FRESH FACE; We add Chrysler's Pacifica to our long-term fleet.

Byline: Wes Raynal

The chance at a yearlong evaluation of Chrysler's all-new Pacifica was just too good to pass up. We were curious about just how much Mercedes-Benz influenced the Pacifica, whether it helps, and how a Pacifica would hold up over a year of hauling people and stuff on vacations and errands and the like. Plus, it would be interesting to compare the Pacifica to another, similar member of the long-term fleet, our Volvo XC 90.

Chrysler introduced the Pacifica at the 2002 Detroit auto show, though at that point the company had decided to put the Pacifica into production. That is also where Mercedes unveiled a concept called the GST, which in 2005 will become a production car called the R-Class. It looked an awful lot like the Pacifica in concept. Except for some parts sharing, though, the two companies say the vehicles were developed independently.

Chrysler calls the Pacifica a "segment buster,'' a term we're frankly getting pretty sick of hearing. Enough already: It's a station wagon, folks. A big, tall, 4500-pound one to be sure, but a station wagon nonetheless.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Chrysler's goal was to give the Pacifica a sport/utility vehicle's rugged image with a minivan's space and versatility and a passenger car's ride and handling. To that end, Chrysler developed an all-new platform for the Pacifica, rather than modifying an existing one. The platform has independent front suspension and a five-link rear setup borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Although it's not immediately evident if you park them side by side, the Pacifica is 2.5-inches lower than DaimlerChrysler's line of popular minivans, and its 116.3-inch wheelbase falls about halfway between the large- and short-wheelbase minivans.

Our bright silver Pacifica arrived in October with just 146 miles on the odometer, and wearing a $35,640 sticker price. Oy vey, that's a lot of money, but it's largely our own fault. While the $29,525 base (which includes a $680 delivery charge) seems a bit more acceptable and not a bad starting point, we couldn't resist piling on the gizmos. We ordered a preferred equipment package that includes driver and passenger power seats, side-curtain airbags for all rows, automatic headlights, fog lamps, auto-dimming rearview mirror, power outside mirrors (also with auto dim), tire-pressure monitors, adjustable pedals and traction control.