RICHMOND, Michigan — America’s’ most versatile, three-row vehicle finally has an exterior to match its interior talents.

The 2027 Chrysler Pacifica minivan has a new face, and it’s a looker.

Designed by Tajikistan immigrant Irina Zavatski, the original 2017 Pacifica redefined the dowdy minivan segment. Then the minivan took an unfortunate detour to boring in 2021 with an ill-advised nose job. For ‘27, Chrysler is back on the cutting edge.

Behold its embrace of modern lighting tech with headlights moved mid-fascia — freeing designers to frame the front end with a dazzling LED signature that would make a Caddy proud. The rear end? Stylish as ever with a sci-fi rear window (now underlined by a red, horizontal taillight) right out of a Blade Runner movie.

Gone for the 2027 model year is the entry-level Voyager minivan (with throwback 2017 design and only offered in front-wheel-drive), now rebadged as a Pacifica LX staring at $43,590. Confusing, I know. The remade Pacifica is offered in Select, Limited and Pinnacle trims starting at $45,460 and my Select, black-trimmed, red all-wheel-drive model (wrapped in patriotic 250th American birthday stars) is the one to have.

Pacifica, strut your stuff.

Merging onto M-53 north towards rural Macomb County for an afternoon of Halloween shopping, I nailed the throttle and the 3.6-liter, normally-aspirated, Pentastar V-6 growled with authority. RAWWWR!

Yes, a trusty V-6. Beneath its modern exterior, Pacifica has stayed true to the features that have made it a family-car legend: V-6 power, configurable seating, intuitive ergonomics.

While three-row competitors have opted for trendier, more complex turbo-4 and hybrid powertrains, the Pacifica's 287-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 offers instant torque and the promise of low long-term costs. It also sounds sexy, a nice benefit when shopping against butch, squared-off utes like the Chevy Traverse or Kia Telluride powered by — um — uninspired turbo-4s.

While road-trippin’, the Chrysler features a FamCam in the center console so you can keep an eye on the rugrats in the rear two rows of seats. On this day, I jumped back there myself.

At Sunrise Service Station in Memphis, I stopped for groceries — and a bit of work.

When work calls and I'm in a Ford F-150 pickup truck, I stay in the front seat, fold down the table-top, so-called Console Work Surface and type away. But I prefer the Pacifica’s rolling living room. I slid open the rear door, pulled away the second-row mat, then flipped over the second-row seat and stowed it in the floor. I’m not making this up.

I walked back to the third row, stretched my long legs in front of me (where the second row used to be), plugged my laptop into the rear 120-volt outlet (included with the Family Tech Group option and that FamCam feature), and got some work stuff done.

I stored my bag of groceries in the rear sub-cargo hole behind the third-row seats — with room to spare for a pumpkin, which was the goal of my next stop: Cornfun Corn Maze Adventure and Pumpkin Patch near I-94 and 26 Mile in St. Clair County.

Cornfun Corn Maze parking was choked with three-row SUVs — as well as numerous Pacificas — delivering dozens of kids like school buses. Cornfun is at the end of dirt road, a reminder of Pacifica’s optional, must-have, all-wheel-drive system — especially come the winter months when these roads get gnarly and farm produce turns from pumpkins to Christmas trees.

The sub-cargo bay is perfect for pumpkins (to keep them from rolling ‘round in back), but easily configured for Christmas trees. Just flip the third-row seat backwards and stow it in the cargo hole like the second-row seat. I’m still not making this up.

Voila! A flat corridor running from the rear gate to the back of the front seat — perfect for evergreens or long boards from Lowe’s.

If time has proven the value of a simple, throaty V-6, the Chrysler’s veteran platform is showing its age versus competitors.

The V-6 lags three-row SUV drivetrains with 3,600-pound towing (though it is still best in the minivan class). A Stellantis stablemate SUV, the Dodge Durango, comes equipped with the same V-6 engine but can tow 6,200 pounds (V-8 Durangos tow up to 8,700 pounds).

Hands-free drive-assist like a Traverse or Ford Explorer? Fuhgeddaboudit. As adaptive cruise applied the brakes in traffic — GRONNNNCH — I could it hear the system working. The 10-inch infotainment display’s UConnect operating system was a pioneer with its smartphone-like menu, but it has been surpassed by higher-tech displays in, say, the Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas.

Speaking of Atlas, it now leads the class with standard twin wireless phone chargers — a useful feature in an age when Android Auto and Apple CarPlay do yeoman’s work navigating us across the landscape to pumpkin patches at the end of dirt roads.

The Pacifica only offers a charging pad on the upper-trim Limited and Pinnacle models starting at $53k for the AWD versions. Other useful features also play to the upper trims like available vacuum cleaner and kick-open sliding doors. Head-up display? Not available.

It’s the standard features that stand out. The Stow ‘n’ Go seats, blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and first-class cabin ergonomics.

Mrs. Payne instantly took to stowing her purse in the floor tray below the console. The console itself has a drawer, convenient for storing valuables. Storage cubbies are everywhere, as are console control buttons.

One of my favorite features (shared with Dodge) are volume and radio station controls on the back of the steering wheel so your hands don't need to leave the wheel. Not that you’ll need to adjust the volume very often — the front/side glass is laminated and the cabin extensively sound-proofed so you can not just FamCam the rugrats — but talk with them.

The Windsor-assembled Pacifica has defined the minivan class and inspired competitors like the handsome Kia Carnival, another of my favorite utes with its signature Barcalounger rear seats (including fold-out ottoman). But Carnival is only available with front-wheel drive. JD Power rates Chrysler reliability on par with its Kia and Toyota competitors (impressive given all the Chrysler’s moving mechanical parts), but its resale value lags the Asians.

That might change with Pacifica’s 2027 wardrobe. Hubba hubba.

2027 Chrysler Pacifica

Vehicle type: Front and all-wheel-drive, five-door, six/seven-passenger minivan

Price: $43,590, including $1,995 destination charge ($54,915 Select America250 AWD as tested)

Powerplant: 3.6-liter V-6

Power: 287 horsepower, 262 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.2 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 3,600 pounds

Weight: 4,883 pounds (AWD as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 17 mpg city/28 highway/22 combined (FWD); EPA 17 mpg city/25 highway/20 combined (AWD); range, 475 miles (AWD as tested)

Report card

Highs: Attractive exterior redesign; Swiss Army Knife interior

Lows: No head-up display option; standard wireless charging, please

Overall: 4 stars

____

©2026 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.