1,800 Mile Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Extreme Vacation Test!

The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid may be the easiest way for families to enter the world of EV driving. No range anxiety! Tom Voelk and his clan take this roomy minivan from Silicon Valley to Las Vegas, to Napa Valley to discover the flexibility of plug-in hybrids. And if you don’t learn how awesome vans and plug-in hybrids can be, you’ll discover some great vacation spots in California and Nevada.
SUBSCRIBE HERE ► bit.ly/SUB2DRIVEN
TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS BY CLICKING THE “BELL” BUTTON AFTER SUBSCRIBING!
Special thanks to my family and friends that tolerated the extra time it took to shoot this video! Your patience is much appreciated.
Full disclosure- Chrysler provided the vehicle for this 10-day trip and Visa gift cards for gas, charging and incidentals as part of a manufacturer’s event. Opinions and editorial, as always, are mine (plus the observations of dozens of people that ended up riding in the Pacifica Hybrid on this trip.).
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, electric minivan, family van, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, electric vehicles, EV, plug in hybrid, Maya Voelk, Sean Voelk, Mariko Kakiuchi, Las Vegas, Red Rocks Conservation, Hoover Dam.
FOLLOW TOM VOELK ON TWITTER ► / tomvoelk
About Tom: Tom Voelk is an award-winning automotive contributor to The New York Times. His podcast was the first to win an Emmy Award (and he's won for photography, editing, producing and reporting). But really, all you need to know is in the videos. Watch a few and you'll subscribe.

[@rodrigodelao4757]

So a wholesome vid, thanks for sharing a piece of your life. Cheers 🍻

[@Raven1180]

Agreed. Really enjoyed it

[@paulm6481]

Great family, great video. Nice minivan too.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

A reminder to subscribe and click notifications to build this channel up! And sorry about some of the audio quality in the Pacifica but hey, I was on vacation and forgot the equipment needed to mic people discreetly. Really, it's pretty quiet inside. And thanks for all the awesome comments about the family. Wish you could know how smart, funny, and compassionate they are.

[@sey1yes2]

Nice to meet the family! And as I say this I'm also thinking, "Isn't this odd? Here's this total stranger (you) sharing his life with the world in an intimate and mundane manner that makes the viewer(s) feel as if they are part of his family in the small daily events that almost everyone experiences." I don't quite know how to classify the experience. However, viewing this was very pleasant, and what was especially nice was your telling your wife how pretty she was and her gently nudging you on your shoulder after you spoke, and your then commenting how lucky you were. Just great stuff! Just writing this led me to feeling that I should also give a warm greeting to her!

[@calebwoods9358]

I can't believe I'm only seeing this review just now. I think this is perhaps the best way and method to comprehensively display the best of mini vans. Awesome review dude.

[@tommihelich2613]

In a long line of excellent reviews this may be your best! Thanks Mr. Voelk.

[@eloufirjawad]

How come you don't have more than 1M subscribers??!!! I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Spread the word Jawad!

[@tonywellington7854]

+Jawad Eloufir reason: terrific content but doesn't post frequently enough

[@adrienlac]

Awesome review Tom!! Entertaining and thorough... Btw I'm 27 and I'd love to own a Pacifica!!

[@davidplon9215]

Excellent review as always Tom and such a beautiful family you have! You are a lucky man for sure!!

[@freddywayne]

Great video! It was a pleasure watching you and your beautiful family. 🤗

[@999study]

Best review I ever watched. While letting us see a glimpse of your beautiful family and their important transitions of life. You stayed true to the core of the story which is the review of the Pacifica. You naturally connected the review of the Pacifica with your storytelling or blogging about your family. So natural , honest and one of the most helpful video. Many car reviewers should watch this and take some notes. Thank you. Got a new subscriber.

[@DarkRendition]

You have the best videos. They are thoughtful, articulate, compassionate and well photographed. I know a lot about cars and there isn't much that can be said that I find novel but your work captivates me.

[@mandeepahluwalia2377]

Tom....this was your best video ever! The storyline, the photography, the family and the star of the show...the Pacifica were all outstanding. I have owned the gas version Pacifica for the last 2 years and it is hands down the best family vehicle out there. Just came back from a road trip and the built in Vac came in very handy multiple times to clean up all the little snacks the kids drop all over the van. Great job. Keep up the good work!

[@weedmastersr]

You have a beautiful family Tom! Congratulations! You are a lucky guy. The Pacifica is beautiful also.

[@martinkleinman2522]

So happy for you that you have such a good-vibes family. Mazel tov!

[@Vazztudio]

Tom I love your reviews. Thanks for sharing a part of your life in it. Besides wanting to know the obvious about the vehicle, consumers on the market for a family vehicle can really relate to this content. Chrysler PR have to be extremely happy allocating a unit to you for reviewing, I'm sure of that.

[@andresgonzalezmadriz7342]

It beats me, why is it that you don’t have more than a million subscribers??? Great video Tom, you are by far the best! Greetings from Costa Rica!

[@MichaelKirven]

One of the best reviews ever, Tom. Can't wait to get out west again and be a tourist for a change instead of flying in, working, then leaving without enjoying the scenery. Weird to see you in a tie. Your wife must have the patience of a saint. As always, keep up the great work, and best of luck to you and your wonderful family!

[@pdlynch4330]

Great video. Will watch a few more times in case I missed anything. I have a 2016 Odyssey which is a blessing for college moves, kids with friends, moving photography equipment, bikes, many golf bags, furniture, you name it. I am a big guy and I fit comfortably: that trumps any image issues. My dad‘s friend had a minivan which he traded for an SUV after the kids had grown up and he regretted every minute he spent with that SUV. If my Honda had AWD, it would be perfect, but that wasn’t enough to stop me from buying the Odyssey. We have the CRV AWD for those winter and wet road moments. Loved meeting your family and riding along on your trip. Never been to California and this made me realize it might be time. Your son is handsome and well spoken like his father and your daughter is intelligent and beautiful like her mother. Love the balloons + reactions! You are fortunate and blessed to have such a wonderful...patient...family. Thanks Tom, I really appreciate you and your work. 😊

[@miguelircontar]

Best KZbin reviewer and he manages to fit his family life in !!! Love it !!!!!

[@gmman010983]

Awesome video Tom, wishing nothing but the best for your kids... I enjoy and respect the work you put into your content!

[@aznandyroo]

This is such a wholesome car review. I really love your content! Your family is lovely. Thanks for sharing!

[@robertchavez180]

Just got my Pacifica 2 weeks ago and love it! It's Ocean Blue but not a Hybrid, but still got me real close to 28 mpg. I too went to Napa Valley to see my wife's cousin then off to St. Lake Tahoe and home on the 395 to LA. Van ran great!

[@Van-Hammer]

Driven like only Tom can. Another great viewing experience 👍. Thanks!

[@rkalla]

Tom the production time put into this video was insane, you really outdid yourself and it was a total joy to watch even though we OWN a 2019 Pacifica Hybrid already :) - was just flat out entertaining. Nice job dude.

[@TheLanard]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful family with us in this great video!!

[@iragottlieb9764]

Awesome video! Really enjoy your videos Tom. Informative and personal and real. Thank you!

[@Aliakbar.m]

I really enjoyed, thank you and your beautiful family for sharing awesome moments! Keep up the good work

[@alliejr]

THIS is the video I was asking for 🙌🏽

[@irishinusa1615]

Thank you. We just bought the Pinnacle Hybrid. Loved yr vlog. Was useful for us.

[@williamscott7763]

Another great review Tom. Beautiful family you have as well. Try to get them in the videos as often as you can.

[@devendragotmare176]

Wow, every car review should be like this, I am an old viewer of ur channel, but this, I wouldn't mind watching this repeatedly.❤️👏🙏

[@ozkarov]

Dear Tom! I love your videos and I applaud the way you review cars from an unbiassed and objective way. But this video has got to be the best video I’ve ever seen of a car review. Including your family in it has made a big difference. Not to technical and very down to earth! You have a beautiful family and I wish you all the best!...

[@doctornick6267]

This is by far your best video. 😃 Your family is lovely and you should include them again in some future video. 😊

[@mikeLssd]

Very enjoyable and informative review. Thanks for posting !

[@laylow8648]

My wife and I have been driving Chrysler Minivans since 1989. We have owned 6 Chrysler Minivans. Married 37 years with no children. We have a 2018 Pacifica & 1997 Town & Country AWD with 271,000 miles. Most likely will buy a 23 Pacifica AWD and just add it to our fleet. Leaving the 97 at our lake home to tow stuff around. It’s our enclosed pickup truck🤣. We are entering our retirement years in the next 12 months and want the AWD. Since 1998 we have been saying we can’t imagine our lives without a Chrysler Minivan.😁

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

This may be the best car review video I've ever seen :)

[@arthurjohnson9681]

Great review Tom...and you have a lovely family! We have a Pacifica too, same color as your tester but its not a hybrid. We considered one but we didn't want to lose the 2nd row stow and go seats. Its our mini camper on the road! Once folks can get past the so called stigma of a minivan, its one of the best Swiss army knife vehicles on the road....

[@haserotmalach7324]

Hands down, the best car reviews on the web!

[@markleckband4495]

Seems very recently I was accompanying your lovely family to Whistler ! Your son must have been in middle school at the time. Fun goin to the mallards game too. 😂 Love these REAL world life-drives, and I relate very much to your family in many ways. Thanks so much for the awesome content - as always !

[@DrivenCarReviews]

We talked about that trip when we were all together.Good memories! Oddly, a student at Santa Clara recognized Sean from that Whistler video. Crazy.

[@milk0427]

Amazing video again!! Thank you Tom !!

[@maluhiakukahiwa5945]

This Video was amazing. Yes and thanks to your family efforts in the video.

[@ttbalog]

This is a very good job, and a beautiful video. Well done Tom!

[@mp5wes]

My how time flies, they grow up so fast! I remember your extreme frisbee road trip, ahh the memories. Congrats Voelk family! 2:42 dad of the year Tom! 🤣

[@dshall442]

Great job once again Tom!

[@FrldyZX87]

Great vid! I remember you filmed another family roadtrip video in the old Town & Country years ago, great video as well!

[@kayliibensen387]

Tom you are a lucky guy! Wonderful video and your family is beautiful! Also, FCA, nice ride, I want to see more from my favorite underdog!

[@cornbread70s4]

Wow. Great video. No auto journalist is more personal than you Tom. Thank you for sharing....

[@davidwolf226]

What a beautiful family, Tom! Good for you! Oh, and the Pacifica also seemed pretty decent, too.

[@FarHanSolo]

Tom, I love your reviews and usually don't comment as I just watch, enjoy and move on. However, this really was nice as to see you in dad mode. Great work.

[@baldheadlogic]

Hey Tom. It was nice to see your fam in this real world review.

[@TheRorymcloughlin]

Super video, lovely family Tom!

[@janisroze8848]

This is the best car review I have seen. Very compelling. Made me subscribe to your channel.

[@kencollins4108]

This is a fantastic review. Thank you!

[@crownr0yalonice]

I vote for a balloon test in lieu of the TP test! That was hilarious.

[@reneek162]

Awesome video review-thank you

[@d1gBR]

Nice ! Your family is so pretty !!! good job !

[@stangmatt66]

Beautiful family, Tom. Great review.

[@GuyFryday]

Your family is lovely, Tom. Lucky guy, indeed.

[@jeffreysegal2065]

So good. Tagging along with your charming family reveals just how well a van accommodates family life. I had the previous gen Town and Country and between the power doors and the stow-n-go seats, it just handled everything, from furniture to lumber to Ubering drunk college kids. I would not forgo the stow-n-go seats for the hybrid tho. I'd just have to pay the mileage penalty.

[@rayswa63]

Nice video ! Keep up the good work!

[@ned8249]

Great review and fun family road trip. 😊

[@jazzjokesjalopies]

Congrats - great family too!

[@redmusichouse]

Fun review and family!

[@kentgabriel3572]

beautiful family! and that Volvo XC70 your son drives now is tugging at my heart strings. I had an 08 xc70 and miss it dearly. had to trade it in for something with a warranty and less costly maintenance at 200k miles on it.

[@navikov]

Amazing review ! .....and life ! ...and yes, lucky guy are you 👍🏻congratulations 🇲🇽

[@ldodom]

You have such a beautiful family, Tom. Truly, this is the eco-friendly Swiss Army knife of the 21st Century.

[@saksit247]

Cool vid. Part of the reason why you might have seen a lot of them on the interstate is because that is the van most rental car companies use. We got the exact same model when we did LA to San Francisco road tip 2 months ago. I really enjoyed driving it.

[@tompaull3214]

Great video Tom!!

[@johnborges5938]

Wow, a really sweet video. Very nice!

[@izuaff04]

Wow..thanks for sharing....happy family.....

[@aky19832001]

I wish my father spent time with me like this. Your a good man.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

I think we all wish we could spend more time with our kids. Haven't been able to do it much while he's been away at school.

[@I2SUSA]

fantastic video! Will buy one

[@TheHelghast1138]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ This was a heartwarming and epically awesome video!!! My favorite one yet Tom!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Btw call me weird, I like shooting brakes lol.

[@ShermanMR2]

What a great video. I watched it start to end.

[@limpunsing224]

Work & play with family is real fun Wholesome video review

[@jman9398]

Glad we snagged a lifetime warranty on our gas version when we could, cuz the ordinary people need that if they’re spending this much on a vehicle from Chrysler. Resale values can show it too. But you really hit it on the point with this video about the Pacifica. I guess that’s the touch of Chrysler minivans, and they can’t be beat in terms of style and function. And for some people they are okay dealing with a problem here and there when we get loaner if needed. Lee would be proud of this video. RIP

[@christopherbaker1028]

Bought one of these 5 weeks ago and driven it daily. Used less that 1 gallon of gas so far in 900 miles of driving. Love this van. I was a dedicated Toyota driver and NEVER thought I'd buy a Chrysler. The engineering really impressed me with a 32 all electric range and 500 mile range in hybrid mode. Great vehicle so far.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

My wife bought a Volt in December and has filled the gas tank twice (and that second tank is largely untouched). As I said, plug-ins are very misunderstood.

[@mwood65]

Until you have to replace the battery. I can buy a lot of gas for $3000

[@christopherbaker1028]

@@mwood65 Well it has a 10-Year/150,000-Mile mile warranty on the battery. My cost per mile is only 30% what it costs for gas. If I drive 150k miles at $3.50 per gallon at 30 mpg on the hybrid engine, (which by itself is 25-30% better than the gas version) that's $17,500 in gas. I can drive the same mileage on electricity for about $5500. Seems like a good deal to me. In 10 years, my new solar system will be paid for, giving me free electricity which will be generating enough for me to drive 2 EV's for free plus take care of 80% of my electricity bill. My solar system is projected to have a 9% rate of return AND give me free electricity to drive my car. I'm completely happy with this. Oh, with the federal and state rebate, I got $10k of the cost of the Van so my sales price was effectively 28K for a top line package. Nothing not to like so far.

[@mwood65]

@@christopherbaker1028 I can drive my paid off Lexus for 23 years on 28000 dollars worth of gas. On top of that, I won't have to spend another 28000 on a new car just to get a warranty.

[@christopherbaker1028]

@@mwood65 I fully believe in driving a car for it's useful life; I've got a '94 Toyota pickup with 288k miles which I still love. I did need to replace my Sienna minivan however, and went shopping and looked at tall the options. The question i my mind was, is PHEV ready for prime time? In my experience so far is yes. It also came with some surprising bonuses I didn't expect. So, as a happy owner of one, I strongly recommend the Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid. In my opinion, it's a great car. Lots of great features, luxury feel, gets great gas mileage when I need it (30 mph) but gets even better efficiency with the 33 mile all electric range 80mpge which, it turns out, handles the vast majority of my driving (that's one of the bonuses). I think your point was that you're skeptical of the reliability of the battery. My counterpoint is that there is a 10 year or 150k mile battery warranty so it's a long time until I need worry about that. And if I do after 150k, I will have saved enough on gas in electric mode to have more than paid for replacing the battery. So you can be skeptical, no skin off my nose. I'm very happy with this vehicle and in my experience the era of electric vehicles is here. They are getting better better. It's unlikely I will buy anything else (even used) going forward. I'm convinced. You may not be. I'm finding it a lot like getting my first iphone. I wonder what took me so long and why I was apprehensive. Once I got one it was great and I felt a little silly to have been concerned but change is hard even when it's for the better.

[@pringlescan81]

Love these videos!

[@mtnvalley9298]

Trade your friends for a mini van? Love your sense of humor Tom!!

[@stephenhendricks103]

Tom, as you know I'm a fan of your reviews. But I have to say that you've outdone yourself with this video. It was worth watching for so many reasons, not the least of which was seeing the value of a minivan in transporting dozens of inflated balloons. I think you're fighting a losing battle in pointing out the advantages of a minivan but you make a compelling case and seeing your entire family was a real plus. My wife and I have owned only one minivan, a Mazda MPV with 4WD from the early 1990's. It was a great car that managed to extract itself from a snow filled ditch on a lonely logging road in the Cascades in early spring. May well have saved our lives considering how far we would have had to hike back to civilization. When a vehicle literally saves your life it earns a permanent spot in your personal hall of fame. Unfortunately Mazda discontinued the MPV when it couldn't compete with the Odyssey and Sienna. I've wondered, though, why only the Toyota Sienna offers AWD. Considering its marketing advantages, I'd think it might help Honda, KIA, and FCA in their efforts to keep the minivan alive. And the addition of the plug-in hybrid Pacifica is, I think, a significant advantage for Chrysler. When it came time to replace it in 2012 it was my wife who insisted we opt for an SUV. We didn't need the room a minivan afforded and she preferred the taller "command" driving position of a KIA Sorento. Furthermore, she was sensitive about being seen as a soccer mom, far more than my masculinity was challenged by driving a minivan. From what I've read, she wasn't alone. Females, far more than males, have fueled the shift to crossovers and away from vans. Again, thanks for the unusually comprehensive review of the Pacifica. For our small family of two adults, a teenage daughter and a big dog it's not on our shopping list but I suspect for many viewers it's far more useful than a review of the latest German ubermobile sedan with a six figure price tag.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Yup, I think most people don't understand how easy vans are to live with. You can lead a horse to water but.. Mariko didn't want one until I started reviewing cars and then she realized how great they were. At that time we had a new station wagon and once that was old, the kids were grown up.

[@EJ-en2ie]

Congratulations on your son’s graduation from SCU. I work at the university and live in Santa Clara, so this was a lot of fun to watch.

[@claytonroot806]

Loved this review. Thanks. We own a fully loaded Dodge Caravan and ALMOST bought a Pacifica Hybrid. In the end we just could not bring ourselves to forego the amazing "Stow-N-Go" seating utility. One might think that with the "relatively small battery" and a lot of length to use, Chrysler MIGHT have been able to retain Stow-N-Go in the Pacifica PHEV, through more clever packaging, AND used the Electric Motor on the rear wheels thus providing AWD capability as well. However, that might have created a ride height more akin to an SUV, thus reducing it's ease of entry/exit. In the end, we kept the Caravan as a 2nd vehicle and purchased a Kia Niro Hybrid Touring (their PHEV was not yet available when we purchased). Now the full EV version of the Niro has arrived although it is not readily available and there is ABSOLUTELY no way I could EVER financially justify the almost 40% price premium of that vehicle over the PHEV version. Our driving needs are totally amenable to a PHEV and we would actually use very little gasoline in a year.

[@benignocalatayud876]

This is a very fun, family-oriented, entertaining, video. I just confirmed that Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the van that I am looking for. It is in deed a multi-purpose vehicle.

[@EshockT]

Trip to Vegas from the Bay Area is no joke. It's grueling. Looks like you and your son enjoyed the bonding!

[@travelor5757]

Great video!

[@rockislandred]

My wife and I took the plunge. Not a Pacifica (a 2015 Grand Caravan) and in a week I became a believer. Tons of room, it swallows my wheelchair without folding it up. Our old Ford Excape couldn't do that.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Tom, This is such a wonderful concept but Car & Driver just hammered the real life reliability of this Pacifica Hybrid.

[@RobertTorres27]

It honestly seemed like Car & Driver got a lemon. Happens to all manufacturers; just sucks that it happened for a long-term tester in this case. For a potential owner, the repairs required were all covered under warranty, so there's that at least. The thing that bugged me about Car & Driver's article is that they openly admitted they often did NOT take advantage of the "Hybrid" part of their Pacifica Hybrid, which is really dumb. If they weren't going to take the time to charge the battery and actually put the Hybrid system to use, why even bother getting the Hybrid version for testing? They gave excuses like it was "parked in home garages that lacked charging equipment." The van comes with a plug and adapter for charging on standard outlets; no special equipment needed!! That said, I personally think the current Hybrid version requires too many compromises without enough MPGe reward. The loss of Stow-and-Go second-row seating is the deal breaker for me as it negates THE main advantage the Pacifica has over its competitors. Perhaps future versions will solve this issue by relocating the batteries elsewhere, but for the current models, I'd stick with the non-hybrid Pacifica.

[@johnborges5938]

I wouldn't go to Consumer Reports for enthusiast info, nor Car & Driver for reliability information.

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@johnborges5938 C & D had it for 40,000 miles!

[@johnborges5938]

Right Lane Hog - Exactly my point. It's one car. Every manufacturer puts out a bad example every once in a while. What counts is how often that happens. One vehicle is anecdotal.

[@kojimasan444]

Never from Chrysler??? Kidding me????

[@amigatommy7]

Very well done.

[@simonstegel]

Have a great summer in Slovenia - it is a great place to live or visit

[@markssentongo6110]

Fab family - the best part of the video review.

[@JakeRoot]

7:00 -- "it gave us enough juice to get most of the way to where a whole lot of it is made" ... nice delivery!

[@siucarbondaleil]

Really helpful and informative video. Thanks. We're not in the market for a minivan any more (empty nesters) but I've forwarded the link to the grown up birds who have left our nest and are, indeed, considering the mini-van vs SUV question even now (15-year old Prius finally died with nearly 250K miles). I think you're right about the minivan as a better choice overall. We need to just get over the halo of apathy and ennui that minivans seems to have! Last comment: around the 9:00 minute mark I could not help but chuckle. It was funny to see your test of the car's capacity for storing stuff moving from the usual Walmart parking lot and large volume tissue test to the real world packing up of student transfer. That mattress looked a lot harder to get in that van than a big block of TT...! :-)

[@joebrown9621]

Excellent review.. Vans, MPV, are just practical more fun to drive than the similar size inhouse brand SUV.. alot of people got into SUV thinking the awd will magically keep u on the road which isn't true, as u get into difficulties the stability system takes over applying brake where needed and cutting of throttle input..

[@flashmasstock]

great video, great trip, congrats

[@chewie94116]

Great review! Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is simply the BEST minivan and beats any SUV out there in terms of cargo space and people carrying (unless you want the Cadillac Escalade ESV trim which has the same cargo space). Also best in saving gas!

[@samyin1674]

I like this episode so much

[@dylanluhowy]

Very happy with our 2018 PacHy after a year and a half. Have driven 40,000 km / 25,000 miles and averaged 5 L/100km or 47 mpg, counting gas only.

[@eganjos1]

Great video making me want to trade in my Q50. I just wish they had better headlights.

[@derecksenter]

What a great review. This is why you are the best. That and being a Mariners fan.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Hard to be a Mariners fan I have to admit. Especially tonights game.

[@derecksenter]

@@DrivenCarReviews Luckily there is more to baseball than winning. Winning would be nice though.