For contractors and small businesses, the right vehicle can make or break your operation. Sure, it’s easy enough to buy a used truck and call it a day, but there are costs associated with an older vehicle. That’s where the 2020 Ram ProMaster City shines, offering a great blend of utility and practicality.
True to the van’s many roles, the ProMaster is available in multiple configurations. The ProMaster City is smaller than the full-size ProMaster cargo van, and it allows more manageable driving characteristics while delivering the functionality and features of a larger van. Its platform, shared with the Fiat 500L and the European Doblo, allows for a commanding but manageable driving position, with tons of headroom and fantastic forward visibility. But what matters for vans like this is cargo space, and the ProMaster City Cargo offers plenty of it, with up to 131.7 cubic feet of cargo space.
The only other vehicle that offers a similar experience to the ProMaster City is Ford’s Transit Connect. These two vehicles both owe their roots to the European car market. The Transit Connect falls just short of the ProMaster City on cargo space, with the Ford providing 127.4 cubic feet. When empty, the Ram ProMaster City Cargo provides up to 4 feet of load space between the wheel wells, and up to 4 feet, 4 inches of height in the same space. Above the wheel wells, it offers 5 feet of cargo width (window-to-window). Most impressively, its load floor is 7 feet, 3 inches long.
The ProMaster City Cargo van offers several helpful features to make the most of its class-leading cargo space, including sliding side doors and rear doors that have the ability to open to multiple angles. In normal use, the rear doors won’t open wider than the width of the vehicle, but when needed, a small latch will allow the doors to open a full 180 degrees to accommodate large items being loaded from various angles.
This large cargo area can be outfitted in countless ways to accommodate whatever job you can imagine. Ram makes available various “up-fit” packages, including ones designed and optimized for plumbing, electrical, construction, and delivery duties.
You or your employees may spend long hours at the wheel of a Ram ProMaster City Cargo, and the front passenger area has plenty of trays for gear, including a large tray in the passenger-side dash area. Two trims offer different levels of creature comforts. The base trim is the Tradesman Cargo Van, while the Tradesman SLT offers a few more features. The Tradesman comes standard with steel wheels, remotely operated power mirrors, and power one-touch up/down front windows. The Tradesman also comes with the Uconnect 3 infotainment system. It features a 5-inch touchscreen as well as Bluetooth connectivity with voice control. You can also connect with the helpful USB port located down by the shifter.
Moving up to the SLT trim adds two-tone premium cloth seating and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and makes available options such as heated seats and cruise control. It doesn't offer a lot of frills, but the SLT trim could make the day go by a bit more quickly.
Under the ProMaster City's bulbous hood resides a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 178 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque, sent to the front wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission. The van features a heavy-duty suspension with stabilization and front and rear stabilizer bars.
When properly equipped, the ProMaster City can tow up to 2,000 pounds and has an estimated payload capacity of 1,885 pounds. The ProMaster City returns 21 mpg city, 28 highway, 24 combined. With its 16-gallon fuel tank, the ProMaster City has a 384-mile fuel range and an estimated annual fuel cost of $1,600. Of course, your fuel usage and costs will vary.
The ProMaster City comes with safety features such as traction control, a backup camera, tire pressure monitoring system, hill-start assist, and a roll mitigation program. It also comes with a full complement of front- and side-impact airbags.
Moving passengers around comfortably and reliably is a very different job than the tasks for which a ProMaster City Cargo might be used. A lot goes into a dependable passenger van, and a van that makes money for a small business is one that's efficient and stays running. It doesn’t hurt if that van is actually comfortable for the driver and passengers. The 2020 Ram ProMaster City takes on its rival, the Ford Transit Connect, for this corner of the market, with a car-based platform and plenty of cabin space.
The Ram ProMaster City is one year removed from a 2019 redesign that moved away from the “crosshair” grille, instead highlighting the “RAM” lettering and plucky, upbeat headlights. A tall design allows for tons of headroom for occupants, and the massive windshield and front-side windows provide an incredible level of visibility for the driver and front passenger. The cabin of the ProMaster City is quite versatile, with plenty of space for luggage, as well as helpful storage trays in the doors, center-console area, and that large tray for items in the passenger-side dash area. The ProMaster City has only manual climate control, but the controls are easy to reach and simple to operate.
The ProMaster City Wagon provides standard seating for five, with front-row captain’s chairs and a three-passenger second row. Access to the rear seats is provided via sliding doors on both the left and right of the vehicle. The ProMaster City Wagon comes with premium cloth upholstery and is available with premium vinyl front bucket seats.
There are two trims for this passenger van, the base Passenger Wagon, and the Passenger Wagon SLT. Standard features include remote keyless entry, air conditioning, remotely operated manual mirrors, and one-touch power up/down front-side windows.
The SLT adds plastic covers for the van’s steel wheels, a driver-seat height adjustment, driver-seat lumbar adjustment, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The SLT also makes available options such as heated front seats and a manual two-way lumbar adjustment for the front passenger seat.
Both trims come standard with the Uconnect 3 system with a 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth voice control, and four speakers. Options include navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio, and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. Both trims are available with a number of options and packages, all designed with different tasks/uses in mind. A rear wiper/defroster group ensures cold-weather visibility, while an available trailer tow group adds 4- and 7-pin wiring harnesses and a Class III receiver hitch.
The ProMaster City Wagon comes with 4-wheel antilock disc brakes, a full array of front and side-impact airbags, a roll mitigation program, electronic stability control, and a standard backup camera. A rear parking sensor system is available as an option.
While it’s not exactly like traveling in an Uber Black, the 2020 Ram ProMaster City is a comfortable, dependable, and efficient way to move people and gear, be it on long journeys or just around town.
