The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus.

Having had only a few minutes behind the wheel of the (at that time) pre-production Chrysler Pacifica at last year's Western Automotive Journalists Media Days, I was hoping to get some time at the wheel of a production model.  My first impressions in those few minutes more than a year ago were good ones, but how well would they hold up once I'd had a chance to see a few Pacificas on the street and had the opportunity to live with one for a week?

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus.

Frankly, I like it even more.  The newness of the Pacifica's sleek lines has not worn off.  And seeing it in traffic alongside Toyota Siennas, Honda Odysseys and Kia Sedonas (though those are exceedingly rare) simply reinforces that Chrysler's stylists got this one all kinds of right.

America hasn't quite gotten the memo, however.  Year-to-date, the Pacifica is the third-best-selling minivan in the country, trailing the Toyota Sienna by only 783 units...certainly no shame in that...but number one is...the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan...the badge-engineered version of the ancient Chrysler Town & Country that the Pacifica replaced.  And it's not even a close loss.  In the first four months of this year, almost 15,000 more people took home a Grand Caravan than signed on the dotted line for the Pacifica.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus rear storage.

What's driving this madness?  Price, most likely.  There's a $3,000 difference in the base price of the entry-level Grand Caravan and Pacifica, while the spread between top-of-the-line models is $9,100.  In the Pacifica, though, that money buys things you simply can't get in a Grand Caravan, such as refinement and a bump in fuel economy from an EPA-estimated 17 city/25 highway to 18/28, thanks to the Pacifica's nine-speed automatic transmission.

Our tester was the Touring-L Plus, one step down from the top-of-the-line Limited. The main differences are a smaller sunroof, regular leather as opposed to Nappa and no built-in vacuum.  But the base price sticks on the sweet side of 40 large, at $37,895.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica interior.

Our tester had optional equipment that bumped that price right back up over the 40K line, with $795 for hands-free sliding doors and liftgate (standard on Limited), an upgraded tire and wheel group and touring suspension for $895, the Advanced SafetyTec group with front and rear parking assist, a 360-degree camera, parallel and perpendicular parking assist with stop, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, full speed forward collision warning, lane departure warning, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, automatic headlamp high-beam control and advanced brake assist for $1,995, KeySense for $175 and Uconnect 8.4 with navigation, HDRadio and SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link for $695.

Fold in a $995 destination charge and you're at $43,445.  And yes, that's a chunk and yes, most Pacificas on Chrysler dealers' lots are generously equipped.   My take:  Factor out the bargain-basement shoppers buying the Grand Caravan and you have the Pacifica, priced competitively in the heart of the minivan market, nipping at the Sienna's heels and eating the Odyssey and Sedona's lunch.

Until the redesigned Sienna, Odyssey and Sedona hit, this is the state of the art of minivans.

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L Plus.

If you want proof of the power of peer pressure, look no further than the minivan.  More useful than sedans or most SUVs for most American drivers, filled with convenience touches other vehicles do not or cannot provide and configurable in everything from base-level family hauler to near-private jet luxury, they are uncool.

Why?  Because everyone says so.

The one vehicle that could turn that around is the Chrysler Pacifica.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L Plus.

Eight months ago, when the Pacifica was just arriving in dealer showrooms, I wrote a review of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring that said Chrysler has raised the bar for minivans.  Now we see how you can raise the bar by going up a couple of trim levels.   For the Touring is one level up from the base LX.  This time, we drove the Touring L Plus---one level down from the top-of-the-line Limited and two levels above Touring.

By choosing Touring L Plus, the basics of the 3.6-liter V6 and nine-speed automatic transmission remain the same, as does the EPA-estimated 18 miles per gallon city/28 miles per gallon highway.  What changes is the level of standard equipment, as you add leather-trimmed seats, a power liftgate, heated front and second-row seats, three-zone automatic climate control, Uconnect Theater---which is sadly, maddeningly and confusingly not compatible with Apple products---a 13-speaker Alpine audio system and an 8.4-inch color touchscreen for the infotainment system.  All for a base price of $37,895.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L Plus interior.

Unlike last summer's test vehicle, which had only the power liftgate as optional equipment, this Touring L Plus came with almost six thousand dollars in extra-cost options:

• Hands-free sliding doors and liftgate ($795).
• 20-speaker Harmon Kardon Sound group including a 760-watt amplifier ($995).
• The tire and wheel group, with 18-inch aluminum painted satin silver wheels, all-season tires and a touring suspension ($895).
• The Advanced Safetytec Group, consisting of front and rear park assist with stop, a 360-degree camera system, parallel and perpendicular park assist with stop, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, full speed forward collision warning , lane departure warning, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, automatic high beams and advanced brake assist ($1,995).
• Uconnect 8.4 Nav, which is navigation bundled with HDRadio, SiriusXM Traffic and SiriusXM Travel Link ($695).