Chrysler Pacifica Makes the Grade as a Cars.com Top-five Family-friendly Vehicle for New School Year

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Aug 24, 2020, 09:47 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Chrysler Pacifica earns a spot on the Cars.com list of top-five vehicles for getting kids to school this year
Cars.com honor is the newest in a number of recent awards that acknowledge Pacifica's family friendliness
Pacifica earns kudos for roomy interior that promotes enhanced distancing, Uconnect Theater that keeps kids engaged in the school drop-off line and available sunroof that increases in-vehicle airflow
More family-friendly features coming on the redesigned 2021 Chrysler Pacifica include the most standard safety features in the industry, new all-wheel-drive (AWD) system paired with Pacifica's class-exclusive Stow 'n Go seating, new games for Uconnect Theater, new FamCAM interior camera to keep an eye on children in rear seats and new segment-first USB Type C ports to keep all family members connected while on the go

Cars.com is putting Chrysler Pacifica at the head of the class, listing it as a top-five family-friendly vehicle for transporting kids to the classroom this school year. Cars.com recognizes Pacifica's spacious seating that makes plenty of room for more distancing, Uconnect Theater to keep children entertained and available sunroof options that allow for increased airflow.

The top-five spot is one of many recent honors that recognize Pacifica for its ideal family friendliness. Earlier this year, PARENTS magazine named the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid a 2020 Best Family Cars award winner, and Good Housekeeping, in partnership with Car and Driver, chose the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica as its 2020 Best New Family Car award winner in the minivan category.

Cars.com created the list in conjunction with its release of new survey data that highlights parents' decisions on safe back-to-school transportation. According to Cars.com, parents with children returning to school will bypass school buses and public transit, with 55 percent of parents planning instead to drive their children to the classroom themselves. The Cars.com survey also noted that parents planning to carpool with other families is up 22 percent, and the number of consumers searching online for features such as sunroofs has increased.

"Back to school looks very different for families this year because of the ongoing pandemic," said Jenni Newman, editor-in-chief, Cars.com. "Because of this, parents are turning to their personal vehicles as the best mode of transport for kids returning to in-person learning. The Chrysler Pacifica provides families spending more time in the car a comfortable escape with a spacious interior to carry extra supplies or snacks and digital features to entertain while traveling to-and-from school and beyond." With standard seven- and available eight-passenger seating, the Pacifica provides a roomy, social-distancing-friendly option for family transportation. Pacifica's available rear-seat Uconnect Theater includes built-in games and available WiFi that can keep children occupied in drop-off lines that may be longer than usual as more parents decide to ditch the bus and personally drive children to school. Available dual- and tri-pane automatic sunroof options bring fresh air into the Pacifica at the push of a button.

Stow 'n Go second-row in-floor storage bins also allow additional space for storing textbooks and supplies, while the available Stow 'n Vac helps clean up any kid-generated messes. The Chrysler Pacifica also showcases the latest in advanced safety and security technology, offering more than 100 standard and available safety and security features, including unsurpassed five LATCH child seat positions.

Even more family-friendly features are on tap for the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, scheduled to arrive in dealerships in the fourth quarter, including:

More standard safety features than any vehicle in the industry
Available new all-wheel drive (AWD) to assist in transporting children to school in any kind of weather, paired with Pacifica's class-exclusive Stow 'n Go seating
Four new games for Uconnect Theater: Concentration, chess, Chrysler Says (late availability) and backgammon (late availability)
New FamCAM interior camera that allows parents to view child seat occupants in the rear, and even zoom in on passengers
New segment-first USB Type C ports charge devices up to four times faster than standard USB outlets, keeping all family members connected while on the go

About CARS
CARS is a leading digital marketplace and solutions provider for the automotive industry that connects car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share. In 2018, CARS acquired Dealer Inspire, an innovative technology company building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations, a faster and easier car buying process, and connected digital experiences that sell and service more vehicles.

Redesigned 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, coming later this year
Revealed in February at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, the new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will offer the most advanced AWD system in its class and is the only vehicle to offer AWD along with Stow 'n Go seating. The vehicle will also offer 97 standard safety features – the most standard safety features in the industry.

New LED lights and Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) – both offered for the first time in the class as standard equipment – join Blind-spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Path detection, Rear Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Full Stop, electronic stability control (ESC), Forward Collision Warning with Full Stop, Lane Departure Warning, eight airbags and more as standard safety features on both the 2021 Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid. All told, the 2021 Pacifica features 116 standard and available safety and security features.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica is America's most capable minivan with AWD. The system engages seamlessly at any speed, without any activation required by the driver. If any of the wheels lose traction, Pacifica's AWD system automatically activates transfer of all available engine torque to the wheels with more traction, with limited slip to control steering in all road conditions Enhanced traction is activated in a range of driving conditions, and engages automatically based on a variety of sensor inputs when enhanced traction is beneficial.

The 2021 Pacifica's new exterior design expression is much more deeply sculpted, athletic and modern in character, with utility-vehicle-inspired design cues. A new top-of-the-line Pinnacle model sets a new standard in the segment with a sophisticated, luxurious interior that incorporates a new integrated Ultra console — the most functional center console in its class — and elite appointments, such as quilted Nappa Caramel leather seats with new matching lumbar comfort pillows.

The all-new Uconnect 5 system, offered for the first time in a North American vehicle and standard across the 2021 Pacifica lineup, includes a largest-in-class 10.1-inch touchscreen, which is nearly 20 percent larger than the screen it replaces. The system is five times faster than Uconnect 4 and includes Amazon Alexa. With the Uconnect skill for Alexa, customers with Alexa-enabled devices at home can easily ask Alexa to start the car, lock/unlock doors and more. Uconnect 5 brings Amazon Alexa directly into the vehicle itself, giving occupants the freedom to interact with Alexa just as they do at home or on a personal device. With Alexa built-in, occupants can ask Alexa to play music, podcasts and audiobooks; add items to their to-do list; check news, weather, traffic, sports and other real-time information; and access tens of thousands of Alexa skills.

The new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica also gives parents a bird's-eye view of their most precious cargo thanks to the new FamCAM interior camera that delivers a best-in-class high-definition image and allows the driver a view of rear-facing child seat occupants in the second row and even allows them to zoom in on passengers. Another first for the segment, new USB Type C ports allow devices to charge up to four times faster than standard USB outlets.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica will be built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and will be available in dealerships in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Chrysler Brand
The Chrysler brand has delighted customers with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, intuitive innovation and technology since the company was founded in 1925. The Chrysler Pacifica continues to reinvent the minivan, a segment Chrysler invented, with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling. The Pacifica Hybrid takes this revolutionary vehicle a step further with its class-exclusive, innovative plug-in hybrid powertrain. It's the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves more than 80 MPGe in electric-only mode, has an all-electric range of more than 30 miles and a total range of more than 500 miles. The Chrysler 300 lineup delivers on the brand's promise of iconic and elegant design executed with world-class performance, efficiency and quality – all at an attainable value. Chrysler is part of the portfolio of brands offered by global automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. For more information regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.

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