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Used 2016 Ram Promaster City Consumer Reviews

3.1 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
1

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2016 Promaster City, so we've included reviews for other years of the Promaster City since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Nice little van

Chris, 11/09/2015
2015 Ram Promaster City Tradesman SLT Cargo 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 9A)
44 of 44 people found this review helpful

I have purchased a 2015 Promaster City. I looked at the Nissan Nv200 And the Chevy City Express. The Chevy is just a rebadged Nissan and they want you to pay for them doing that at around 2k more. I test drove the Nissan twice. Not a bad little van , but I could tell it was best designed for the city, and no tow rating. The Nissan is slow. What got me on the Ram was 50 more horsepower. Got it with a factory trailer hitch rated to tow 2000lbs. So it can tow my 4 wheeler to play on the weekends, ect. Plus the ram drives so much better. 80mph down the highway at just over 2k rpm. Nice. Only have 2000 miles on it and averaging 27 highway and 21 city loaded with probably 500 pounds of tools. Also very stable in winds, handles like a car. So far so good. the transmission is a little strange, as well as the gas pedal is touchy, quarter throttle acts like its floored, But overall I can get used to that for the trade off in towing and performance.

Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

The worst vehicle I have ever owned.

D. R., 06/13/2018
updated 12/28/2020
2016 Ram Promaster City Wagon SLT 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 9A)
49 of 52 people found this review helpful

Every time I take it to the shop for repair (2-3 times a year), it’s like buying this piece of junk van all over again. If you like paying way too much for repairs that are needed way too often... needing an alignment as often as an oil change, riding around in seats that are like torture devices, and having a digital transmission that causes whiplash every time it changes gears, then this is the vehicle for you! Thank you RAM, for ramming me into poverty. Repeatedly. Almost any vehicle will now seem luxurious after this one. Update! Had a $2000 fix in May of 2018 to replace the front axel. Don’t know why the axel broke from regular use. Probably just something promasters do. December of same year: the coolant thermostat crapped out and a replacement thermostat cost $500 by itself. May 2019- Air vents started misting coolant in at me. Went to dealership to get the heater core replaced ($900) the car promptly broke down on the interstate and I had to get towed back... coolant drenching everything inside and out. EVEN THE SUPER EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE TERRIBLY BUILT. The dealership re-‘fixed’.... but left the van in such a mess that I couldn't actually tell whether or not it was fixed (Coolant still dripping on my feet and everywhere). I had to take it to a different dealership where they charged me $130 just to tell me whether the heater core was fixed or not. They claim it is... after having serious questions about why the heater core has no support bracket... turns out the answer is that Ram didn’t make these vans with a support bracket for the heater core. Would have been too expensive for them. Quality control need not apply. June - 2020 - the slow death of my vehicle and wallet continue. Sway bar links had to get replaced... somehow one of the replacements even ends up being defective. It's like the pro master city's natural state is to be broken. Dec 2020- Blinker stopped working. In a normal vehicle this would be a twenty dollar fuse box fix (the relay). But the blinker in the promaster has no fuse or relay. It goes through the computer. Which means what is normally a twenty dollar fix you can do yourself, on this van is of course a five hundred dollar part and you’ll need a mechanic so as not to set off the airbag... replacing the blinker relay on a Ram Promaster means having to replace every other switch on the steering column as well. Thanks Ram. Under both the seats is an in explicable hole that you can reach quite a ways back under the floor. I don’t know how, but when I drive through rain they fill with water. And stuff starts to mold. Ram promaster goes above and beyond. It’s not just a mechanical hazard, it’s a biological hazard too. There’s also a new intermittent leak from the dash onto the passenger front seat side floor. Would have assumed it’s to do with the ac, except it’s winter and I haven’t been running the ac. Starting to get the feeling the van is trying to drown itself. Maybe I’ll give it what it wants and drive it into a lake. A Christmas miracle. What will fall off next? When will the money run out to repair this pothole with wheels? Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in pro disaster city... the anti-herbie.

Safety
1 out of 5 stars
Technology
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Interior
1 out of 5 stars
Comfort
1 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Promaster City Wagon SLT

Lostrminds, 07/11/2016
2016 Ram Promaster City Wagon SLT 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 9A)
25 of 27 people found this review helpful

Sitting at home late one night researching minivans on YouTube. Thank goodness I ran across the Ram Promaster City Wagon. The wife wanted stown'go style mini. That was enough to make me throw up but this van was interesting. We had looked at and drove C, D, H, K & T vans, did I miss any? Sure they had the stuff but they carried the average $33k+ price tag. Two weeks later a new Ram City Wagon SLT in our drive. A great bang for the buck. Now owning our Ram Promaster City Wagon SLT for almost 3 weeks now with 2400 miles on the clock. I can say we love it. Ride, handling, gas mileage and interior space is fabulous. Our wagon had a long list of options from heated seats, backup camera w/ rear audible sensors, fog lamps, aluminum wheels, electric windows and doors (child proof lock outs in rear for windows & doors too), adjustable steering wheel, electric adjustable heated mirrors, rear wiper/washer with defroster and the Uconnect radio which is far superior than our Mylink on our GM. The front overhead storage shelf is Awesome, too. For the cup/bottle holder baby crowd: front doors 2, rear doors 1 and center console 2 that's a total of 8. Head room, shoulder, leg room up front and back is great. The front doors offer easy access to the front seats which are equipped with turn knobs to adjust seat recliner with lumbar support. Boohoo no lever. Passenger has recliner knob. The rear sliding doors open to expose rear seats that tumble forward in 60/40 fashion. 60 on drivers side 40 on passenger side but are non-removable. Putting our toddler in his car seat with ease, no issues with banging your head, bending over straining your back and easy access to adjust that car seat. Also each rear seating position (3) has the LATCH System to install a child's car seat. Cabin safety I see front air bags, front bucket seats tagged with airbag equipped and side curtain airbags front and rear, too. I read something about knee protection: not sure if that means airbag or just the design of the lower dash. Other safety items that seem standard on every vehicle I assume need to be stated: antilock brakes, skid control, hill assist. A personal not on safety I've read the professional reviewers complain of "NO" 3rd row seat: thank goodness! I've witnessed a few highway rear ended accidents in my day and everyone I've witnessed are automobiles that get smashed into the back to the rear window. It is in my personal option a tragedy waiting to happen to place your children or loved ones in a far rear seat/3rd row in any minivan or small SUVs. That could result in your child being (the Bumper) compacted in any type of rear end Collision/accident. As the driver I have a cripple zone in front of me with airbags and a steering to attempt to maneuver but you have limited of no control what so ever when hit from behind. With that in mind why would you place a child in the rear crumple zone! Explain that to me? Why! A quick internet search will qualify my option. Purchase a full sized van, Suv or a bus. The rear cargo doors are also 60/40 opening to 90 or 180 degrees they offer easy low height access to the rear cargo area which is carpeted with 4 anchoring points and shallow built-in side shelving on both sides. Rear cargo area is roughly 49" between wheels by 52" with seats up and 67" with seats folded. Stack that firewood, carry mulch, toss in the dog or pickup your groceries with no worries of damaging your interior cargo area, no fancy trim just space. Our gas mileage is averaging 26.8. Nice pickup, great cruising on the highway. Set cruise at allowable speed and the motor and 9 speed automatic handles it nicely. If you want to control your shifts tap the gear selector to manual and take control of that 9 speed gear box. Handling on the winding roads at posted limit to me is sure footed and pleasant. In our area we have many unpaved, washboard, loose gravel roads it performs satisfactorily stays were pointed. I've driven auto cross in my Alfa, motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. Is it my Alfa Spider no but it's not a barge either. Fun would be the word with manners. Interior noise seems to be a topic of concern. It's a van! Well we both think our Ram interior is as quiet as our 2014 Chevy extended super quiet cab. Nice sounding 6 speaker stereo, free satellite radio for a year, flawless Bluetooth hookup and iTunes no problem. Two 12volt plugs between the seats and one in the rear driver side also near the shifter a usb and audio input for your phone. I personally like the look of the wagon. I've fielded many questions from I suppose similar minded folks at almost every stop: gas station, grocery and even the highway rest area. I'm willing to shown'tell but the wife not so much. Our dealer was superb out of Warren PA. Hats off to Cory and Troy. Best ever experience I've ever had! Out the door with the exterior and interior protection treatments and a Michelin tire swap w/nitrogen came in rig

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Promaster City Tradesman with cargo partition.

Martin, 12/11/2017
2015 Ram Promaster City Tradesman SLT Cargo 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 9A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful

It is pretty tight in the cab with the cargo partition installed. The seats are comfortable. About 25000 miles on my van, purchased new. No maintenance problems at all so far. Have carried pallet loads up to 1400 pounds in it around town. Independent rear suspension is nice.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars

Not a fan

Mark, 01/30/2018
2016 Ram Promaster City Tradesman Cargo 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 9A)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful

My first review was on 11/1/16 shortly after purchasing this vehicle. I was unsure of my feelings about it but now I can honestly say I do not like this van. one of my complaints early on was the acceleration. It's a peppy vehicle but the gas petal is way to sensitive and acceleration from a stand still is inconsistent. I've had the vehicle long enough to have gotten used to driving it but sometimes I step on the gas and the van accelerates normally. Other times it moves too quickly and there are times when it seems like it doesn't respond at all. Not a good feeling in busy traffic. Then there is the brake issue I mentioned in my first review. The issue still exists and RAM has no plans to do anything about it. I guess it's not an expensive enough vehicle for them to care about. Every morning when I leave for work my brakes screech like crazy due to the cheap metal they used on the drums and they rust overnight. Either that or the pads have a high metal content and the metal in them rusts. The screeching does go away after driving the vehicle and making a number of stops to "grind" the rust away. On a rainy day I can get thru the screeching period, drive for a while until I reach my destination, get back in the van a few hours later and the brakes screech all over again. This is unacceptable! Since my last review I have realized that this van handles bumps horribly. I have a 12 year old pickup that rides better than this thing. Now I am having electrical/transmission issues and am actually waiting for the local RAM service tech to call me back to arrange to have the van towed for them to evaluate/repair the issue. Maybe it's just my vehicle as I do see positive reviews but I am not happy with it.

Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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