The Max and standard are larger than my wife would prefer as well, so we've also been looking mostly at crossover types. I wouldn't mind one for myself though!

Base MSRP on the Explorer is definitely on the high side. That said, I've been starting to look at the ST a little bit and have seen advertised prices drop into the high $47-48K range. If they're being advertised there I assume that mid, maybe even low-ish, $40K-range will be possible very soon. I'm not sure I'd buy one, but they would become an interesting option at that price range, IMO.

 

So my dad once pulled that on my mom with a brand new, fully loaded Camry back in '09-'10; my not-so-happy mom drove it for about 3 months before trading it in... haha Not sure I'd recommend that approach after seeing it not work first hand.

 

It does depend. If I brought home a new family car, or a new car for myself without consulting her, I'd be living in a hotel. But if I surprised her with, say, an S5 convertible or a Z4, she'd be pissed for a minute about the money, but otherwise very happy.

 

She wouldn’t care if I replaced my car without telling her, but she would her car.

just drove an Odyssey Elite, drives nice. Not as snazzy as the Pacifica but functional.

Was surprised by the poor fit and finish. Lots of cars have trim that doesn’t line up and is loose, popped up rain channels, etc. The carpeting in the second row is just basically split and open without the mats down. Pacifica is much better in that regard.

 

I have never heard of that or experienced that, some of the early J series engines with cylinder shutdowns weren't the best implemented but they fixed that, every J series I have been in and drove was very smooth, it is a great engine.

 

My neighbor bought the Telluride for himself six months ago and loves it.

Like those above, I don't recommend buying without the wife in the process. My stepdad did that to my mother once, trading in her '68 Camaro, 350/4speed, for a Mercury station wagon. My mom never forgave him!

Also like those above, I recommend waiting for the new Sienna. Toyota is your best bet for trouble-free driving.

 

Wow, crazy that the Pacifica is giving up already. Definitely interested to see what you will get! Those Tellurides and Palisades are in tight supply still.

 

I work with a guy who’s had three Traverses for company cars. I’ve spent considerable seat time driving all of them.

Terrible, terrible cars. He’s had a few things break over the years, but more importantly it has the same garbage feel of all other GM products.

 

So I went to a second dealer and they gave me an Odyssey for the afternoon. Brought it home, wife got to drive it, kids got to ride in it (they love it, but they're 5). It drives nicer than the Pacifica IMHO, the drivetrain is more refined, the 10 speed auto is much better than the 9 speed. Pacifica has 30k mile Falken tires on it though, that may be a part of that. Noisewise, Pacifica is 63 db at 75 MPH, Odyssey is 64. The Pacifica definitely has better fit and finish, the paint finish is much better, Honda's paint on the Odyssey is kind of cheap and flat. Inside Pacifica has better materials. Pacifica has 2 screen rear entertainment vs one screen, panoramic roof vs regular sunroof on the Odyssey. The doors and all feel very light and cheap compared to the Pacifica. None of that bothers me or my wife really though given its a minivan.

Techwise is the issue for her, she really misses the surround view camera and the automatic parallel parking. She tried to parallel park it and it was a mess she's so accustomed to that. Now, she parallel parked vehicles for many years without automatic parking assist, so she would adapt. To me those things are a small tradeoff for having a vehicle that isn't constantly in the shop. For her, since that happens in the background and she just walks downstairs and all her stuff is in my car for her to use while the Pacifica is in the shop and I deal with it and rent a car and drive the ****ty enterprise rental car for a week while she drives my nice Lexus its not that big a deal to her. Frustrating.

 

I always get told i'm living in the past for associating Chrysler with unreliability. Granted, my experience is pretty much limited to pre-Fiat cars, but I just have so many memories of interiors falling apart and electrical issues happening on vehicles that are only a few years old. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect an interior to hold up at least 10 years. Plenty of cars running around from foreign and domestic automakers from the 90's that have decent interiors still.

 

You are absolutely not living in the past lol

 

^^^I'd go back and test drive another Pacifica. The 3.6 drivetrain is proven. This Pacifica was pretty new in 2018 and we know that first year+ models are problematic for Chyrco/FCA. Your 2011 JGC was like that but the years after, were better.

Ultimately, Toyota and Honda are always better at this because they spent years working on manufacturing processes with incremental changes and not doing big blingy stuff. It's just simply corporate culture. Japanese auto companies look to the long term. Domestic brand CEOs look to the next quarter and their stock market bonus, hence cost cutting and using customers as beta testers.

 

I'm not worried about the drivetrain, its all the electrical, suspension etc problems I've had. It really seems to be hit or miss for FCA. My business partner had a 2015 GC and his was in the shop for 3 months, Chrysler wound up giving him $7,000 for his trouble (attorney negotiated it for him), yet my 2014 was great...

So, even if things are better now, I've had 3 FCA vehicles and 2 of them have been a total nightmare. Its hard to roll the dice on a fourth.

I'm going to bring her a Palisade and an Atlas next and see if her desire for that technology will get her off the sliding doors.

 

The refresh Odyssey DOES add enhanced adaptive cruise control with stop capability and what looks to be better front parking sensors (currently only at the front corners). The 2nd row seats will also be able to fold down flat against the seat cushion, currently they only go to about a 45 degree angle. They'll also add passenger lumbar support.

But still no 360 degree cam, still no auto park, and yes the precision of build quality is definitely a bit lacking.

We've had our Odyssey for about 2 years now, a 2019 Elite. We knew all those shortcomings going into it, but we love the magic slide seats. But we never really have a need to take our seats out.

FCA is definitely hit or miss. Similar to you, we loved our 2011 Grand Cherokee Overland. Pretty flawless ownership, despite the "first model year" of new design. My parents have a 2017 Pacifica, in general they love the car, but have had transmission issues with the 9AT that Chrysler stubbornly wants to do nothing about. But they highly value the ability to stow the seats easily, as the van does double duty as a delivery vehicle.



Some Palisade/Telluride nuances that you may already be aware of.

Palisade has key fob based remote start capability. Telluride doesn't, but will get this for 2021,
Palisade has the digital dash, Telluride has the 8 inch center display with analog dials
Palisade had the power 3rd row
Palisade has 4 way lumbar (on Limited) on driver seat, I think telluride is only 2 way, neither has passenger lumbar
Palisade does NOT have power folding mirrors, but Telluride does.

 

Slightly used LX570 or GX460. Love mine.