2014 Ram ProMaster Debut

What's New

Based off of the Fiat Ducato, the 2014 Ram ProMaster enters the North American market boasting front wheel drive and a slew of class-leading features such as fuel economy, cargo capacity, step-in height and lowest load floor, ceiling height, overall weight reduction, and lower maintenance costs. A 3.0-liter four-cylinder EcoDiesel and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine are available and both are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The diesel mill is rated at 174 horsepower and a peak torque of 295 pound-feet is achieved at just 1,400 rpm. The Pentastar application is rated at 280 hp and 260 lb-ft.

Who It's For

Construction workers, local municipal ambulances, business owners, construction workers, and any other profession that requires carrying large loads can slide right into the 2014 Ram ProMaster. Like the Ford Transit and Nissan NV, the ProMaster is ideal for those in need of a mobile work station. The 2014 Ram ProMaster falls in line with the rest of the Ram truck lineup when it comes to being easily upfitted. You have your choice of two roof heights, three wheelbases, and four body lengths making the ProMaster one of the most customizable work vehicles (soon to be) on the market. The unibody frame is lighter than that of the NV and Transit and as a result, the ProMaster has a best-in-class payload capacity of up to 5,145 pounds.

Key Features

The 2014 Ram ProMaster enters a North American market that's getting more utility vans by the day. To differentiate itself from the rest, some key features include:

• 3.0-liter inline-4 EcoDiesel engine rated at 174 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Gross combined weight checks in at 12,500 pounds.
• 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine with a gross combined weight rating of 11,500 pounds.
• A maximum towing capacity up to 5,100 pounds.
• Front wheel drive

What We Think

Let's get this out of the way first; the front-end of the 2014 Ram ProMaster looks like a bulldog with a mean under bite and devil horns. Exterior styling aside, the ProMaster is poised to give the Nissan NV some issues in the sales department. Even the Ford Transit is probably sweating a little bit. With all of the class-leading features included on the 2014 Ram ProMaster, it'd be hard to overlook if you're in the market for a work vehicle; no word yet on a passenger version, but it's a good bet Ram will introduce one at some point that's suited to passenger duty. The option of a diesel engine is also an attractive one and while official fuel figures haven't been finalized yet, Ram promises they will be class-leading too. If you can get over the bizarre front-end, then the 2014 Ram ProMaster will be a fine utility vehicle.

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