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2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid | Mountain road / fuel economy review

PORTLAND, Ore. — I don't have children, which makes it a wee bit difficult to fully appreciate and evaluate every nuance of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. I'll leave that to Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore and any other proud parents at Michigan HQ where the long-term and extremely blue Pacifica resides. However, with an extremely beige Pacifica Hybrid in my driveway this week, I figured I could tackle something that's difficult to fully evaluate in the Mitten State: mountain road driving. You know, that thing families totally care about, right after safety ratings and cupholder count. ... Or not. Again, no kids. Admittedly, putting it through a fuel economy test seems more useful, so I did that too. Now, typically, minivans are huge boxes with a stratospheric center of gravity courtesy a whole bunch of steel, a whole bunch of panoramic sunroof glass, and a whole bunch of air ducting packed into the roof. This leads to a rather tippy driving experience that's exacerbated by a soft suspension intended to provide pillow-like comfort for the kiddos in the back. . This would apply to the regular Pacifica, but the Hybrid, it's different. Stuffed into the area where the Stow 'n Go seats would normally stow and go into, this plug-in hybrid's 96-cell lithium-ion battery pack is smack dab in the middle of the van and quite low to the ground. It's exactly where you'd want to stuff 568 extra pounds to counteract all that weight up high. It also settles that suspension down, resulting in a minivan that feels more buttoned down and poised with minimal rebound over bumps. Body roll is even kept nicely in check. This, despite balloonier, higher-profile tires than what you'd get in a comparable regular Pacifica. The steering could still use just a smidge more effort upon turn-in, but remains more reassuring and engaging than Honda's disappointingly loosey-goosey steering. Throttle response is different in the Pacifica Hybrid as well, providing ultra-smooth and torque-rich electric power delivery reminiscent of an EV. Even when the all-electric range has been depleted, the Pacifica Hybrid continues to feel more like an electric car than one that also has a gasoline engine aboard. It certainly helps that that engine is a smooth 3.6-liter V6 rather than a buzzy four-cylinder bound to make a racket. Unless you really gun the thing, it's difficult to detect when puttering around town or at a steady highway cruise. In total, the Pacifica Hybrid is better to drive.

Fiat seeking $10B in financing to buy Chrysler

As Fiat looks to become the full owner of Chrysler, all it has standing in its way is the retiree trust of the United Auto Workers, which currently holds the remaining 41.5 percent of the company as the result of the Pentastar's bankruptcy deal. The Detroit News is reporting that that Fiat is currently talking to numerous banks in an attempt to raise around $10 billion to fund the purchase of Chrysler's remaining stake with enough left over to refinance the debt of both companies. We've known that Fiat has been working to obtain the capital to buy out Chrysler for some time now, but this is the first time we've seen Fiat tip its hand about how much cash it thinks it will need to close the deal.
The first order of business is a legal dispute over the value of the UAW's stake in Chrysler, which the report indicates could cost Fiat around $3.5 billion. The acquisition of remaining shares could happen by this summer, but it sounds like CEO Sergio Marchionne (above) might not be ready for a full merger until next year.

Fiat-Chrysler alliance in jeopardy due to Pentastar's IPO filing?

The four-year relationship between Fiat and Chrysler has thus far been beneficial for both automakers, but it has also proven to be a complicated battle between Sergio Marchionne and the United Auto Workers - the latter controlling the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler. With the recent filing for a US IPO, it looks like Marchionne and the UAW appear to be playing a billion-dollar game of chicken, with both sides far apart on how much the union's shares are worth. If it comes down to Chrysler's remaining stake being publicly traded, it could act to drive a wedge between the two companies.
According to Bloomberg, Fiat's chairman John Elkann says "if the IPO will take place, there will be two companies, and that's different than having a single one." Now, we're not great at math, but this sounds like the complete opposite of the full merger that Marchionne has been pushing for since taking the helm at Chrysler. Bloomberg notes that the UAW's shares should be worth around $5.6 billion, but Fiat could end up paying as little as $4.9 billion for Fiat to gain full control of Chrysler. A story by The Detroit News points out that Marchionne's "alleged low-balling" is just the latest hurdle the Auburn Hills-based automaker must overcome as its ownership is being fought over for the fourth time in 15 years.