2022 Ram ProMaster City Passenger Wagon

The Ram ProMaster City Wagon is the smallest van offered by the company and it needs to pack a lot into its minor-league-sized frame. It manages to include the bare minimum in many aspects but does exceedingly well at being a frugal fuel-sipper. Not only does it save you money on gas, but it also keeps a couple of thousand dollars in your pocket compared to competition like the Ford Transit Connect and the Mercedes-Benz Metris. It does well for its asking price, even if it's a little bare-bones in terms of convenience and tech. The wagon offers an admirable amount of space, but its pragmatic nature results in a functional, yet vapid experience that's further emphasized by its lackluster 2.4-liter engine, providing just enough power to get the job done, but nothing more. Our Ram ProMaster City Wagon review aims to uncover whether these flaws are outweighed by the vehicle's merits.

The price of the Ram ProMaster City Wagon begins at an MSRP of $30,970 this year. That's over $4,000 more than last year, and even though there are now more standard features, the van's value proposition is no longer as attractive as it was. A hefty $1,795 destination and handling fee in the US is applicable to your purchase of a 2022 ProMaster City.

By comparison, the 2022 Ford Transit Connect starts at $31,860 but at least comes with pre-collision assist, automatic emergency braking, side wind stabilization, and dual-zone automatic climate control as standard.

Essentially a very large Tupperware container on wheels, pushing the Ram around a corner at an eager speed will result in some wobble, but if you keep to a reasonable pace when tackling the bends, it'll fare just fine. The cornering motto of the Ram ProMaster City wagon is "thou shalt lean, and roll we shall," but other than that, the van isn't all that bad. Putting the maximum number of passengers inside results in a lower center of gravity and mitigates the floaty feeling one experiences when it's a one-man affair. Steering is a mixed bag, and it allows for enough maneuverability for a quick trip around the city, which is what it was made for, to be fair. You're just not likely to know much about what the wheels are doing, thanks to pretty much no resistance and very little response. What it does accomplish, though, is a comfortable ride compared to a select few competitors and less engine noise making it into the cabin than expected.

At over $4,000 pricier than last year, one of the Ram's main selling points - its low price - is gone. Ram's smallest van offering does extremely well in terms of space and bests its rival from Merc in both seating space and total cargo space. It delivers impressive fuel economy figures that best the Merc (although falls short of the Ford Transit Connect), and though not the most attractive, the interior offers more comfort than a few rivals in the segment. A few of its downfalls would be its clumsy transmission and the engine's penchant for underperforming on the highway. When we consider performance, it's nowhere near as refined as the Ford Transit Connect, even if it's more powerful. Another flaw of the van would be its bare-bones suite of safety features, given that it's targeted at buyers who aim to carry multiple passengers at any given time. Also diminutive is its list of standard features. If you're willing to skimp on tech and safety features in the name of frugality, this is the passenger van for you, but other rivals in the USA offer a lot more.

With one trim, the range couldn't be any simpler than it is. Because a passenger van is more about interior comfort than looking snazzy, we'd skip the Lights and Wheels Group and tick the box for the heated front seats/heated side mirrors. Silver Metallic paint is subtle enough and not as boring as white, and the navigation upgrade is useful since Apple CarPlay/Android Auto aren't available, but that's as far as we'd go in terms of options. Configured like this, the ProMaster City Passenger Wagon costs $34,105 including destination.

To start with, the Ford has a less powerful engine than the Ram at base level, and given that it's heavier, it stands to reason it'd be noticeably slower. What the Transit does manage to do, though, is offer a much better suite of technology and safety features, so power may not be everything and if you need the extra power, Ford makes a 2.5-liter engine optionally available that improves outputs slightly. The blue oval badge makes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available and offers blind-spot monitoring and lane keep assist to bolster safety features significantly, something the Ram wagon is missing. By comparison, the Ford offers better fuel economy figures and can seat up to seven occupants. Though the Ram may be slightly more affordable, the Ford is worth the extra cost.

Over $15,000 separates the prices of the ProMaster City and the Sprinter, and the only thing these two have in common is that they're both passenger vans. The Sprinter offers more power from its engine and a whole lot more space thanks to its bigger size. The two are worlds apart when we consider the inside, given that the Sprinter offers a far better infotainment system that enables features like smartphone integration and SiriusXM, and while the inside may not be the lushest, it's an improvement by leaps and bounds compared to the ProMaster. The Merc does everything better, and with more comfort and less discount. This is to be expected though, especially when we consider the large price hike over the Ram. If you have some extra money lying around, then go for the Merc, but we're willing to bet you're looking at the Ram due to budget constraints.