SISTEN PACIFIC Mk. I
from 1989 to 1997
In the 1980’s, the minivan was unleashed onto the world and became a popular choice for families of all sizes. Minivans replaced station wagons as the go-to choice for family transportation and in 1985, Sisten introduced their Starcruiser model. As it was based on the platform shared with the Vantango full-size van, the Starcruiser was noted for its truck-like features and in turn was not as successful as its competitors among families. Fleet companies loved it though.
Work on the successor began around 1986 based around the new FE platform, derived from the full-size GS sedan. Along with the similar platform, the engines and gearbox would also be derived from GS in order to checks notes “give the minivan more normal car-like properties”.
The first generation Sisten Pacific was unveiled in 1989 and started production the same year for the 1990 model year. A rebadged version, the Corsica Solar GTS served as an upmarket version of Pacific and went on sale the same year.
Engines were shared with the GS, which wouldn’t be announced for another year - this led some to consider the GS to be a sedan with the engine from a van. Sisten management loved that. The engine, a 3.0 Freefire V6 making 158 horsepower was mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox which would be updated in 1995. Unusual for the segment, the Pacific incorporated a longitudinal RWD setup.
A digital gauge cluster was an option on both SE and LE models. A driver side airbag, cassette player and air conditioning were standard on the base SE model - LE added a cassette changer and an optional CD player along with other options.
A facelift in 1995 introduced the luxury Limited model which came equipped with a passenger side airbag and CD player as standard. Alloy wheels were also included along with leather seats, which were an option on LE and unavailable on SE.
Bud Johnson, the designer of the Pacific, envisioned a new mechanism for opening the rear sliding doors (since the early design concepts for the van because what kind of an idiot would forget to put rails on a minivan amirite). Trademarked as the SmartSlide™ system, this mechanism allowed the rear doors to slide open without any visible outside rails. SmartSlide™ was however prone to fail and due to its complicated design, it was also expensive to maintain and replace. This mechanism has not appeared on any other Sisten vehicle.
Mainly intended for fleet sales, the Sisten Pacific TC panel van was produced from 1991 until 1996. Originally intended to be sold as the Pacific Tango after the full-size Vantango, the TC was offered mainly to fleet services but a private customer could place a special order on one at a Sisten dealer.
The TC was offered with the same 3.0 V6 and 4-speed auto and curiously. As the TC was discontinued in 1996, it did not receive the later 3.1 engine.
1995 brought with itself a facelift. The main update was the replacement of the 3.0 Freefire V6 with the all-new 3.1 GTY V6, making its debut in the Pacific. This new engine increased the horsepower from 158 to 183, achieveing 0-100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and averaging around 20-21 MPG. It was one of the first engines from Sisten to also introduce variable valve timing, named VariaSystem™ here. An updated version of the 4-speed automatic gearbox was also introduced.
The front- and side indicators were recoloured to translucent and at the rear, the indicators were made red. The rear Sisten badge was recoloured from red to black. On the inside, a passenger airbag was made standard. Another option made standard was the driver-side rear door, which became an option for the 1994MY. These updates bumped up the price noticeably and given that the model was nearing its end of the lifecycle, the updated Pacific underperformed compared to its rivals of the time.
Production of the Mk. I Pacific ended in 1997, the Mk. II model was unveiled the next year.
Specifications
| Sisten Pacific Mk. I |
3.0 V6 |
3.1 V6 |
| DRIVETRAIN |
|
|
| Engine Type |
Freefire |
GTY |
| Horsepower |
158 |
183 |
| Torque |
231 @ 3400RPM |
258 @ 3600RPM |
| Layout |
Longitudinal RWD |
Longitudinal RWD |
| Transmission |
4-speed Automatic |
4-speed Automatic |
| PERFORMANCE |
|
|
| Top Speed |
214km/h |
224km/h |
| 0-100 km/h |
9.4 seconds |
8.8 seconds |
| 80-120 km/h |
7 seconds |
6.2 seconds |
| Fuel Economy |
19 MPG |
21 MPG |
| CAR |
|
|
| Suspension |
MacPherson Struts/Semi-Trailing Arm |
|
| Weight |
1454kg |
1544kg |
| Price (Adjusted) |
from $26,500 |
from $28,000 |
