2015 RAM ProMaster City Cargo and Wagon DETAILED Review - in 4K!
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Is the ProMaster City right for you? Check out the most detailed review on CZcams to find out. In high-res 4K!
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The Class 1 cargo van market is the next big thing in white vans. With fuel economy becoming more and more important as well as the full sized vans growing ever larger, the big players in the cargo moving market have small plans for us all. Chrysler has long dominated this small segment with the Dodge RAM C/V, formerly known as the Caravan C/V and the Grand Caravan C/V. Essentially a white-van version of their passenger minivan, the C/V is bring phased out in favor of a European style small cargo van. That's nothing new of course.
The first European vehicle to enter the segment was the Ford Transit Connect, an odd looking Euro van with a Ford Focus engine and 4-speed automatic. Next came Nissan's NV200, a boxy hauler with a Nissan Sentra engine and CVT. Not to be outdone, but not wanting to spend any real money on the problem, GM re-badges the NV200 as the 2015 Chevrolet City Express. Now that Fiat and Chrysler are one, the new RAM ProMaster is none other than the latest version of the Fiat Doblo.
No, the ProMaster City is not just a Doblo with a RAM logo on the front, the 2015 ProMaster City is more of a redesign of the existing vehicle with a focus on North America. This is very much the same as what happened to make the Fiat Ducato into the RAM ProMaster. The altered body designs give the PMC a class leading load capacity (although still shy of 2,000lbs), and a more American engine lineup.
Instead of borrowing compact car engines like the others, Chrysler borrows a mid-size sedan engine and transmission from the Chrysler 200. The 2.4L Tigershark four-cylinder engine is mated to the same ZF 9HP 9-Speed automatic as you find under the hood of the Acura TLX V6, Chrysler 200, Jeep Cherokee and the Range Rover Evoque. The engine and low first gear combine to make the ProMaster City feel peppier around town and the tall 9th gear greatly improved fuel economy especially at higher speeds.
While I find the Transit Connect more attractive inside and out (the RAM is a little Euro-funky inside), the ProMaster makes a strong argument for practicality. There's also a 5-passenger version for the active family that is seeking the "un-minivan".
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I still have my 2015 Ram Promaster City SLT Wagon, I purchased new in June 2016. It has almost all the options except the rear backup camera , navigation and roof rails. It’s got everything else. It looks just like the dark red wagon you drove.
I do miss the backup camera. Don’t mis the navigation. My Apple iPhone supplies that feature just fine.
I don’t have the engine oil consumption issue that was the subject of the service bulletin recall. My oil consumption is minimal. Only added oil once between an oil change. And that was before the first oil change.
This van has suited my use well since I have had it. I do most things with it. It’s my grocery getter, yard supplies getter, can handle most of my lumber and building supplies with no problem.
The rear independent suspension handles those curving bridge over pass expansion joint with aplomb and without that little side step which happens in most of the other vehicles I have owned.
This puppy will run down the freeway at 80+ mph, no problem. In fact the first time I exceeded 85 mph, a loud alarm went off and I did not know what was going on. Turns out you get a speed alarm standard. I have mine set at 80 mph. It’s easy to set it off on trips down the freeway. (Max speed limit in my area is 70 mph, and you will get cited by the highway patrol if you abuse that limit excessively.)
I basically have 2 complaints. 1) The speedometer is very hard to se in bright daylight. it’s font is very hard to read. The tach is fine and easy to read. 2) suspension travel is to short. It will bottom out fairly easily and the front chin under the bumper often does not quite clear parking lot curb stops. Gotta watch out for those. And turning in and out of parking lots will lift the inside rear wheel of the ground more often than not.
Currently I am quite happy with the van and have no interest in trading it for anything else. I just wish it could tow more than 1890 pounds of trailer. (I have the factory tow package with receiver hitch and 4/7 pin wiring harness.)
Best auto presentation I have ever seen on youtube.. Got straight to the point and hit just what I needed to hear.
Alex...I think this ProMaster City is what we have been waiting for. I like it over the competition and we would LOVE to see a FULL review done in your usual expertise. Please include thoughts about reliability (Fiat worries us in that regard) and all weather drive-ability. Thank you.
great information here! i like what you have covered in this video. hard to find good content like this. Thanks for making this video.
Considering this for my window cleaning biz. Your professional review has me convinced this is the one for me. After my test drive, of course. Thanks Alex!
Fabulous review. Very detailed and very professionally delivered.
Superb review as always - thank you for sharing.
Great review and insight on the segment of commercial vehicles! I would like to see the detailed review.
Great review. Have decided on PMC for a stealth camper build!
Professional review right here!
thank you for posting the review I have one myself
Since it's been 4 years, do you still have it? What are you thoughts on reliability?
Thanks for the best review out there Alex.Which one would you reconmend between NV200 and Pro Master City? regarding of daily commuter vs weekend camper van vs few weeks on road tip.
I would like to see a review on the new Transit Connect 1.6 EcoBoost. I love those little vans. Great alternative to a minivan with the 7-pass seating.
Very good review, except you didn't mention if the rear seats are easily removable. I had to find out in the comments below. I think it's a bit ridiculous and short sighted that they wouldn't design this so you can get 4x8 plywood inside with the doors closed. Available AWD would be great too. Other than that, it seems pretty practical, but I'd want quickly removable seats with a flat floor for cargo and camping capability.
This would make a great modern shagin wagon
Can't wait to see how this compares to the City Express, Transit Connect, and NV200 Compact Cargo Van! (:
Great video! When you have a chance.. please review on a Ford Transit Connect LWB Passenger Van. Thank you!
As the owner of a 2014 Promaster 3500 LWB, I can attest that this "formula" really works gloriously; take Fiat's totally proven platforms with decades of refinement, then slam purely American drivetrains in them along with beefed up suspensions. I suspect that the PM City will be seriously competitive against it's only real rival, the Transit Connect (the Nissan/Chevy is a bit of a joke of a vehicle). The other vans in the market (Express, Econoline, NV200, Benz Sprinter) are hopelessly outclassed by the PM siblings and Transit siblings.
From the PM full sized, I've learned that having corporate engines and drivetrains is a HUGE bonus for you the owner. Like the Pentastar, the Tiger Shark in the PM City is found in millions of other FCA vehicles, and as a result it will be cheap and simple to service, and be durable to begin with because FCA put a lot of money into designing it. Unlike a Benz Sprinter, any boob at any garage will be able to work on it, and the parts will be dirt cheap. Unlike the Benz, PM diesel, or Transit diesel, you won't be wedded to dealerships and their prices due to rarity and complexity.
FCA will probably blow it on the marketing, but I think the PM City should be an easy sell to ANY minivan shopper, and certainly any Kia, Honda Element, Scion xB shopper. For thousands less than a minivan, you get all the space and better fuel economy in a hipper package. No brainer. As a tradesman, wouldn't you rather have this than a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan truck? For commercial use, wouldn't you rather use this than a Ford Ranger or Ram CV? As a light tow rig, wouldn't you rather have this than Ridgeline? Wouldn't a hip soccer mom pick this over the Town and Country and save $15,000? Wouldn't the empty nesters who buy Scion xBs rather have this? Man…I should get a job in sales.
Do you still have it?
PhantomPhace I now have two 2014 Promasters (the big vans, not tge Promaster city). My first has 262,000 miles, the other one has 230,000. We drive a LOT. As you can guess, it's almost all highway miles. To date, some maintenance has been needed but overall very little. The things I thought would be issues (cooling, charging, belts, fuel pump, A/C) have been maintenance free. The interiors have held up very well, and I'm very satisfied. I can't say that it'll be the same with the City, but no reason it shouldn't. Out on the road, I see more Nissan NV200 than City or Transit Connect in this class, and I'd have a pretty tough time deciding between the three. My hunch is that the Nissan would be the best, but thats just a guess.
Thanks!
Usa market
Iso
High top van
6 speed manual
Front wheel drive
perhaps even an
Awd option with a...
Diesel
That provides less $$ options to the release of the latest mb sprinter
Great video! Do you (or any viewers) happen to know of any minivans have a comprable **interior** cargo height?
May 27, 2016 I am interested, but worry about the reliability of the new ZF 9 speed. The Jeep version seems to have racked up lots of complaints and problems. I don't want to buy one new or used and have the transmission go out at 60,000 and have them say sorry, you have to fix it. One automatic transmission shop owner I talked to said: most newer transmissions have 850 + moving parts, the ZF transmissions have over 1,100 moving parts. The drivetrain warranty is only 3 years or 36,000 miles. Comments ?
Love the look and interior of the vehicle and prefer it over the Ford. Great review as always
👍
Nice review... I personally use an old Honda Odyssey for work and will getting a new vehicle to replace it soon... How reliable is the 2.4L... I have a soft spot for Chrysler and I am impressed with their turn around... I like the 3.6L variant engines, but the old 2.4L that was developed with Mitsubishi was not good, is this the same engine? Another question is on the PM City, regarding the door locks, when you close the door you can not lock it from inside using the lock, correct? So to lock the vehicle, you have to use a remote or key? Also do you know when the PM City's delivery date to dealers will be? Also, just a note on your coverage of vehicles in general... You reviews are by far the best I have seen anywhere including Consumer Reports...
The Global Engine Alliance started in 2002 and was between Hyundai/Kia, Mitsubishi and Chrysler. It ended in 2009 with Chrysler buying the others out of the arrangement. The Mitsubishi 1.8-2.4L 4-cylinder engines, the Hyundai/Kia 2.0-2.4L and 2.0L turbo engines and the Chrysler 1.8, 2.0, 2.4 and 2.4 Tigershark engines are all part of this engine family. However since 2009 they have all been diverging in terms of development. The latest 2.4L engine from Chrysler now has the Fiat MultiAir variable valve timing and lift system on it and has proved more reliable than the original 2.4L engines from 2002.
That is correct, to lock teh car you have to close the door and use the remote or key.
Delivery dates we were told would be "Early 2015".
Alex on Autos Thank you for the clarification on the 2.4L... Happy Holidays...
Started my own Rush Courier business (Rose Courier, LLC, Morris Plains, NJ Ha..!) where I will deliver anything that includes rolls of carpet (8' feet wide; need to be loaded with special forklift etc) from a mill. I also want to do Uber/Lyft Cargo and any freelance work. Does anyone know if these middle seats come out or fold flat enough altogether? I might be carrying 1,500 Lb pallets too. Thanks.
I'm seriously considering the wagon to use as a camper van as well as a daily commuter. With the back seat out it will have enough room sleep in, as well as enough room to carry all my camping gear, including a mountain bike and my Honda CT70 that I like to take camping with me. I could also carry my kayak on the roof. I also like not having side windows in the back.
I think they look pretty cool too as long as you have the aluminum wheels. The dark blue one looks pretty sweet IMO.
Alex:
I’ve got some more questions.
At 8:39 into the video you state that one could fit a 4ft x 7ft x 4 ft item very easily in the Promaster City. Does that mean that there is at least 7ft, (84 in), between the closed rear doors and the aft most section of the fixed partition? I am still trying to determine if this van will have enough cargo length for my vintage dirt bikes to fit and get the rear doors closed. Ram has nothing in writing on this or any dimensioned drawings on their web site. That is very frustrating as being able to fit my bikes in this van will be my ultimate deciding factor on getting the Promaster City or not.
Also at 3:50 you state about the version with rear seats, “We don’t have too much of a drive line hump in the middle, a very small one”, why would there be any drive line hump on this front wheel drive van?
Thanks.
My bad for calling it a driveline hump, it should be an exhaust hump. In general the hump or tunnel serves as a place to put the exhaust, or fuel lines or brake lines etc. It also strengthens the chassis in a unibody vehicle.
if it is just 4 bolts.. should be no problem for special hauling occasions.. what about fuel tank size for range comparisons?
It appears that Chrysler has not released that yet. I would be surprised if it was more than 16 gallons.
Alex on Autos thank you....
HAVE 2 DOBLO
1. DOBLO 1.2 from 2001 for gas. 428 km on the tank (36 liters of gas)
2. DOBLO 1.6 from 2015 894 km on the tank
THESE ARE WORKING OXY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X 1,000,000,000,000,000,000
Mam DOBLO MAXI 2015 i mi wystarcza.
when is ram going to make a camper version
There's one thing that I consider a design flaw. If the 60/40 doors open in the back and the 60% side can stay open independently while driving so that longer items can hang out. then why is that the side that has the back-up camera? Wouldn't it have it have made more sense to have placed the camera on the side that would be closed and in place all the time?
That's something I had not noticed, and it is an excellent point.
Alex on Autos Thank You Alex!
By the way your reviews are the best! Bar none!
I can only think they placed the camera on the 60 side as that way the camera can be in the center of the vehicle. If they placed it on the 40 side it would always be off center. And likely due to the fact that the doors will be closed the majority of the time.
No reason they couldn't
MAM 2 DOBLO
1. DOBLO 1,2 z 2001 roku na gaz. 428 km na zbiorniku (36 litrów gazu )
2. DOBLO 1,6 z 2015 roku 894 km na zborniku
SĄ TO WOŁY ROBOCZE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X 1000000000000000000
SUPER AUTA
This is exact same transmission as in an Acura?
Are you sure that Acura and Chrysler share same tranny??
do the rear seats in the wagon come out?
How do you define come out? Yes, they unbolt, but no they don't easily come out like a modern minivan.
Alex: On the RAM Promaster City web page where one can build and price different versions of the van with different options I see no mention of the spare tire not coming with the van. There are no options to select that list a spare tire?
RAM seems to be still updating their options, but unless there was a last minute change I specifically asked that question of the RAM folks and was told that the spare was not standard. (Go figure). I would say we will know more in a few months.
Alex on Autos I called a local Ram yesterday in the Seattle area. They had no idea when they would get a Promaster City in. I won't order one unseen, before I buy I have to test drive one and take some real measurements so that I know for sure my dirt bikes will fit in it.
The only real miss I see is the rear seat. It is unnecessarily cramped and that seat back looks to be very upright. I would think that would be uncomfortable and a bit of a claustrophobic experience. I can't see anyone buying this for taxi service with those accommodations for passengers. It would also be nice if they were to stretch the next version enough to fit 8 foot sheet goods with the doors closed. That could make all the difference in marketing this van. Overall though its a good effort where it counts - the cargo version - and it should sell reasonably well.
I'd wish they use this van as a replacement to the Dodge Grand Caravan because it will be going Bye-Bye in the end of 2015 and call it the New "Caravan" much like how jeep bringed back the Cherokee name just have the Passenger seats and it would sort of work out.
Passenger model leg room too narrow, not like Fiat 500L rear seat could adjusted for more leg room, its hard for taxi, Uber or Lyft.
Alex:
I enjoyed this video review.
You say the absolute max cargo length is a maximum of 87.2 inches. Is that dimension taken at the base of the fixed partition? You also state that a 4' x 4' x 7' box can go in the back. So does that mean that the cargo length at the middle to the top of the fixed partition is just over 7 ft or 84 inches?
The specifications on the Ram web site are not very complete with respect to the cargo dimensions. The Fiat Professional web page gives the cargo length for the equivalent Fiat Doblo Cargo Maxi as 2,170 mm or 85.4 inches. From the Fiat web site and info it looks like the Doblo's all come standard with the fixed partitions.
Ultimately what I am trying to figure out is will my vintage dirt bikes fit in this van. They will not in the new Ford Transit Connect long wheelbase van. I think they will in this Ram Promaster City.
Also I really wish Ram was offering the 2.0 diesel engine over here and the high roof XL version that is available in Europe. I think Ram is making a big mistake in thinking that Americans will not want the manual transmission 40+ mpg diesel version. I know I do.
Thank you.
Also the 2014 Fiat Doblo version of this van has a much better looking front end, Ram should have left it alone for the American market.
Addendum: I see the 2015 Fiat Doblo has a new reworked front end also which is similar to the Ram Promaster City. I think looks worse than the 2014 version. I guess they just have change up the look every once in a while, just for the sake of change.
It depends on how far you have the seat leaned back/slid back, but yes 87.2 is the max at the bottom. Expect more detailed specs as time goes on.
Alex on Autos Thanks. I went to the Chrysler 200 review to hear more about how the 9 speed automatic shifts. In that video you reference another video that explains how the "Dog Clutches" work. I cannot find that video on the Dog Clutches.
Also if you do a further review of the Promaster City Cargo van I would be interested to know what the cabin noise levels are with and without the fixed partition. I would also like to know what the 0 to 60 time is for an unloaded Promaster City.
Thanks.
Reese Dengler
I apparently have a very faulty memory. It may make more sense to read an article I wrote about it here: www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/zfs-9-speed-9hp-transmission-puts-dog-clutches-on-the-leash/
Alex on Autos OK I read the article. Good article.
I can see where people would not like the fact that their transmission shifts slower and feels different between 4th/5th and 7th/8th than the shifts between the other gears. However knowing there is a designed in and mechanical reason for that might alleviate any concerns. When my local Ram dealer gets a Promaster City in stock I hope to test drive one. It will be interesting to experience the 9 speed auto’s shifting in real life rather than just hearing & reading about it on the interweb.
So these are made in Turkey?
Yes but it is far wackier than that. The engine is made in Michigan, the transmission is made in Indiana and then they are both shipped to Turkey. The ProMaster body is assembled in Turkey from parts all over Europe. The whole van is shipped as a passenger vehicle to Maryland where the vans are "converted" into cargo vans by removing the rear seats, rear windows, and adding the load floor options.
Thanks for clearing that up.
10:37 competitor that I should have bought 😞😒😒
У меня есть 2 Добло
1. DOBLO 1.2 от 2001 года для газа. 428 км на баке (36 литров газа)
2. ДОБЛО 1.6 с 2015 года 894 км на танке
ЭТО РАБОТАЕТ ОКСИ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X 1 000 000 000 000 000 000
TENGO 2 DOBLO
1. DOBLO 1.2 de 2001 para gas. 428 km en el tanque (36 litros de gas)
2. DOBLO 1.6 de 2015 894 km en el tanque
ESTOS ESTÁN TRABAJANDO OXY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X 1,000,000,000,000,000,000
EU TENHO 2 DOBLO
1. DOBLO 1.2 de 2001 para gás. 428 km no tanque (36 litros de gás)
2. DOBLO 1.6 de 2015 894 km no tanque
ESTES ESTÃO TRABALHANDO OXY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X 1.000.000.000.000.000.000
Road surface in Michigan seems very third world!
HB45175 it’s actually Austin, TX
Seems gutless at freeway speeds.
kia soul ??
He lost me at the engine. He said it's a Fiat engine. Who thinks you can get 200k out of a Fiat? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Dobl%C3%B2#Ram_ProMaster_City