10 Things You Need To Know About The 2015 Ram Promaster City

The compact cargo van space is heating up, with a number of new players including Nissan, Ford, and Chevrolet jumping into the fire over the course of the past few years.  The 2015 Ram Promaster City is the latest addition to the list of cargo van characters, and it represents the first purpose-built effort from the brand - its previous effort, the Ram C/V, was a repurposed Dodge Grand Caravan.  The Promaster City promises to marry respectable cargo capacity with modern fuel efficiency and reliability, creating an appealing package for commercial customers and individuals seeking the ultimate in compact practicality.

Let's take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2015 Ram Promaster City

01. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Borrows Its Platform From Fiat

Like the full-size Ram Promaster, the 2015 Ram Promaster City compact van makes use of a Fiat platform - specifically, the Fiat Doblo, a van with a long history of reliable service in Europe.  Of course, the Ram Promaster City hasn't been imported lock, stock, and barrel from Italy, as there have been several concessions made to the differences between the two markets.  Most notable is the strengthening of the vehicle's suspension system to deal with potholes and other road insults, a process that involved thickening the steel used underneath the Promaster City's chassis.

02. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Gains Style Points Over Its Big Brother

While the larger Promaster might not win any beauty contests due to the design restrictions imposed by the marriage of Fiat and Ram styling cues, the 2015 Ram Promaster City presents much more cohesive visuals.  This is due to the fact that Fiat was in the middle of refreshing the Doblo at the same time Ram elected to go ahead with the Promaster City project.  As a result, Ram stylists were given the opportunity to sculpt and shape the van's lighting and face, creating a distinctive brand-friendly look that doesn't feel tacked-on.

03. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Offers A Single Wheelbase

The 2015 Ram Promaster City is offered in a single wheelbase that measures 122.4 inches.  This places the Ram Promaster City ahead of the Nissan NV200 (115.2 inches) and both the short and long-wheelbase editions of the Ford Transit Connect (104.8 inches and 120.6 inches, respectively).  That wheelbase advantage doesn't mean that the Promaster City is unwieldy as the van's overall length checks in at 187.5 inches, which is within two inches of each of its competitors and which makes it easy to steer through urban traffic.  The Ram's width shows as 72.1 inches, and it stands 74 inches tall.

04. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Starts Out In Panel Form

Most commercial customers will be interested in the 2015 Ram Promaster City Cargo, a panel version of the van that is dedicated to hauling whatever tradesman or delivery services might be tasked with.  There's 131.7 cubic feet of total storage space available underneath the Ram Promaster City's roof, and the cargo area has been organized to present maximum versatility to upfitters: the van's wheel wells are 48.4 inches apart, and the cargo area itself measures 87.2 inches long and 60.4 inches at its widest point.  The Ram can haul up to 1,883 lbs, and it's also been given a maximum tow rating of 3,500 lbs to go with its gross vehicle weight rating of 5,395 lbs.  Access to the cargo area is achieved via a pair of sliding side doors, along with rear 60/40 split clamshell doors that can open 180-degrees.

05. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Also Comes As A Passenger Wagon

In an attempt to lure budget-conscious family shoppers into its showrooms, as well as satisfy the needs of taxi and airport shuttle fleets, the 2015 Ram Promaster City can be had as a passenger wagon.  The passenger version of the Ram Promaster City installs a three-seat bench to the rear of the first two positions, giving the vehicle five passenger capacity.  Unfortunately, the positioning of the bench isn't ideal, and as a result it's harder to get up inside the Ram as compared to a traditional minivan and legroom is far from generous.  On the plus side there's still ample space between the seatback and the rear doors for hauling luggage and other items, which helps to enhance the practicality of the passenger model.

06. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Delivers Four-Cylinder Power

All versions of the 2015 Ram Promaster City, whether cargo or passenger, come with the same 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine.  Also known as the 'Tigershark' within Chrysler, and available under the hood of such luminaries as the Dodge Dart and the Chrysler 200, in the Ram Promaster City the four-cylinder unit offers up 178 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque.  This places the Ram ahead of its NV200 rival when it comes to output, and it's also better than all but the turbocharged EcoBoost editions of the Ford Transit Connect.  Interestingly, the 2.4-liter mill is the only part of the van that isn't assembled in Europe - Ram builds the Tigershark motor in the United States and then ships it overseas to be dropped between the Promaster City's front fenders.

07. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Debuts A Nine-Speed Automatic Transmission

The nine-speed automatic transmission that is standard equipment with the 2015 Ram Promaster City is the first for the Ram brand.  Available in both Chrysler and Jeep products as of last year, deciding to use the nine-speed gearbox allowed Ram to tune the Promaster City's performance to better balance efficiency with hauling power.  Specifically, the van comes with a 3.73 final gear ratio and a wide spread of cogs that begins with a 4.70 first gear and ends with 0.58 and 0.48 ratios in eight and ninth gear.  The additional cogs don't add any extra weight to the Promaster City package, either, as Ram claims that the nine-speed box is 30 lbs lighter than a traditional six-speed transmission.

08. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Is Class-Leading At The Fuel Pump

One of the major reasons fleet buyers and retail customers alike select a compact van over a full-size hauler is to take advantage of the better fuel mileage offered by the smaller model.  The 2015 Ram Promaster City posts 21-mpg in stop and go driving along with 29-mpg during highway cruising for a total combined fuel efficiency rating of 24-mpg.  This means that the Promaster City matches the efficiency of the short-wheelbase Transit Connect and beats that of the long-wheelbase unit in non-EcoBoost form, and it also puts the Ram van ahead of the less-powerful Nissan NV200.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

09. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Comes With Basic, But Respectable Equipment

Despite its available passenger configuration no one expects a cargo can like the 2015 Ram Promaster City to be swimming in luxuries and convenience features.  Still, the Ram Promaster City provides a decent level of equipment, with standard gear for both the base cargo and passenger wagons including air conditioning, power door locks, power windows, tilt and telescoping steering, 16-inch rims, keyless entry, and the Uconnect infotainment system.  Move up to the SLT trim of either and you can benefit from niceties such as power adjustable folding side mirrors, nicer upholstery on the van's cloth seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a more advanced version of Uconnect, and access to options like 16-inch alloy rims and power windows for the second row (even in cargo van models).

10. The 2015 Ram Promaster City Is Affordable

The 2015 Ram Promaster City has been given a starting MSRP of $23,130 for cargo versions, and $24,130 for passenger wagons.  You'll pay roughly $1,500 more for the better-equipped SLT editions of either vans, plus a $995 delivery charge across the board.  This pricing places the Ram Promaster City above most of its rivals, with about $2,400 between the base cargo version and an entry-level Nissan NV200, and a $1,135 difference when considering the Chevrolet City Express (which is a rebadged NV200).  The long-wheelbase version of the Ford Transit Connect is actually slightly more expensive than the Promaster City, which indicates that Ram knows the market well for its first ever compact hauler.