Anyone have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica (weighing it against the Honda Odyssey)

[HeatherC]

I have a 2016 Kia Sedona and love it. We bought it used last spring but still under warranty. We took a round trip cross country trip this summer logging almost 10,000 miles (why we bought it) without an ounce of trouble. It has so much space and has been great so far. I would highly recommend them.

As a side note my parents also have an older version that they have had for about six years now. They have driven it up and down the east coast from RI to SC many times and also have not had any problems with it.

 

[Klayfish]

Does the Kia have any duds in certain years or models?

No

 

[Disney mac]

We are on our second odyssey (have owned 8 Honda/Acura in my life) and this is definitely my last Honda product. They are NOT the Honda’s of old. I’ve had the transmission replaced in both my last mdx and odyssey. I wouldn’t trust that 10 speed that Honda has going now and the “button” shifter is a joke.
If I were looking now, I’d 100% go with the sienna. My only knock on it is that the gas tank is smaller than the others. I really like the design of the new odyssey, but I don’t trust that new transmission. Also Honda is using cheaper parts (rotors, tires, and brakes wear out far sooner than they used to).
Be careful, but I’d make sure you try that stupid button system on any new Honda. At least the odyssey isn’t next to the drink holders like the other Honda’s.

 

[Klayfish]

We are on our second odyssey (have owned 8 Honda/Acura in my life) and this is definitely my last Honda product. They are NOT the Honda’s of old. I’ve had the transmission replaced in both my last mdx and odyssey. I wouldn’t trust that 10 speed that Honda has going now and the “button” shifter is a joke.
If I were looking now, I’d 100% go with the sienna. My only knock on it is that the gas tank is smaller than the others. I really like the design of the new odyssey, but I don’t trust that new transmission. Also Honda is using cheaper parts (rotors, tires, and brakes wear out far sooner than they used to).
Be careful, but I’d make sure you try that stupid button system on any new Honda. At least the odyssey isn’t next to the drink holders like the other Honda’s.

There was an issue with some transmissions in Honda/Acura products many years back, which is what I suspect you're referencing with your Odyssey. And that transmission wasn't even a Honda product, they were from a supplier (like many manufacturers do). Outside of that, there's no reason to question Honda's quality, it's at the top of the charts. There's also no factual basis to saying rotors/tires/brakes are "cheaper parts" than they used to. Tires are always outsourced to a manufacturer, and OEM tires never have long shelf lives. Brakes are actually bigger and stronger than they were years ago, and often last longer. I won't get to technical, but those parts aren't cheaper, they're better...far better. That's true for not just Honda, but pretty much all manufacturers.

You definitely don't have to want to buy another Honda, it's a personal choice thing. But outside of that, there fact is that Honda reliability is as good as they come (and I don't even own one).

 

[Disney mac]

My Acura was a 2014 and had a new transmission installed in 2015. My odyssey is a 2015 and had a new transmission installed in 2018. Acura and Honda then we’re using the zf9 transmission that has had huge issues. I’m just saying find out about their new 10 speed transmission that just started being installed in 2017 in some of their cars.
As for the rotors, it’s well known in the mechanic world that Honda’s rotors can warp around 20,000 miles. Google Honda warped rotors. They have gone cheap on several of their parts to generate more business. I’ve had Honda’s since 1989 and I’m telling you they are not as reliable as they once were. But more than anything I would make sure that you really test drive that new button system for shifting.

 

[Klayfish]

Suppose we can do the old fashion "agree to disagree" thing. Cars are my life, literally. Don't agree at all that Honda isn't as reliable as it used to be. All new cars are incredibly complex compared to cars from just 20 years ago. So they all have much higher chances of issues. However, Honda is continually at the very top of reliability ratings. If you want reliable transportation, Honda and Toyota are at the top, with Hyundai/Kia not far behind. The 10 speed is a clean sheet Honda design. It's still new, but no reason at this point not to trust it. The outsourced ZF 9 speed has been widely criticized, no doubt. Mostly due to really poor computer programming, which is supposed to learn driving habits. FCA has had the same issues.

Google any newer car you'd like, especially SUVs and minivans, for warped rotors and you'll get the same results. Those suckers are heavy, as in 4000, 5000+ lbs. Yet consumers drive like morons and the cars need to stop on a dime. The result is pretty nifty tire and brake technology, but that generates a lot of heat. Very high heat warps rotors. There's no Honda specific issue with rotor warping. A lot of that has to do with driver behavior. I can warp the brakes on any new car in 1000 miles if you give me the right opportunity. I can also make them last far longer than any brakes of 20 years ago if I drive properly (which in todays' world isn't easy...LOL).

 

[QueenIsabella]

Going OT for a minute, but Klayfish--do you remember I told you about my DH's friend that was diving the Mustang Shelby Cobra? Well, he bought a Maserati last weekend! Only problem was, his insurance wouldn't cover it, not with Florence bearing down on the region (we live in coastal NC). So, the guy put it in his garage and boarded it up, and DH gave him a ride into work. Car's fine, everyone's fine, so that's good. DD15 let him know that she's available to be picked up from dance any time! Seriously, I told him we'd all love to see it, once the flooding recedes and things are back to normal.

 

[Klayfish]

Going OT for a minute, but Klayfish--do you remember I told you about my DH's friend that was diving the Mustang Shelby Cobra? Well, he bought a Maserati last weekend! Only problem was, his insurance wouldn't cover it, not with Florence bearing down on the region (we live in coastal NC). So, the guy put it in his garage and boarded it up, and DH gave him a ride into work. Car's fine, everyone's fine, so that's good. DD15 let him know that she's available to be picked up from dance any time! Seriously, I told him we'd all love to see it, once the flooding recedes and things are back to normal.

Very cool. They're beautiful to look at, but it's not something I'd want to own. Since this thread is a lot about reliability, Maserati is about as bad as it gets. But they're supposed to be a ton of fun when they do run.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Very cool. They're beautiful to look at, but it's not something I'd want to own. Since this thread is a lot about reliability, Maserati is about as bad as it gets. But they're supposed to be a ton of fun when they do run.

Yeah, I'm glad this is a friend of DH, and that DH hasn't been bitten by the "fancy car" bug. Last year when DH was car-shopping, he was considering a Mercedes. I know they're pretty reliable, but getting parts would be a bear. So, he got a Chevy Equinox. Which the Maserati owner is currently borrowing! DH hitched a ride home from work (he needed to take a ferry), so he left his car there, and the Maserati guy borrowed it.

 

[wendow]

There was an issue with some transmissions in Honda/Acura products many years back, which is what I suspect you're referencing with your Odyssey. And that transmission wasn't even a Honda product, they were from a supplier (like many manufacturers do). Outside of that, there's no reason to question Honda's quality, it's at the top of the charts. There's also no factual basis to saying rotors/tires/brakes are "cheaper parts" than they used to. Tires are always outsourced to a manufacturer, and OEM tires never have long shelf lives. Brakes are actually bigger and stronger than they were years ago, and often last longer. I won't get to technical, but those parts aren't cheaper, they're better...far better. That's true for not just Honda, but pretty much all manufacturers.

You definitely don't have to want to buy another Honda, it's a personal choice thing. But outside of that, there fact is that Honda reliability is as good as they come (and I don't even own one).

Yep, there were several years that had bad trannys. Our now 'resting in peace' Odyssey was a 2001 and from those years. We finally said no more in Jan 2017 when the transmission went out for the third time. Other than that, it was an excellent van that we did little to other than regular maintenance, and I loved it!

We ended up with another Odyssey but leased rather than bought. Our lease will come up in just over a year and I'm seriously considering turning it in and getting a Kia Sedona. You are not the first person I've seen who makes such great remarks about it. Do you know how it compares to the Hyundai minivan?

 

[Klayfish]

Last year when DH was car-shopping, he was considering a Mercedes. I know they're pretty reliable, but getting parts would be a bear.

Actually, no, they're pretty awful. Rule of thumb...if it's German, its' reliability is poor. VW/Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, MINI, BMW...

We ended up with another Odyssey but leased rather than bought. Our lease will come up in just over a year and I'm seriously considering turning it in and getting a Kia Sedona. You are not the first person I've seen who makes such great remarks about it. Do you know how it compares to the Hyundai minivan?

Do you mean how it compares to the Honda minivan (the Odyssey you own)? Hyundai doesn't offer a minivan. Hyundai and Kia are sister companies and share products...i.e. the Kia Optima is very closely related to the Hyundai Sonata, they share a ton of parts. However, Hyundai doesn't offer a version of the Sedona. They used to, called the Entourage, but that was a very long time ago.

The newest generation Sedona is a lot like the last one. It's dead nuts reliable and comes packed with standard features. They may be about a half step behind Toyota and Honda in refinement overall, but that's not a knock on them. Their prices have crept up as they've improved too, but bang-for-the buck they're still hard to beat. We have had Sedonas for the past 11 years straight, the older generation...made from '06 to '14. We put 125k on the first one and the second one is now at 90k. Neither has ever left us stranded...ever. Well, OK, DW ran it out of gas once, but that doesn't count. We have whipped the daylights out of them too...hauling 3 kids and their stuff, we've towed landscape trailers, race cars, moving trailers.

If my money tree was unlimited, I may go for the Honda or Toyota. But for the value, you can't beat the Sedona, IMO.

 

[WVMomof3]

@Klayfish what do you think about the Kia Suv's? We have a 2009 Odyssey that seems to be on it's last leg. We will see after it gets towed into the garage tomorrow. This is our 2nd Odyssey and while I have liked them, I am ready to move on. I have been looking at the Sorento. I think I am done with a minivan, but not the space. Even though we only have 1 left at home, we do still occasionally do road trips together and I like to be able to pick stuff up from Lowes or wherever and not worry about fitting it in. We rented a small suv to move my DD into college because I was not sure our Odyssey would make the 14 hr roundtrip. I think we got a Mazda. It was way too small to move all the stuff we needed so I think we need the bigger version. We live in a hilly area and the Odyssey was terrible in the snow, so that is why I would like to stay away from the vans.

To bring it around to the OP, we rented a Pacifica for 2 weeks last year and loved it. Though we were not sure if it was because it was much newer than our car. Hard to compare a 2018 to a 2009.

 

[Klayfish]

@Klayfish what do you think about the Kia Suv's? We have a 2009 Odyssey that seems to be on it's last leg. We will see after it gets towed into the garage tomorrow. This is our 2nd Odyssey and while I have liked them, I am ready to move on. I have been looking at the Sorento. I think I am done with a minivan, but not the space. Even though we only have 1 left at home, we do still occasionally do road trips together and I like to be able to pick stuff up from Lowes or wherever and not worry about fitting it in. We rented a small suv to move my DD into college because I was not sure our Odyssey would make the 14 hr roundtrip. I think we got a Mazda. It was way too small to move all the stuff we needed so I think we need the bigger version. We live in a hilly area and the Odyssey was terrible in the snow, so that is why I would like to stay away from the vans.

To bring it around to the OP, we rented a Pacifica for 2 weeks last year and loved it. Though we were not sure if it was because it was much newer than our car. Hard to compare a 2018 to a 2009.

In full disclosure, and it's just my opinion, I don't understand the SUV craze at all. Not a fan, to say the least. They don't do anything well...have less overall space than a minivan, often have less passenger space than a full size sedan, are heavy, suck fuel, and are very prone to rollover. Every time my team tells me about a rollover accident, my first question is "SUV, right?" 90% of the time, the answer is "Yup".

Having said that, they're the current trend, and that's the beauty of the auto market. There's something for everyone and I love that. I would say the Sorrento, and it's sibling the Santa Fe, are just about on par with the RAV4 and CR-V. Packed with value, reliable, great warranty, nice looking. You won't go wrong.

If the Odyssey was bad in the snow, it's the tires, not the van. Proper snow tires can make something like a Mustang drive well in snow covered roads (presuming you're not driving through 8" of untouched powder).

 

[havaneselover]

One think I noticed about the Kia minivan vs. the Odyssey was the fuel efficiency seems lower on paper. I doubt $2.50 / gallon gas will last forever.

 

[WVMomof3]

In full disclosure, and it's just my opinion, I don't understand the SUV craze at all. Not a fan, to say the least. They don't do anything well...have less overall space than a minivan, often have less passenger space than a full size sedan, are heavy, suck fuel, and are very prone to rollover. Every time my team tells me about a rollover accident, my first question is "SUV, right?" 90% of the time, the answer is "Yup".

Having said that, they're the current trend, and that's the beauty of the auto market. There's something for everyone and I love that. I would say the Sorrento, and it's sibling the Santa Fe, are just about on par with the RAV4 and CR-V. Packed with value, reliable, great warranty, nice looking. You won't go wrong.

If the Odyssey was bad in the snow, it's the tires, not the van. Proper snow tires can make something like a Mustang drive well in snow covered roads (presuming you're not driving through 8" of untouched powder).

Was not the tires. Over the last 18 years of owning an Odyssey we have had many sets of snow tires on them. I wish it was as easy as that. It is the terrain and the horrible lack of snow removal. Almost all of my friends that have had Odysseys have got rid of them for this reason. My DH is on his 2nd Accord and has had only 1 time where he thought he was stuck in the snow, but then was able to pull out of it. So while the terrain and the removal suck, it is passable in the right vehicle.

Full disclosure, I have also hated SUVs. Ughhh, I really don't want one, but I want the space without having to worry about being stuck out in the winter time. I am also thinking Subaru. It is definitely the most predominant car in this area, but they seem too small. Though I know they just recently came out with a bigger one, have not looked into it yet, but I hate the thought of getting a new untested model.

 

[jrmasm]

Was not the tires. Over the last 18 years of owning an Odyssey we have had many sets of snow tires on them. I wish it was as easy as that. It is the terrain and the horrible lack of snow removal. Almost all of my friends that have had Odysseys have got rid of them for this reason. My DH is on his 2nd Accord and has had only 1 time where he thought he was stuck in the snow, but then was able to pull out of it. So while the terrain and the removal suck, it is passable in the right vehicle.

Full disclosure, I have also hated SUVs. Ughhh, I really don't want one, but I want the space without having to worry about being stuck out in the winter time. I am also thinking Subaru. It is definitely the most predominant car in this area, but they seem too small. Though I know they just recently came out with a bigger one, have not looked into it yet, but I hate the thought of getting a new untested model.

I was in a somewhat similar situation earlier this year. I've still got my Odyssey with 204k miles on it but it wasn't a car that we wanted to take on long trips anymore. My husband has a Rogue that we've been piling into for the last few years and we have put a ton of miles on it. Does great in snow but quite frankly, it's just too darn small compared to the van. I looked at almost every small SUV on the market and just couldn't pull the trigger. What I ended up doing was buying an older body style Pilot with a lot of miles. There really isn't a larger new SUV on the market right now that I'd care to spend the money on. My plan is to drive the Pilot heavily for 2 years and then hand it down to my newest driver when she get her license. I'm hoping by then I'll be able to find something that I'm willing to pay for. And I wasn't super worried about buying a Honda with miles on it since our last two have gone over 200k with minimal drama.

I've had the Pilot for about 6 weeks and so far I love it! It's so much roomier than my husband's Rogue. And a decent amount of storage space. Last weekend we moved a kitchen table, chairs, a large tv and other odds and ends several hours away. And we still had room with a teenager in the middle row. It doesn't have as much room as the van but it's pretty decent. Passenger space is fantastic as well. The third row is much more comfortable with a lot more leg room than my parents' CX-9.

Other than the truly crappy gas mileage, I couldn't be happier. And I am so glad I didn't go smaller. You really do get spoiled by the space in a van.

And I'll find out about how it handles snow covered inclines in a few months... my Odyssey was terrible so I feel your pain with that!

 

[wendow]

Do you mean how it compares to the Honda minivan (the Odyssey you own)? Hyundai doesn't offer a minivan. Hyundai and Kia are sister companies and share products...i.e. the Kia Optima is very closely related to the Hyundai Sonata, they share a ton of parts. However, Hyundai doesn't offer a version of the Sedona. They used to, called the Entourage, but that was a very long time ago.

The newest generation Sedona is a lot like the last one. It's dead nuts reliable and comes packed with standard features. They may be about a half step behind Toyota and Honda in refinement overall, but that's not a knock on them. Their prices have crept up as they've improved too, but bang-for-the buck they're still hard to beat. We have had Sedonas for the past 11 years straight, the older generation...made from '06 to '14. We put 125k on the first one and the second one is now at 90k. Neither has ever left us stranded...ever. Well, OK, DW ran it out of gas once, but that doesn't count. We have whipped the daylights out of them too...hauling 3 kids and their stuff, we've towed landscape trailers, race cars, moving trailers.

If my money tree was unlimited, I may go for the Honda or Toyota. But for the value, you can't beat the Sedona, IMO.

I was thinking of the Entourage! I didn't realize it's not made anymore. I remember reading about how great it was and comparable to the Toyota and Honda minivan for a lot less so it landed on my radar screen but we were not in the market.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the Sedona. I have some time to research (or have my dh research is more likely) but that seems like a good option for us. We still need the space of a minivan, and I really like minivans despite the 'un-coolness' of them.

 

[wendow]

my Odyssey was terrible so I feel your pain with that!

Both my Odysseys have been terrible in snow. It may be the tires but I don't really know. I just know my dd's Civic does better than the Odyssey. My dh's truck is awesome.

 

[jrmasm]

Both my Odysseys have been terrible in snow. It may be the tires but I don't really know. I just know my dd's Civic does better than the Odyssey. My dh's truck is awesome.

It’s Odyssey’s. Ive seen too many not be able to get up snow covered hills.

 

[MillauFr]

It’s Odyssey’s. Ive seen too many not be able to get up snow covered hills.

Get a Subaru if you live in an area with snow. They do great in the snow. I love driving past all of the people putting on chains at the pass in the winter. Plus the streets in our neighborhood are very steep and the city never salts or sands most of the roads here during ice and snow. Our Subaru Forester never has a problem getting up steep icy hills.