[Norbert]

As mentioned, our current Ody allows us to close the doors while in drive, even while moving really slowly! Super convenient when picking kids up at the carpool and are ready to leave so the guys behind can start picking up their kids. Will miss this.

 

[Damoncaravanman]

It sometimes bother me, but I have gotten use to it! It's fine with me for safety.

 

[Mars_D]

There was no stopping my youngest daughter from opening and exiting the side sliding doors. She was able to manually open it despite the vehicle being in Drive. Lesson learned after dropping her off curbside at school.

 

[Rus]

I would have liked to find an option for this. With ride hailing having a potential ejection seat, if they aren't wearing a seat belt, would be very handy.

 

[sampowell01]

What happens once you have the side door open, then try to drive away? I think on our T&C we got a warning gong but that's all, I haven't tried it on our Pacifica yet....

My 2021 Pacifica PHEV gives no warning. I can drive down the road with the side doors open. Also, it is good for smashing the garage door track with the end of the sliding door if you don't remember to close the side door. Now I have to get the door adjusted so it will close properly and get a new track for the garage door.

 

[seo68]

My 2021 Pacifica PHEV gives no warning. I can drive down the road with the side doors open. Also, it is good for smashing the garage door track with the end of the sliding door if you don't remember to close the side door. Now I have to get the door adjusted so it will close properly and get a new track for the garage door.

Strange, I think it really should give you both an audio and visual warning:

 

[Enrico Henry]

I guess... I just start to wonder where the "gray area" stops... at what point is it becoming a nanny state of things...?

Similarly, when I am going through the car wash in Neutral and I get to the end of the tunnel after the blowers, normally, one would just click their gear-shifter down one notch into Drive and pull away.

With THIS selector, you cannot just rotate the dial from Neutral to Drive... you MUST touch the brake pedal (even if just slightly) to turn the knob into Drive. It's an awkward added step that feels (to me) like an inconvenient overcompensation for the actions of an extremely rare few.

That is based on having DECADES of driving experience behind me though... it might be perfectly acceptable and become "normal" to newer drivers and future drivers. If it saves even ONE life, then it was OBVIOUSLY worth the inconvenience.

wait there are cars out there where you can put in to gear without having your foot on the brake!? that sounds like an accident waiting to happen to be honest...

 

[seo68]

wait there are cars out there where you can put in to gear without having your foot on the brake!? that sounds like an accident waiting to happen to be honest...

Very many. It does seem to be common now that you have to apply the brake to shift from N to D, but it wasn't for most of my decades of driving experience. It has been common for some time that you needed to brake to shift out of Park, but it wasn't always that way either. Product liability has driven those two changes. I'm OK with braking prior to moving out of Park, but I have to agree with @PacificaLimited that I find it somewhat annoying that also applies when shifting from N to D. On my previous car, the stop between N and D wouldn't release until below 3mph, and I found that so annoying that I defeated it, because if I was rolling in N, I would have to come to a virtual stop to shift to D.

 

[22Lemonted]

Similarly, when I am going through the car wash in Neutral and I get to the end of the tunnel after the blowers, normally, one would just click their gear-shifter down one notch into Drive and pull away.

I'm scared to take my new Pacifica to a drive through car wash. I bought mine when we were still in the late stages of pollen season, and several birds had left me presents, so I decided to give it a quick rinse with the water hose and spray nozzle. As I was walking around the van, somehow I activated the sliding door open sensor and the side door just decided to open while I was spraying the roof. I must have stepped too close to the van. Then washing the back lift gate, the same thing happened, it suddenly opened.

Luckily I could release the spray nozzle trigger and point the hose elsewhere, but I can't stop a car wash. I hope this interlock prevents the doors from opening while in neutral, but I agree with the OP, it's annoying when you're in the school pickup/dropoff lane or you''re letting your passengers out at the doors before you go park in the back of a full parking lot that you have to put the car in park to open the rear doors.

 

[22Lemonted]

I am use to it and 7 extra sec. are not going to kill anyone.

Tell that to all the other parents waiting behind you in the school lane! That extra 7 sec won't kill you, but they will. Busy Mom's can be brutal. They have errands to run.