I haven’t looked at the sales figures for Stellantis lately. Back when the Grand Caravan was still in production it outsold the Pacifica about 2 to 1. Of course that included fleet sales.

 

if you look back at earlier generations of chrysler minivans, they have a habit of doing this as each generation ages. Goes back to at least 3rd Gen - the first two years had illuminated window switches, then last two didn't. Some of them have been trivial, but like you see here, some of it is more significant.

 

Touring L seating has been downgraded from leather to "leatherette"

OK this is a matter of opinion. I consider this an upgrade as I prefer leatherette over real leather. As for longevity, it really just depends on the quality of the material. Cheap aftermarket leatherette is junk. But high quality leatherette can easily out last and out wear real leather.

 

Not in my book. The leather seats in my '12 Touring L and my '17 Hyundai both look showroom new. As did the leather seats in my prior vehicles from Chrysler (at the time) & other makes at sell/trade-in time. I have never seen OEM "leatherette" (vinyl) seats hold up that well. Also- Before I buy a new vehicle I try to look at used examples of the same model to get an idea of how things hold up over time. Barring obvious 'trauma', leather seats look better comparing similar age/mileage vehicles. Perhaps the best compare is among 7-10 yr old lower model BMWs or Benz's which were available with either leatherette or real leather. The latter have stayed in better shape (again for similar age/mileage). Even Toyota who heavily promotes their Softex uses leather over it in their higher-end trims/models. And in another industry- almost every furniture maker states that their leather upholstery is more durable than their leatherette products.

Will Stellantis' 2023 leatherette buck that experience and outlast real leather? I won't be risking $43+k of my hard-earning $$$ to find out.

 

Most of the leather upholstery in my 1991 Dodge Grand Caravan LE has held up well. The seat backs still look like new. There is some small cracking in the seat cushions, but no tears or holes. I treat the leather with Lanum every few years. I had to replace the Headliner about 7 years ago. I did it myself in about two hours for about $100. Local auto upholstery shops wanted $1000 or more.

 

Glad I was able to purchase a new 2022 Pacifica Touring L AWD (Loaded) on 12/13/22 & didn't wait for the 2023 model Pacifica Touring L AWD. The decontented 2023 Pacifica Touring L doesn't include the Roof Rack (only Road Tripper does), Mopar Tire Repair Kit, or HomeLink all standard on 2022 Pacifica Touring L. Also the 2023 Pacifica's (all trims GAS & Hybrid) SoundProofing Insulation thickness was reduced to half the thickness of all previous Pacifica model years as well.

 

The biggest reason for the decontented 2023 Pacificas is directly due to the entire Auto Industries Worldwide Post Covid Parts Shortages that began in late 2021 & still hasn't recovered yet.

 

To add a few more:

1. Deleted 3rd sunroof.
2. Deleted power button for stow & go so now passenger seat is manual all the way the button on the base of the B pillar is gone.
3. No power folding mirrors. Deleted.
4. Underhood seals to the fenders are gone.
5. Kick sensors under the sliding door someone said they were removed.
6. Spray insulation on the tubs where the seats fold is almost completely eliminated.

Many of these reasons pushed me to look back at the Gen 6.1 (17-20) and I found a lovely limited unit which I will be buying today.

 

We bought a 2023 Pinnacle in July 23. Paid too much for it but that is my issue. After 20K miles noticed a hesitation in the gas peddle acceleration and deceleration, a clunk like something slipping. Took it too my dealer and they said it is a loose right axel. Replaced it but the problem still exists. Tech told me it is inherent in the differential. No fix. Anybody out there notice this problem. Push on the gas and clunk, let off clunk. They are telling me it cannot be repaired.

 

I’d go to another dealership service department. Also research your states “lemon law” Because your vehicle could have a problem that repeat visits can’t fix.

 

The strange Pacifica changes continue well beyond '23. For '25 full Stow-n-Go (inc. 2nd row) looks like it is being restricted to lower trim levels without the Theater Group. And the Limited trim now includes the (formerly optional) S-package stuff. I don't see how restricting customer choice is anything but a competitive disadvantage for Stellantis.

 

Anyone else notice the decontenting of Pacificas for '23? While base MSRPs haven't changed much there have been some significant feature changes. Touring L seating has been downgraded from leather to "leatherette", which to me looks & feels cheap compared side-by-side to '22's real leather. Does not look like it will hold up well. (with regular care my '12 TC's leather still looks almost new). Leather is now restricted to the $50+k Limited & Pinnacle trims. Standard features for Limited trim have dropped the power 3rd seat & the great Harman/Karden stereo (now part of $$ theater option package), and Safety Sphere is now optional as well. I could go on, but you get the idea.

I understand there has been inflation, but historically feature content has generally expanded deep into a model's generational run (both to maintain consumer interest AND because the car maker has recouped its initial design/tooling investment for that generation). That has been the case with the 300, but sadly Stellantis appears to have done the opposite with the Pacifica (now in its 7th model year). Since competitors seem have not engaged in this decontenting for '23, I don't see this as a positive for Pacifica sales figures going forward.

Did you notice the changes to the tail lights, the removal of the lights for the inner portions of the upper tail lights on the tail gate? They all were lit on the '21's and '22's as well as the '24's and now the '25's, but the '22's supposedly had 'supply chain problems' during the pandemic.

After about a year and half of owning my 2023 Touring L, and grumbling to myself every time I see another Pacifica with all it's tail lights working, I just couldn't stand it anymore and decided to try something. Those two unlit sections just had to be replaced!

I went to a different dealer than the one where I bought the van, (and I'm never going back to that dealer again, at any time for any reason), I went to a different dealer which is actually closer to my house and which I wasn't even aware of it's existance.

I drove in and entered the service entrance with my van. I went into the office area and started talking to one of the service people and told one of them that I just noticed that the tail lights on the tail gate were not working and that I didn't know for sure if they ever worked since I'm the only driver, don't drive too much after dark and asked them if they could fix it and get the lights to work. He came into the garage with me and I turned on the lights and I showed him the two sections that weren't working.

I expected him to tell me that they didn't work on the 2023 Pacificas, but I told him that there were 3 other Pacificas in my subdivision and that one was a year or two older than mine and one was a year newer, and although I didn't know the owner of the third van or it's year, all of the tail lights worked on all of them.

He looked at it and said, "We'll get those fixed for you!". I told him I assumed it would be under warranty and that I wouldn't have to pay for it. He said "No problem. I'll order the parts and what day next week do you want to bring it in?" I was surprised and expected to have them look at the VIN and say they weren't on that model year, but we went back into the office, he called the parts desk and then wen't back there. He came back and said the parts were now on order and should be in stock in a couple of days at most.

I made the appointment and today, this morning, I drove into the dealer and pulled the van into the service department office and he asked if it I was going to leave it or wait as it would take only about an hour and half to fix it.

In a little less than two hours he came into the service waiting room where I was reading the news on my tablet, and he said it's all done and it all works.

We went back into the garage area and he turned on the lights, and they all went on. I said it's fully covered now under warranty now, right? He said no cost to me and had me sign the papers and he asked if I would give him a good review when I get their survey they would send out in a couple of days. I told him that of course I would, and I left and was on my way home with every thing now working, without having to pay for it.

So...., any 2023 owners who have the same problem, I would suggest that you try and repeat what I did and see if it works for you.

 

Picked up our new-to-us 2023 Pacifica from Enterprise today. My wife's beloved 2020 was totaled a couple weeks ago when someone ran a red light and T-boned it in the right rear. Mangled quarter panel but the wheel had serious ricer-style negative camber which not only bent the suspension but also the floorpan, therefore totaled. Same model, same color (red), the neighbors may not even notice we got a new one.

So far she likes the extra console storage space, the auto door buttons on the outside handles, the buttons in the rear door jams to move the front seats forward so you can fold the second row seats, and the screen controls, but neither of us is happy about the spare tire replaced with an air pump.

 

Does the Pacifica have the ability of installing the spare tire kit under the front floor pan like the 5th Gen?

 

No. The earlier ones have the spare behind a cover in the left rear behind the third row seats.