Not long after Kia’s reveal of the PV5, Ram has announced it’s getting back into the “compact” cargo van game with the 2027 Ram ProMaster City.
Though it’s new-to-Canada this year, it’s actually been around for a while overseas. In Europe, the ProMaster City is sold under multiple brands — as a Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat, an Opel, and a Vauxhall in the UK — and under some rather charming model names. Berlingo! That’s fun to say.
Unlike the PV5, Ram is going the internal-combustion route with the 2027 ProMaster City. It’ll be powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 166 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. That’s sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. In Europe, the ProMaster’s cousins are available with various diesel, hybrid, and electric powertrains; in their presentation, Ram didn’t specify if we’ll see any of those beyond “anything is possible,” but they’re open to options if they receive enough feedback.
Ram pitches the ProMaster City as a “right-sized” alternative to the bigger ProMaster series. It’s definitely more urban-friendly, measuring in at 76.7 inches tall and 75.6 inches wide, and with a 129-inch wheelbase in between. Its 42-foot turning circle shouldn’t be a chore for squeezing through alleys, construction zones, and garages.
Despite the “right-sized” exterior footprint, the 2027 ProMaster City can take up to 4,899 litres of cargo space. Plus, the load floor is almost nine feet long, and you can lay a 4×8 sheet of plywood flat. The back doors can swing out up to 180 degrees, and the rear step-in is 23 inches off the ground. That, along with four feet between the wheel wells, ought to make loading bins of Amazon packages or heavy-ass bags of Sakrete a cinch. Payload and towing capacity are both rated 2,000 pounds, and you can spec a Class 3 trailer hitch and a two-inch receiver in case you wanted to use the work van to haul a new race car home.
Our experience with the Ford E-Transit showed us that even tools like cargo vans come with bells and whistles these days. The base Tradesman trim comes standard with a digital rear-view mirror up top, a 10-inch digital gauge cluster in front of the driver, and a 10-inch touchscreen to the side for infotainment — which includes built-in nav, CarPlay, and Android Auto.
Stepping up to the SLT trim tricks out the exterior with body-colour bumpers, fog lights, and side panels, plus 17-inch two-tone wheels. You can spec an array of side and rear window and metal panel configurations, and even a “passenger” version in a two-row/five-seat or a three-row/seven-seat layout.
The 2027 Ram ProMaster City goes on sale early next year. Canadian pricing will be announced closer to then.
