Short of a Hellcat-powered Pacifica, an off-road-prepped version is probably as cool as we’re going to get.
If there’s been a through-line to follow over the past few years, it’s been a strong theme of “get out there and do things”, be it with a crossover or even joining the adventure-focused #vanlife movement. Now, Chrysler is joining in on the party with the Pacifica Grizzly Peak concept — throwing a set of BFGoodrich KO2s and a suspension lift on its all-wheel drive minivan, along with a host of other outdoorsy upgrades.
Apart from the wheel and tire package (we’ll get back to that momentarily), the Arktos gray matte finish kicks off the exterior tweaks from your standard suburbanite’s minivan. To that, Chrysler also added in a Rhino-Rack roof storage rack with Tyri auxiliary lighting, a retractable ARB awning, Baja Designs LP4 LED lamp pods and Mopar splash guards, as well as overland essentials like recovery tracks and a spare tire. You even get a Grizzly badge, which is a nice nod to Stellantis’ other special models.
Inside, this Chrysler Pacifica Grizzly Concept is actually a bit less practical as a family hauler, as the automaker removed the third-row seating. Instead, you get a large cargo floor panel with additional tie-downs, as well as a 115-volt/450-watt power outlet. Oddly you don’t get a beefier inverter for your off-road excursions, but it’s worth bearing in mind we aren’t talking about something the size of, say, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or a Ford Transit, both popular platforms for #vanlife enthusiasts.
As far as capability is concerned, the Grizzly Peak concept gets a 2.75-inch lift (2.5 inches in the rear) over the standard Pacifica. The 31-inch KO2 all-terrain tires come mounted on a set of gloss black 18-inch wheels, though Chrysler doesn’t mention any tweaks to the AWD system that may aid off-road performance, so it appears to otherwise just be a stock Pacifica in terms of its 3.6-liter V6 drivetrain.
For the moment, this is just a concept, but…it’s largely off-the-shelf components, so it’s plausible Chrysler could put it into production. That’s going to depend on customer reaction, and since the Pacifica is currently the brand’s only model, it could certainly use a special edition to jazz things up a bit.
If you’re interested in checking it out, the Chrysler Pacifica Grizzly Peak Concept will be on display at Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado through the weekend. That’s in our neck of the woods, so we’ll have more coverage for you coming up soon.