changes at Chrysler
June 22nd, 2006There’s not much wrong with the Pacifica – actually as a freeway cruiser there’s a lot about it that’s right – collaboration with Mercedes Benz engineers resulted in an almost Germanic 6 passenger vehicle. But one thing that was hugely lacking was the engine – a leftover 3.5L that you might remember from the now deceased Chrysler Concorde, etc.
By the time the engine’s power made it through the long ratios of the 4 speed automatic, the opportunity to accelerate was often gone. If you see a Pacifica being driven sedately it’s probably because the driver has given up on going faster or is tired of whipping the reluctant motor for more.
Now the Pacifica’s going to get a new 4.0 V6 that’s bound to be an improvment – my only concern is that a 6 cylinder of this size is bound to be rough at high revs (try to think of a 4.0 V6 that’s ever been smooth – getting smoothness out of more than 3.2L is difficult to achieve).
In other Chrysler news the new Cirrus is about to take flight; the car loks like a cross between a 300C and a Nitro and will feature heated and cooled cupholders and a MP3 storing 20 GB hard drive. Hopefully it will be more like the 300 and less like the Nitro to drive (unlikely given its front drive roots).