A lot depends on your trim level, I upgraded from 2020 Hybrid Limited to 20201 Hybrid Pinnacle. For me the upgrade was worth it for these reasons:

• LED headlights
• Upgraded Infotainment console (OS), bigger display and wireless CarPlay
• Wireless phone charger
• USB-C ports
• Wheels upgraded from 17” to 18”
• Chrome exterior finish replaced with matching or brushed nickel finish in Pinnacle
• “Some” safety features are standard in all ‘21 models
• FamCam is a nice plus for families with babies/toddlers

 

I'd also add for the Limited trim:

• Upgraded, more car-like center console that extends to the dash board vs just an open space with a drawer. You do loose the large and handy drawer at the bottom but you also get a nice space under this console to stash stuff out of sight. The 12v lighter socket and USB charger has been moved from the floor to the top center console (under the center armrest in the Pinnacle).
• Next generation safety features such as pedestrian detection and I believe the active cruise control and lane-keep assist are more refined (but might just be a placebo effect).
• From my 2018, there is more ambient lighting in the cabin. My 2018 PacHy limited only had one ambient light overhead in the front but now they are throughout the cabin. 2020s may have already fixed this.

For the Pinnacle trim:

• Center console armrest vs fold down "captain's chair" armrests.
• Much more comfortable and better bolstered seats (verified by my wife )
• Alcantera (fake suede) headliner
• Fake wood accents (not that bad looking)

For both:

• I believe they've done some suspension tuning as I ran the same tires (Michelin Premier A/S) previously on my 2018 and the van seem a bit more composed and compliant over bumps. As well it seems to track and handle better than my previous van (and I was religious about alignments and checking bushings and control arms). It was especially noticeable when I first took the Pinnacle home overnight and was already noticing the improvements and then I discovered that the dealer hadn't reduced the tire pressure from delivery so it was still at 46PSI. Reduced to the proper 36PSI and it was even more noticeable.
• Improvements in cabin noise were also apparent. My 2018 would have lots of wind noise in a cross wind and this isn't the case in the 2021. As well, overall road noise is reduced so they must have added some more panel damping and insulation or possibly improved the Active Noise Cancellation. The marketing would lead you to believe they added double pane glass to the front and first row side windows, but my 2018 had this also.
• Body panel and door alignment seems to be better than my 2018, but this might be luck of the draw..
• The leather stitching and finishing also seem to be better, really just a nitpick but my 2018 steering wheel had some edges that were not laying properly flat like they missed a few stitches.
• It seems that except for stow-and-go 2nd row, vacuum, and power rear seats it seems they are finally at feature parity with the Gas version vs cutting corners so now we have memory seats, all windows auto up/down, driver side dimming outside mirror etc etc.
• They've also seemed to refine the charging system so that the fans no longer roar when charging. I've had a few warm days and so far it's not been noticeable.
• The hands-free kick to open feature also seems to work better as well.. this used to be a little hit or miss for me, but I've been able to nail it 100% of the time on my 2021.

Overall I think they've refined things considerably and fixed many of the issues I had with the older models. As for long-term reliability, time will tell but I've seen several people having issues with rear HVAC control interfaces to the front console and several missing software features claimed to be released at the end of Q1 2021. These are all documented by Chrysler, for better or worse, but I've not had any of these issues yet other than missing features.

I think the Pentastar engine in these things is fairly bullet-proof now save for some manufacturing outliers as this version has been in production for a while now. I think if you plan to keep long term, just change the oil at 6 months or 5-7K miles or less vs 10K miles and one year and the engine should treat you well. Mine had 72K miles on it when I traded and it didn't burn a drop of oil between changes.

The only issue my 2018 had other than the recalls was the power sliding doors popping back open when they closed (they fixed with a firmware update) and the Uconnect 4 system having regular glitches (once every 4-8 months or so ) which required pulling the fuse to do a hard reset. I hope that now they have moved to Android that we will see more and regular updates to fix bugs, but then again they may not. The Uconnect 5 system is a huge upgrade as mentioned above.

 

I'd also add for the Limited trim:

• Upgraded, more car-like center console that extends to the dash board vs just an open space with a drawer. You do loose the large and handy drawer at the bottom but you also get a nice space under this console to stash stuff out of sight. The 12v lighter socket and USB charger has been moved from the floor to the top center console (under the center armrest in the Pinnacle).
• Next generation safety features such as pedestrian detection and I believe the active cruise control and lane-keep assist are more refined (but might just be a placebo effect).
• From my 2018, there is more ambient lighting in the cabin. My 2018 PacHy limited only had one ambient light overhead in the front but now they are throughout the cabin. 2020s may have already fixed this.

For the Pinnacle trim:

• Center console armrest vs fold down "captain's chair" armrests.
• Much more comfortable and better bolstered seats (verified by my wife )
• Alcantera (fake suede) headliner
• Fake wood accents (not that bad looking)

For both:

• I believe they've done some suspension tuning as I ran the same tires (Michelin Premier A/S) previously on my 2018 and the van seem a bit more composed and compliant over bumps. As well it seems to track and handle better than my previous van (and I was religious about alignments and checking bushings and control arms). It was especially noticeable when I first took the Pinnacle home overnight and was already noticing the improvements and then I discovered that the dealer hadn't reduced the tire pressure from delivery so it was still at 46PSI. Reduced to the proper 36PSI and it was even more noticeable.
• Improvements in cabin noise were also apparent. My 2018 would have lots of wind noise in a cross wind and this isn't the case in the 2021. As well, overall road noise is reduced so they must have added some more panel damping and insulation or possibly improved the Active Noise Cancellation. The marketing would lead you to believe they added double pane glass to the front and first row side windows, but my 2018 had this also.
• Body panel and door alignment seems to be better than my 2018, but this might be luck of the draw..
• The leather stitching and finishing also seem to be better, really just a nitpick but my 2018 steering wheel had some edges that were not laying properly flat like they missed a few stitches.
• It seems that except for stow-and-go 2nd row, vacuum, and power rear seats it seems they are finally at feature parity with the Gas version vs cutting corners so now we have memory seats, all windows auto up/down, driver side dimming outside mirror etc etc.
• They've also seemed to refine the charging system so that the fans no longer roar when charging. I've had a few warm days and so far it's not been noticeable.
• The hands-free kick to open feature also seems to work better as well.. this used to be a little hit or miss for me, but I've been able to nail it 100% of the time on my 2021.

Overall I think they've refined things considerably and fixed many of the issues I had with the older models. As for long-term reliability, time will tell but I've seen several people having issues with rear HVAC control interfaces to the front console and several missing software features claimed to be released at the end of Q1 2021. These are all documented by Chrysler, for better or worse, but I've not had any of these issues yet other than missing features.

I think the Pentastar engine in these things is fairly bullet-proof now save for some manufacturing outliers as this version has been in production for a while now. I think if you plan to keep long term, just change the oil at 6 months or 5-7K miles or less vs 10K miles and one year and the engine should treat you well. Mine had 72K miles on it when I traded and it didn't burn a drop of oil between changes.

The only issue my 2018 had other than the recalls was the power sliding doors popping back open when they closed (they fixed with a firmware update) and the Uconnect 4 system having regular glitches (once every 4-8 months or so ) which required pulling the fuse to do a hard reset. I hope that now they have moved to Android that we will see more and regular updates to fix bugs, but then again they may not. The Uconnect 5 system is a huge upgrade as mentioned above.

Wow thank you for explanation! It's good to know Chrysler is moving forward and imho Pacifica is indeed a hidden gem many people don't realize how good it really is. Probably most underrated model nowadays.

 

I just changed from the ‘20 PacHy Limited w S to a ‘21 PacHy Limited w S. In addition to the changes people have already mentioned, and since I am going from like to like trim/models (as opposed to limited to Pinnacle), let me mention a few differences I’ve noticed:

- Cabin ambient lighting, as mentioned above. There are small LEDs, not the reading lamps in the front, middle and rear rows. Haven’t really driven at night yet, to fully grasp the look, but checked these out in the garage.

- More interior LEDs: driver & passenger footwell lighting, second row footwell lighting, front door map cubby lighting, front door puddle lighting, glove box lighting, and LED on the inside of lift gate.

- On this S model, the door handle and surrounding panel and the panel around the dash are metallic grey, as opposed to my ‘20 s in piano black.

- As covered in another discussion post here, the ‘21 with S comes with 18” Michelin Premier A/S w SelfSeal, whereas my ‘20 came with 18” Nexen tires that were not self sealing.

- A new wheel design for the ‘21

- laminated front door windows, apparently this helps reduce cabin noise and potentially offers a safety benefit, although there are mixed opinions on this.

- tri pane sunroof - my unit was built earlier in production, so this was a standard with Limited S at the time, and I didn’t have it before.

- There are additional in ceiling microphones in between 2nd and 3rd row seats. Not sure if this is part of the white noise function, or part of the FamCam set up that allows audio to be heard over car audio system? There is a function like this in Siennas, I’ve read.

- Liftgate lockout - I can’t mechanically close trunk if it’s been left open more than 2 minutes. Timed it yesterday. This was not a feature on my ‘20.

 

Curious on your experience with tri-pane sunroof? I switched from 2020 Hybrid without a sunroof to 2021 Hybrid Pinnacle and I definitely notice the wind noise in the Pinnacle. The '20 was more quieter for me.

 

If you notice wind noise with sunroof shut you might have a problem .

 

I did take it the dealer and all they said was it’s the sunroof. The wind noise is very apparent compared to my ‘20 without a sunroof. Also when I am cruising around 50mph it slightly messes with my ears similar to when you crack open a window.
Should I press them to take another look? I should try to drive another Pacifica with sunroof for reference.

 

You might want to drive another one and see . The only wind noise you should be having would be if it was open, and even open driving it around town there’s not much there .

 

Having taken delivery of a 2021 Hybrid Limited about a month ago, I can say that I love this vehicle. I came close to buying the 2020 version last year, but then decided not to because of:

1) UConnect 5. I like the system, though I must say that it can be a bit buggy in CarPlay mode for iPhone.
2) standard acoustic glass for Limited and Pinnacle that makes the vehicle so much quieter than my old Odyssey
3) standard FCW and certain other safety features; rain sense wipers are great
4) standard tri-pane moonroof

The really nice thing about the vehicle, in my view, is that Chrysler has had several years to work out the kinks in its hybrid system that's in process of being deployed (sort of) in Jeep Wrangler and other higher-margin vehicles. Chrysler is a sort of guinea pig as Stellantis looks to make money on not only Wranglers but also the mega profits on the upcoming Wagoneers. I think I got the deal of the decade on my vehicle, and I am thrilled that in my first 900 miles of driving, I haven't even used a 1/2 tank of gas. I have a level 2 charger at home, and I charge the car whenever it's parked. When the weather was colder, I was only getting about 20 miles on the battery, but now it's closer to 30. This covers the large majority of trips that I make ferrying my kids around to various activities... which the van absolutely excels at.

One fairly minor issue: the car can be a bit buggy when first booting up. That is, if you put the car in drive mode and immediately move out of park, the vehicle may sort of freeze. The workaround is easy: put the care in drive mode, wait 2 seconds, and then everything is good.

I read that Chrysler was having build-quality issues on the body, but so far, my vehicle has no rattles and drives well. There is a plastic bit that's out of alignment, and eventually I'll go the the dealer for hopefully a quick fix. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier.

 

Also there’s a reminder on dash when the vehicle starts up that says “ vehicle is ready to drive “

 

I think in the '21 this "ready to drive" message on the instrument display screen is an option in the vehicle settings menu. It's default setting for me was off. I turned it on so my wife would have no question when the vehicle is ready to go. However, I do like the option of being able to turn this message on and off.

 

Having just traded a 20 to Carvana and taken delivery of a pretty much identical spec 2021, here's what I noticed as the main differences:

• UConnect 5 is stunning and more responsive! Wireless Android Auto!
• The screen is gorgeous!
• Nav is clear - not sure it is better than the Nav on the 2020..... just different.
• FamCam - not sure that this is that useful to me with non-toddler kids but it works pretty well.
• The new console on the Limited is IMO functionally better.
• Wireless charging and USB-C (two up front, one in the map cubby and another in the 3rd row. 2nd row retains the USB-A).
• Teal stitching has gone - it's now a grey/white color.
• Ambient lighting in the rear and 2nd row footwell.
• Glove box light (to me that was a strange omission on the 2020 and prior).
• Tailgate light (another strange omission on the 2020 and prior).
• Wood effect around the door handles and the instrument cluster (IMO, I preferred the matt grey of the 2020 and this looks to be retained on the S package and Touring L).
• Lights - haven't really had a chance to test the LED exterior lights: different styling which to me is just different vs being better or worse.
• EDIT: pedestrian alert sounds - the 2020 had a higher pitched almost metallic sound. 2021 is now a much lower pitch sound and the rear is more noticeable in the cabin

 

• Glove box light (to me that was a strange omission on the 2020 and prior).
• Tailgate light (another strange omission on the 2020 and prior).

Wow, hadn't noticed those yet! Now I have to go look.

 

I'm not getting the disclaimer "agree" message on the UConnect screen that always came up on the '20 upon turning the car over. Strangely though, last weekend, while out on a drive with the family, the UConnect shut down, and restarted itself, and upon reboot, I saw the message then.

I thought it was funny how I didn't actually ever have to push "agree" after a few seconds it would time out and just bring me to the UConnect interface.

 

I'm not getting the disclaimer "agree" message on the UConnect screen that always came up on the '20 upon turning the car over. Strangely though, last weekend, while out on a drive with the family, the UConnect shut down, and restarted itself, and upon reboot, I saw the message then.

I thought it was funny how I didn't actually ever have to push "agree" after a few seconds it would time out and just bring me to the UConnect interface.

Lawyers designed that. We need a whole thread on "Lawyers Designing Cars".