Critics and Consumers Disagree About Which Minivan Is Best
Chrysler minivans are outselling Honda, despite the latter having better ratings. What gives?
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- Battle of the minivans
- Chrysler outsells Honda
- Take reviews with a grain of salt
- What could be at play here?
- Minivans are for families on the move
Load full table of contents
When it comes to
new vehicles
, the critical response should have some kind of impact on the buying habits of consumers—but maybe not Chrysler minivan drivers.Battle of the minivans
The best minivan on the market is currently being outsold by what critics call the worst. According to
Consumer Reports
, the Honda Odyssey is currently the best minivan available on the market, while the Chrysler Pacifica is the worst in comparison.But sales figures seem to indicate that consumers might not be completely on board with the publication's verdict.
Why is this happening? Does brand loyalty have a stronger influence than quality? Or is there something else at play here? Let's take a look.
Chrysler outsells Honda
In a subhead that we thought we'd never see, the
Chrysler Pacifica
is having a hell of a year, selling 32,098 units
in the second quarter of 2022, compared with less than half that amount (13,229) in the same period
in 2021—a year-over-year increase of nearly 142%.It's currently the best-selling minivan by a decent margin. In that same period in 2022, the top-rated Honda Odyssey sold just 9,499 units, compared with 27,490 units in the second quarter of 2021.
That means the Pacifica has sold 22,599 more units than the Odyssey. Why could that be?
Take reviews with a grain of salt
Consumer Reports
gave the Honda Odyssey
a 78 out of 100 rating, noting average reliability compared with the Pacifica, which it awarded a rating of just 57 out of 100 thanks to low perceived reliability and less-than-stellar headlights.But that doesn't seem to matter, as the Chrysler Pacifica is still outperforming the higher-rated (and cheaper) Odyssey—and it doesn't seem like it's going to
stop anytime soon
.Car and Driver
gave the Chrysler Pacifica a more favorable treatment than Consumer Reports, awarding it a 9.5 out of 10 rating in its review. It cited its flexible interior, optional plug-in hybrid offering, and its premium-feeling higher trim levels while lamenting that it's not as quick as other vans and some interior plastics make the overall van feel a little cheaper.Speaking of price, the Pacifica starts at $37,095 and goes up to $54,167 for the gas-powered model, while the hybrid model starts at $46,978 and can reach as high as $56,172.
The Honda Odyssey starts at a similar base price of $37,340, but its top-tier model, the Elite, starts at $49,470. If you want a fully loaded minivan, the Honda Odyssey can offer more for less.
What could be at play here?
The new Chrysler Pacifica debuted in 2017 as a replacement for the outgoing Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which had been in production for nearly three decades.
The Pacifica received its most recent facelift in 2021 when it got new exterior styling and the option for all-wheel-drive on its gas-powered models.
The Honda Odyssey also received a minor facelift in 2021—its first in seven years—but without the drastic exterior style change (by comparison) like the Pacifica underwent. It’s also an older vehicle in general, with the current generation Odyssey rolling out in 2011 with a facelift in 2014.
Objectively, the Pacifica is just a better-looking (read: more SUV-like) minivan than the Odyssey, which still retains that jellybean-looking profile and big ol' caboose.
Minivans are for families on the move
The humble minivan holds a place in the hearts of many busy parents, and its ample storage space and plentiful seating mean it's perfect as a shuttle for families with plenty of extracurriculars and road trips on the horizon.
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