First Drive Review
After decades of rectangular boxes, the shape of urban commercial hauling is evolving, and here is its latest manifestation, fresh from Italy via Chrysler’s Ram Truck division. In Europe, this vehicle is known as the Doblò, a successful Fiat offering that has recently freshly embarked on its third generation. In Ram dealerships it’s the ProMaster City, a smaller-scale sequel to the big ProMaster, which is also an Americanized Fiat (known as Ducato in Europe). Americanized, in this instance, means slightly higher ride height and heavier suspension components, in recognition of bad road conditions in some urban areas.
The ProMaster City is smaller relative to big boys like the ProMaster and the new Ford Transit—but not to the emerging mid-size category, established here by the Transit Connect in 2010 and fortified by the Nissan NV200 and its Chevrolet clone, the City Express. The ProMaster City brings several key best-in-class claims to the game—best payload (1883 pounds); biggest cargo volume (131.7 cubic feet); best standard horsepower (178 hp, tied with the Transit Connect’s optional 1.6-liter turbo); widest floor between rear wheel wells (48.4 inches); and best cargo-area width above the wheel wells (60.4 inches).
All of the foregoing applies to the ProMaster Cargo. But like the Transit Connect, the new Ram is also offered as a five-passenger Wagon, which is not the case with the City Express and the NV200 (unless you include the Nissan taxi). And like all of its competitors, the ProMaster City will offer a menu of accessories to adapt the cargo version to a variety of enterprises.
Volume and payload are obviously germane elements in a commercial hauler, but at some point someone will have to drive it, and it’s here that the new ProMaster City delivers. Ram spokespeople characterize the van’s dynamics as “urban nimble.” With its independent rear suspension (competing vans have beam axles) and hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion steering (as distinct from the numb, electric systems in the Ford and Nissan offerings), there’s some truth to this. The turning circle—32 feet—is also exceptionally tidy, a significant plus for urban operations.
Still, in a vehicle whose height exceeds its width, nimble isn’t really the first word that comes to mind. Body roll can verge on dramatic in hard cornering or hasty transitions, pretty much as you’d expect. So rather than nimble, let’s say competent, and this characteristic is amplified by smooth ride quality.
Nevertheless, the scoring category where the ProMaster City really wins is propulsion, which is supplied by Chrysler’s 2.4-liter Tigershark Multiair four-cylinder allied with the company’s nine-speed automatic transmission. This is the same combination employed in the Chrysler 200. There’s a smidge less horsepower, but the nine-speed makes the most of it; the gearbox is smooth in full auto mode and holds ratios as desired in manual mode.
The Tigershark is torquey and is capable of chirping the front tires when the light turns green, if the driver is feeling a little frivolous. More important, Ram Truck execs forecast a zero-to-30-mph time of 3.7 seconds, brisk enough to keep pace with the cabs, buses, and commuters of city driving.
Keeping the engine in the sweet part of its powerband also pays off in the fuel-economy ratings. The NV200, with its lower curb weight, is the segment’s EPA city-cycle fuel-economy leader, at 24 mpg versus 21 for the Ram. But the ProMaster City is impressive on the highway, with a 29-mpg rating that matches the 2.5-liter Transit Connect and falls just shy of the 30-mpg figure achieved by the Transit Connect with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost.
The Transit Connect may have a slight edge over the ProMaster City in terms of interior materials—emphasis on slight—but the appointments are a distinct step up from those of the NV200. Standard features are adequate in the basic Cargo and Wagon models (tilt/telescope steering wheel, air conditioning, halogen headlamps, basic Chrysler Uconnect infotainment with four-speaker audio, USB port) and more comprehensive in SLT trim levels, which add $1525 to the bottom line. Option packages include Uconnect 5.0, with a 5.0-inch touch screen controlling a media hub with TomTom navigation, Bluetooth, auxiliary connections, and internet connectivity.
The ProMaster City wears a domestic logo, but it’s an international citizen. The engine and transmission (assembled by Chrysler under license from ZF) are sourced in the U.S., but assembly takes place at a plant in Bursa, Turkey, which has been bolting together Doblo vans since the beginning. ProMaster City Cargo vans slated for various commercial uses can be accessorized in a dedicated Mopar upfit center at the port of Baltimore. This likely adds cost, and for all its cargo advantages, the ProMaster City probably won’t be a favorite with fleet buyers, to whom purchase price is paramount. The basic Tradesman Cargo Van starts at $24,125, the Wagon at $1000 more. The pricing structure is fairly similar to that of the Transit Connect but roughly $2000 higher than that of the NV200 (which, again, is cargo only).
Nevertheless, based on this first exposure, it’s fair to say that the ProMaster City will give buyers what they pay for—and then some.
