American made minivans

For the last several years, sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles have been the hottest-selling segments in the automotive world. But a lot of American families are still buying minivans. More than 500, 000 of these multi-passenger people movers were sold last year - and about half of those were made by Fiat Chrysler.

The Detroit automaker has spent lots of time and money building and promoting its newest minivan offering: the 2017 Pacifica.

The vehicle got a huge launch when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year. And those Pacifica TV commercials featuring comedian Jim Gaffigan and his "Dad Brand" are everywhere.

There's a lot to promote. The Pacifica is built on an entirely new platform, sharing only an engine, transmission and a few parts with other Fiat Chrysler automobiles.

Later this year it will be introduced in a plug-in hybrid electric version, the first minivan to be sold in the U.S. in that format. Sometime farther down the road it will be the vehicle that Google uses for its burgeoning autonomous driving program.

Chrysler boasts of inventing the American minivan craze, decades ago, and continues to do well with it. Chrysler's Town and Country and sibling Dodge Grand Caravan currently trail Toyota's Sienna and Honda's Odyssey, but Chrysler's brand director, Bruce Velisek, said: "We dominated this market for 30 years. It's a good business for us."

The Pacifica is a forward-looking expression of backward-looking body style. Its seven passenger seats are all comfortable and highly adjustable. The front ones are heated and cooled. The second row is fitted with twin entertainment screens, wireless headphones and remote controls - a $2, 000 option - and those seats are heated too.

The two side doors slide open with the push of a button. The second-row seats slide forward to create access to the third row, and will also fold flat into the floor to create extra space. (When the seats are upright, the subfloor cubbies make a cool, hidden storage bin.) A third seat can be added to the second row to increase total seating to eight.

Another button opens or closes the rear gate. Yet another makes the third-row seats robotically disappear into the floor, opening up huge real estate that extends from the driver to the back bumper. (There's no subfloor space wasted on a spare tire because the Pacifica doesn't have one. You get a tire inflator kit instead.)