Dave Sowers, marketing manager of Ram Commercial, talked with Hard Working Trucks about the 2017 Ram ProMaster City.After sweeping nearly all best-in-class features, the 2017 Ram ProMaster City is off to a good start in the competitive Class 1 van segment.
First up is fuel economy. Ram reports that the 2017 Ram Promaster City will have best-in-class gas mileage thanks to its powertrain: a four-cylinder, 2.4-liter gas Tigershark engine paired up with a 9-speed automatic transmission.
“We’re going to have for 2017 best in class fuel economy on the highway with 28mpg,” Ram Commercial Marketing Manager Dave Sowers told Hard Working Trucks.
Engine oil changes won’t be as frequent either.
“Across our entire gas lineup we have 10,000-mile oil change intervals, so that customer can keep their vehicle on the road longer and spend less money on oil changes over the life of the vehicle,” Sowers added.
Other best-in-class claims include cargo handling at 130 cubic feet, cargo width at 48.4 inches, payload capacity at 1,883 pounds and highway driving range at 464 miles.
“We have only one measurement where we’re not best in class and that’s load floor length versus the Ford Transit Connect. They’re one-tenth of an inch longer than us,” Sowers said.
ProMaster City also features 60-40 split rear doors that lock open at 90 degrees and, after using the release button, can fully extend to 180 degrees. The larger of the two rear doors opens towards the driver’s side of the vehicle, allowing wider access to cargo without having to open the passenger side rear door.
“When you’re making curbside deliveries this is going to help because the wide side of the door is going to open towards traffic. I can potentially make a delivery form the back without opening the small door because I’ve got a little more access here,” Sowers said.
“I can do that without hitting a garbage can, lamp post, parking meter or whatever else might be on the curb side.”
Ram’s available ParkView Rear Back Up Camera comes on automatically when the van is shifted into reverse. A color picture with grid lines is displayed on a touchscreen monitor.
All-season 16-inch low-rolling resistance extra-load tires are designed to haul heavy loads. Towing is rated up to 2,000 pounds. The 2.4-liter gas Tigershark, the only engine available on the 2017 ProMaster City, is rated at 178 horsepower and 174 lb.-ft. of torque.
