My Day With the 2015 Ram ProMaster City
Several weeks ago, I learned I would eventually be getting my hands on the 2015 Ram ProMaster City van. In preparation for that day, I decided I would do my research and share the important numbers and dimensions it revealed with all of you, which I did in late November. I love facts and figures as much as the next guy, but I love to drive more. I recently got the chance to do just that in downtown Austin and the surrounding Hill Country.
On a Tuesday morning, after breakfast at the W Austin Hotel, I got behind the wheel of a five-passenger Wagon model of the ProMaster City for a drive out of the hustle and bustle of the city to the curves of RM 2222. One of my fellow Texas Auto Writers Association members rode shotgun. Given how much traffic there is in the Live Music Capital of the World, I had quite a few opportunities to discover how zippy the van was when pulling away from a stop. I was satisfied with the get-up-and-go from its 178-horsepower and 174-pound-feet 2.4-liter Tigershark I4. Its pep should allow small-business owners, such as satellite/cable installers, caterers, and locksmiths, to quickly merge into urban traffic after loading or unloading (0-30 mph takes 3.7 seconds). However, they’d be better off with the Tradesman cargo variation, which offers 131.7 cubic feet of storage.
That punchy four-cylinder engine is connected to a ZF-designed nine-speed automatic and only transmits its power to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is not available for you northerners out there.
Inside the ProMaster City, I was surrounded by a small factory’s output of hard plastics. I knew I was in a tool, though. I’ve never expected a rake to have a handle wrapped in Coach leather. The compartment between the two front seats was on the small side. However, its lack of space was offset by the wide storage bin above my head. I can see that being a great place for toolboxes or binders full of records and clipboards to keep track of schedules and deliveries.
The only real problems I experienced in the van were small ergonomical ones. Although the shift lever was easy to reach, the mirror controls were not. I had to lean forward considerably to access them near the A-pillar. My TAWA colleague had trouble finding the lever that would let him adjust the angle of his seatback. That’s because there wasn’t one. Ram uses a big, chunky dial that takes longer to turn to a sweet spot than it would to just pull up on a paddle. Perhaps the mirror and seat controls were left as they are on the Fiat Doblo, the European basis for the ProMaster City. I also found the five-inch navigation/infotainment touchscreen to be a little undersized. Another inch or two in diagonal span wouldn’t hurt, especially when it comes to making out the name of the street you need to turn on as soon as possible to make an important delivery.
After a pit stop for bagels and coffee, my fellow writer traded spots with me. He drove us to Troublemaker Studios, Robert Rodriguez’s production company. There, I was able to take ProMaster City Tradesman cargo vans – with and without payloads – through a makeshift autocross course. The Ram folks saddled a few with a 600-pound crate, a number well shy of the vehicle’s max payload of 1,883 pounds. That’s why I didn’t seem to notice the presence of my blocky passenger when I was pushing through turns flanked by set fixtures and rusted oil barrels or slamming on the brakes on a wetted-down strip of backlot pavement. However, I did notice the mini hauler’s tight turn radius. I didn’t scrape the PMC against anything because it was easier to maneuver than I am clumsy. Ram brass, including Director Bob Hegbloom, used the term “nimble” several times during the previous night’s presentation at Brazos Hall – and rightly so.
After running the PMC over a bumpy stretch of the thick rubber bases to the orange barrels you see at highway construction scenes, I would describe its ride as “absorbent.” The combination of double A-arms up front and a beam axle with leaf springs in the rear soaked up bumps well and kept me from bouncing around the cabin.
I also had an opportunity to take a ProMaster City out for a spin with a trailer and a lawn tractor behind it. Again, I didn’t really feel it. The van can tow a maximum of 2,000 pounds. The 8’x5′ trailer, its spare tire, and the mower only tipped the scales at 1,375. Ram doesn’t offer tow mirrors for the PMC, but I had no problem seeing what I was pulling.
Ram arranged an impressive set of hands-on tests of its 2015 ProMaster City vans. You can evaluate one for yourself at your local dealer early next year.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
