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2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Quick Spin | Dad tested, kid approved

The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is a compelling minivan, which feels less weird to say the more we say it (and the more we drive it). Adding a plug-in powertrain to an already solid family hauler makes it more interesting, and leaves the world just a little less greenhouse-gassy for those children you'll be carrying around in it. So, when we had the chance to actually take one home with us, we strapped in the car seat and put it through some real-world usage. For reference, the non-hybrid Pacifica comes with the standard Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission. It provides 287 horsepower and offers 19 miles per gallon city, 28 highway, and 22 combined. The Pacifica Hybrid adds two electric motors and a variable transmission to its more efficient, less powerful Atkinson cycle V6, providing a total of 260 horsepower. The Hybrid also has a 16-kWh battery pack to power its electric driving. It's rated at a combined 84 miles-per-gallon equivalent. Our test kid, Wolfgang, loved the Pacifica Hybrid. He repeatedly asked for rides, which is not unusual, but seemed to prefer the Chrysler to his other options. He even got upset the one time we put him in Mama's Mercedes GLK while the Pacifica was in the driveway. Wolfgang especially loved the buttons to open and close the automatic doors. After heading indoors, he'd occasionally point out the window toward the minivan saying, "Button." He also thought the horn was hilarious. He's heard his fair share of car horns so far in his young life, but none have ever gotten the same belly laughs that the horn in the Pacifica evoked. We have no idea why. It sounds like a normal car horn to us. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Getting the car seat in and out of the Pacifica Hybrid was super easy. The captain's chairs make it even easier. The LATCH anchors were prominent, and easy to find by feel when reaching over the seat. It also helps that you can access the inside anchor by hopping to the other side of the vehicle, and the openness of the second row provides more room to work with. Once in the car, the huge door openings made it easy to get the little guy in and out of the rear-facing seat. While driving, the quietness of the cabin helps facilitate the sort of rudimentary conversation a toddler can hold.

Now at Costco: Bales of toilet paper and a Volvo or Pacifica to haul them

Costco, the beacon of bulk buying, where you can buy everything from gasoline to your own casket at deep discount, is offering some Costco-only incentives through its Auto Program in partnership with specific car brands: for now, Volvo and Chrysler, with other brands planned for later. First, Volvo: Now through Oct. 2, you can get both special incentives AND employee pricing (aka "A-Plan" pricing) AND whatever rebates and incentives Volvo might already have going on. The Costco incentives are: $3,000 on 2017 and 2018 S90 sedans. $750 on 2017 and 2018 S60 sedans. $750 on 2017 and 2018 V60 and V90 Cross Country wagons. $750 on 2017 and 2018 XC90 SUVs. $750 on the outgoing 2017 XC60 crossovers. Automaker incentives usually vary by region, but in the Detroit area, at least, Volvo currently has a $2,500 incentive on the 2018 XC90 and $3,500 on the 2017 model. Those end Aug. 31 but could be renewed in September, and others could be added then as well. Volvo is also offering special interest rates on financing some of the other models. And when all is said and done, if you fill out a Costco customer survey you'll get a $200 cash card. The Chrysler Pacifica deal, also through Oct. 2, is even simpler: Go to the Costco site, print out a certificate worth $1,000, and take it to a Chrysler dealership — any dealership, not just those that usually work with Costco, which is a first. The incentive covers both 2017 and 2018 models. And like the Volvo promotion, these Costco incentives can be combined with whatever Chrysler's doing — and it currently has a myriad of incentives on 2017 Pacificas, in various combinations that differ depending on whether you're leasing or buying. If you register at the Costco Auto Program website, you'll be put in touch with a dealer who can review the bottom line after all the discounts are factored in. Participating dealerships have offered special pricing to Costco members for years, up to the price automaker employees get. Costco's program doesn't typically work the way these Volvo and Chrysler programs do, though a similar joint promotion with Volvo back in 2013 sold 7,500 cars. If you haven't used the Costco Auto Program, but you don't like haggling at a dealership, you might give it a try. The beauty of it is that a dealer is obligated to offer you a set price and is also obligated to treat you by certain rules, such as not trying to upsell you. Last year, 490,000 vehicles were sold to Costco members through the program.

Toyota tops Consumer Reports best, worst used car values

We often mock Toyota for building boring, soulless cars, but a new study by Consumer Reports suggests that regardless of whether that's true, the company has some of the best used cars on the market. In its report on used cars from 2004-2013, the Japanese automaker had 11 vehicles among its brands on the list - more than any other automaker.
CR breaks the list down by cost and vehicle size, and Toyota has at least one entry at every price point and in nearly every segment. To score a recommendation, a vehicle had to perform well in the magazine's initial tests and score above-average reliability results. It also tried to only suggest cars with electronic stability control. Of the 28 recommended vehicles, Honda/Acura had the second most mentions at six, and Ford, Hyundai and Subaru managed two each.
The Detroit brands also made it to the list, but not in a positive way. Consumer Reports compiled a list of 22 vehicles it wouldn't recommend because "they have multiple years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability." General Motors had the most unrecommended models on the list at six, but Chrysler and Ford weren't far behind, with five cars each from their brands not making the grade. The full list of recommendations is available on CR's website.