Photos: 2007 Chrysler Pacifica

The Chrysler Pacifica was launched in 2004, well before the current trend toward crossover vehicles.

Not as high up as a typical SUV, the Pacifica sports modern Chrysler design language, including the ribbed hood and egg-crate grille.

You won't find sliding doors on the Pacifica--it's no minivan. But although it has all-wheel drive, it's not intended for off-road work, either.

The Pacifica includes three rows of seating, and the rear seats can fold down to create a cargo area.

Even with the third row seats up, there's room enough for groceries and the fruits of other suburban errands. Put the third row down, and there's plenty of room for the luggage of four people occupying the front and second-row seats.

The third-row seats are the least comfortable of the sextet and would force adults to sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

A touch from Chrysler sister company, Mercedes-Benz, the seat-shaped power adjustment controls are set in the door. This positioning is much more accessible than mounting them in the seat.

The trim elements in the dashboard of the Pacifica are high quality. The wood accents are very nice, and the dashboard is covered in a comfortable rubberized material.

With the optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system you end up with two CD/DVD slots, the upper one a single disc player and the lower a six-disc changer. Both drives play CDs, DVD audio, and MP3 CDs. Both drives have RCA jacks for plugging in MP3 players or other devices.

The Pacifica's navigation system has a complete set of points of interest, including most retail stores.

The navigation screen is set into the speedometer, an interesting touch. It's easy for the driver to see, but the screen is necessarily small.

The navigation controls are easy to use and fairly intuitive, but somewhat difficult to reach, especially while driving.

Buttons for the UConnect Bluetooth system are set into the rearview mirror, not the most convenient placement.

The optional rear-seat DVD system includes an 8-inch screen, which we found adequate for watching movies.

The Pacifica is a big car and handles appropriately. We didn't find it top-heavy on corners, but its long wheelbase was obvious.

The six-speed automatic includes a manual selection mode, mostly useful for choosing low gears when going downhill.

The four-liter V-6 propels the car well from a stop. It's not quite as peppy when at speed, passing on highways.