The Chrysler Pacifica has had a tough sales year, due to parts shortages, while the new Toyota Sienna has surged ahead. Good Housekeeping has, though, rated the Pacifica PHEV above the Sienna, which is only available as a hybrid starting with 2021.
While they preferred the Sienna’s gas mileage, they really liked the Pacifica’s space and its stowable seats, a feature Toyota still hasn’t gotten to.
While the Sienna has less power than the Pacifica (15 hp less), it also weighs up to 400 pounds less, and turns in 36 mpg with front wheel drive (35 mpg AWD), while the Pacifica is only good for 30 mpg—or, in PHEV mode, 82 MPGe. The Sienna also has better ground clearance. However, the Pacifica has another 2.3 inches of legroom overall and another inch of headroom in the rear seats; the total volume is 1.4 cubic feet larger.
The Sienna does look better on paper, with its 3,500-pound towing capacity, superior economy, and similar features; but the packaging of the body was far superior to that of the Toyota, in their view.
See a comparison of the two minivans at Toyoland.
David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.
David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.
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