Chrysler’s updated Pacifica debuts with bold lighting, fresh textures, and a dramatically redesigned front end that’s impossible to ignore.
It’s hard to believe more than a decade has passed since we first met the modern Chrysler Pacifica. On January 11, 2016, Chrysler pulled the wraps off its sixth-generation minivan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, ushering in a new era for suburban driveways and airport rental lots alike. Smoother styling, a significantly upgraded cabin, and a long-overdue transmission update helped redefine what a family hauler could be for the next ten years.
But no design lasts forever. Automakers refresh their bread-and-butter models for a reason, and now the Pacifica is stepping into its next chapter with a noticeable facelift.
Details remain limited for the moment. So far, Chrysler has shared just three images on its official Facebook page, but they reveal a front end that looks dramatically different from the van most Americans know. It’s bold, maybe even polarizing, yet it doesn’t come completely out of left field. The new look borrows from styling cues we’ve seen elsewhere, just blended in an unexpected way.
The most obvious change? The headlights. While technically L-shaped, the primary lighting elements are stacked vertically, creating a strong up-and-down visual signature. Low beams, auxiliary lighting, and what appear to be turn signals are arranged in a straight column. For those of us who drive lower-slung cars, there’s a practical upside here — positioning key lighting elements lower on tall vehicles can help reduce glare while maintaining effective road illumination.
Up top sits one of today’s most debated styling trends: a full-width light bar — though this one features intentional breaks in the design. Several slim lighting elements stretch across the nose, interrupted near the updated Chrysler badge. It’s a look that will likely spark conversation, especially after dark. Whether those visual gaps feel cohesive or disjointed remains to be seen in person.
With the upper grille now slimmer, designers clearly had more room to experiment with texture across the front fascia. The bumper shows off noticeable surface detailing, contrasted by bright trim in the lower grille area. The forward-facing radar sensor is visible rather than fully concealed, but overall, the composition feels aligned with where late-2020s vehicle design is headed — layered, expressive, and a bit daring.
One detail missing from the early photos stands out: there’s no charging port door on the driver-side front fender. Previously, the Pacifica offered a plug-in hybrid variant, briefly making it the only plug-in hybrid minivan sold in America. Recalls and its eventual discontinuation closed that chapter. Without a visible charge port, attention turns back to what may power this refreshed model.
The outgoing Pacifica relies on Chrysler’s familiar Pentastar V6, but recent shifts within the broader Stellantis lineup suggest a possible move toward the turbocharged GME T4 engine family, currently found in vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, and Alfa Romeo Giulia. Whether that transition reaches the minivan remains an open question.
For now, we’ll have to wait for full specifications and a closer look inside. Expect updates to infotainment and interior materials, but it appears the core formula remains intact — including the flexible Stow ’n Go seating system that has long defined the Pacifica’s practicality.
One thing is certain: this redesign makes a much louder statement than the subtle 2021 refresh. Love it or question it, Chrysler’s family hauler just got a whole lot more interesting.