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2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid loses base Touring trim, starts at $48,255

The Chrysler Voyager is going fleet-only for 2022 while the standard 2022 Pacifica picked up some price hikes and some gains and losses in the equipment department. Time to dish on the 2022 Pacifica Hybrid, which, unsurprisingly, follows the majority of the non-hybrid Pacifica template. Mopar Insiders got info on pricing for the revisions Chrysler made to the lineup. The most important change to the overall Pacifica range, according to MI, is that model and option rationalization leaves just 53 combinations instead of the previous 3,550. That's way more than the Honda Odyssey at just seven permutations, but well behind the Toyota Sienna that has 206. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and its eFlite variable transmission don't change, nor does the inability to spec all-wheel drive. What does get added are the new rear-seat reminder and Clean Air Filtration system that Stellantis is sprinkling throughout all its models. That filtration unit captures 95% of particulates in the air including bacteria, allergens, and pollen. The color palette goes the same way as on the non-hybrid Pacifica, dropping from 10 free colors to seven with just three free. Only Bright White, Brilliant Black, and Ceramic Grey will be no charge. Granite Crystal and the new Silver Mist, which replaces Billet Silver, will cost $95. Fathom Blue and Velvet Red will cost $395.   Product planners pulled the AWD option on the non-hybrid Pacifica Touring. For the hybrid, the Touring trim gets pulled completely, and in fact, it's already happened for the end of 2021. That makes the Touring L the new base model, and it makes this year's optional $995 Safety Sphere Group standard equipment for next year. That installs features like ParkSense for front, parallel, and perpendicular parking, and a 360-degree surround view camera. Conversely, the roof rack and side sunshades won't come as standard equipment anymore. MI says next year's MSRP will be $48,255 after the $1,495 destination charge. Comparing that price to the MSRP on Chrysler's 2021 configurator, next year's van will bring a $1,840 increase over 2021.  Next year's Limited trim will add the $1,895 Premium and Safety Sphere Group as standard equipment. The package adds the parking aids from above as well as a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with a 760-watt amplifier. There's a change up top, though, this trim giving up its three-pane sunroof for a dual-pane sunroof, as well as shedding the side sunshades.

FCA recalls 1.25M trucks for software error in fatal crash

WASHINGTON - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Friday it would recall more than 1.25 million pickup trucks worldwide to address a software error linked to reports of one crash death and two injuries. The error code could temporarily disable the side air bag and seat belt pretensioner deployment during a vehicle rollover spurred by a significant underbody impact, such as striking onroad debris or driving off-road, the Italian-American automaker said. The company will reprogram computer modules in the affected vehicles to address this error. The recall covers 1.02 million 2013-16 Ram 1500 and 2500 pickups, and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 pickups in the United States, 216,007 vehicles in Canada; 21,668 in Mexico; and 21,530 outside North America, the automaker said. Fiat Chrysler said the recall would begin in late June. In the event of the software error code, the problem could temporarily be addressed by turning the vehicle off and then on, the company said. The automaker told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it began investigating the issue in December after it received notice of a suit involving a 2014 Ram 1500 in which the airbag failed to deploy in a rollover crash.Reporting by David ShepardsonRelated Video: Recalls Chrysler Fiat Truck FCA airbag fiat chrysler automobiles

Taking a truly driverless ride in Waymo's Chrysler Pacifica

Today was a first for me: I drove in a fully autonomous vehicle on roads without anyone behind the wheel. They weren't public roads, but they did have intersections, other vehicles, pedestrian traffic, cyclists and more, and the car managed a fairly long route without any human intervention — and without any cause for concern on my part. I've done a lot of self-driving vehicle demos, including in Waymo's own previous-generation Lexus test vehicles, so I wasn't apprehensive about being ferried around in Waymo's Chrysler Pacifica minivan to begin with. But the experience still took me by surprise, in terms of just how freeing it was once it became apparent that the car was handling things all on its own, and would continue to do so safely regardless of what else was going on around it. Waymo's test track at Castle (more on that facility here) included multiple intersections with traffic lights, a roundabout, cars stopped on the shoulder, crossing foot band cycle traffic and more. Even if these were staged, they'd be hard to replicate in exact detail every time, so despite the fact that Waymo clearly had more control here than they would out in the real world, the driving experience was still impressive. In particular, one event stuck with me: A squirrel (or other small rodent, I'm no expert on the fauna of Northern California) darted out quickly in front of the car, before turning back off the road – but the vehicle perceptibly slowed in case it needed to avoid it. Barring an incredibly lifelike animatronic, this isn't something Waymo could've planned for. Regarding how it actually works, once in the vehicle and buckled up, a rider taps a button to start the ride, and then displays mounted on the backs of the front seats show a visualization of what the car's sensors see, but selectively simplified and redesigned to draw focus to things that riders find important, and to reassure them about the system's competence and ability to spot all the key variables on the road. This is essentially the same car driving riders around Chandler, in Phoenix, where the current Waymo pilot is operating. It's still essentially a stock Pacifica van, with a premium trim upgrade, but included features in that vehicle, including the many USB ports for charging located throughout, the dual screens mentioned above on the seat backs, and the rear cabin AC and climate controls all make it particularly well suited to the task of putting the rider first.