car fine. We're just a little sketchy on the unique, new-segment jazz.

The Suzuki X90--a mid-1990s two-seat 4x4 T-topper plainly designed for circus clowns and their bulb horns--that was pretty unique. But the Pacifica?

It may represent a bold departure from the Caravans and Voyagers of Chrysler's recent past, even if it shares some drivetrain-cradle and all-wheel-drive architecture with the latest and greatest Pentastar minivans. But how can anyone question J. D. Power and Associates' decision to lump it in with the Acura MDX, the Toyota Highlander, the Lexus RX300, the Honda Pilot, the Pontiac Aztek, the Nissan Murano... Read full article