The RAM ProMaster City like its competitors was born outside the United States, having been sold as the Fiat Doblò in world markets. It’s assembled in Bursa, Turkey and imported the North America as both a Cargo Van like we have here and a Passenger Wagon.

Its styling is definitely European, you can tell it wasn’t designed in Michigan where the RAM pickups are. The RAM ProMaster comes with the longest wheelbase and length of its competition and has standard sliding doors on both sides.

Note that ours is optioned with side door windows, metal panels are standard. Also we have full wheel covers which is an upgrade, and ours has the roof cargo management package too.


At the rear dual opening doors can open to 90 degrees each and can lock into position so the wind cant grab them and slam them shut. You can also pull the locks and open the doors a full 180 degrees to make it easier for large payload.

The rear doors also feature an offset opening which makes for a 60/40 split. This enables you to open just one of them for many things, allows for an easier pass-by when at curb-side and gives a better view of what’s behind you in the rear-view mirror.

15-ram-promaster-city-13The ProMaster City has the tallest door opening in the class at 49-inches and has an inside roof height of 51.8-inches which is two inches more than the Ford Transit Connect but slightly less than in the Nissan NV200. Its cargo floor height is 21.5-inches.

The interior is basic. After all this isn’t a luxury sedan. The dash is an expanse of black plastic with a design that is pure purpose and durability. Surprisingly though, the fit and finish is quite good and you get the sense this will last.

There’s a rubberized indentation on top of the dash for your goodies and a large cubby in the passenger side for more. Above the windshield is a large parcel shelf where you can keep all kinds of things and it has a lip and netting on the leading edge to keep it all in.

Because its narrow, there isn’t a center console stowage area between the front seats. But there is an armrest and a space below with cup holders and 12V power ports. The cup holders are a bit low and not ideally located.

15-ram-promaster-city-15Our tester was optioned with the Back Up Camera Group and UConnect 5.0 touch-screen audio and navigation system. I highly recommend either or both as the backup camera is a Godsend here and having NAV and Satellite radio makes a for happier and emotionally well-adjusted driver. Trust me.

The seats are plenty comfortable and offer an excellent seating position which is more like a car or small crossover SUV than a cargo van. The cloth is pretty resilient to the eye and touch and doesn’t make you sweat.

The cargo area is plain wrapper here, though it comes with a rugged plastic liner on the floor to keep wear and tear of cargo from rubbing through to metal. It’s also somewhat grippy to keep you and your stuff from slipping around.

Standard under the hood is the American made 2.4 liter TigerShark four-cylinder engine with 178 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. It drives the front wheels through Fiat-Chrysler’s nine-speed automatic transmission.

Power is more than adequate from the TigerShark, even though it has a funny name. It’s refined enough and doesn’t make too much racket when pushed. The nine-speed transmission still clunks around and can be jerky stopping and going, just as it has done in other Fiat-Chrysler products we have tested it in.

15-ram-promaster-city-9It’s rated by the EPA at 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined which is near top of class. In Europe the van is available with a collection of turbo-diesel engines that might be a nice option here in the States for those really wanting ultra fuel economy.

The ProMaster City has a uni-body structure with pretty mundane specs when it comes to chassis, after all its a cargo van. There’s MacPherson struts up front and a twist-beam rear axle with coils at the rear. It makes due with front disc and rear drum brakes.

I was however pleasantly surprised at its road manners and overall quality feel when it came to driving dynamics. It’s not top heavy, doesn’t seem like a sail boat in cross winds, and it’s easy to maneuver with the tightest turning circle of its peers at 32 feet.

When it comes to payload it also tops the class. It can haul 1,883 pounds which dwarfs the long-wheel base Ford Transit Connect at 1,270 pounds and the Nissan NV200 at 1,450 lbs. Its cargo area tops the others at 131.7 cubic-feet and it can also tow 2000 lbs.

Overall, we achieved an impressive 26.5 mpg in our week of testing with the ProMaster City and found it to really offer up a competitive package in all categories. It scores four of five stars in our test.