Ralph Gilles, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' global head of design, was desperate to inject some style into the new Chrysler minivan, the renamed Pacifica that debuted at the Detroit auto show this month. Did he pull it off? Professional opinion-givers who saw the Pacifica up close were in the affirmative.
"A pretty good-looking car for a minivan."
-- Road & Track
"Seen in person, the design is striking."
-- Motor Trend
"If the van you see here had two fixed rear doors, and maybe an extra inch of ride height, it'd be gobbled up like mad as part of the growing crossover craze."
-- Autoblog
"It has a more powerful stance, especially when sitting on its optional 20-inch wheels. It may be a minivan, but it's a sharply dressed inside and out."
-- Yahoo! Autos
"We particularly like the repeated use of what Chrysler refers to as a Mobius-strip detail; it's most obvious in the way the chrome trim in the lower fascia wraps from one fog lamp to the other, and the overall look counts as positively outlandish as far as minivans go."
-- Car and Driver
"Styling is fresh from nose to tail. ... Its slab sides are broken up by accent lines that ... seem to be borrowed from the 200 sedan. None of this can wholly disguise the fact that it is a sliding door-equipped utilitarian box on wheels, but it definitely helps."
-- Autoweek
