A little more than a decade ago, the U.S. saw a boom in compact cargo and passenger vans to offer an alternative to huge, and often quite old, full-size options like the Ford Econoline and Chevy Express. Ford had the Transit Connect, Chevy had a rebranded Nissan NV in the form of the City Express, and Ram had the ProMaster City. After a solid run, though, all of these automakers discontinued their offerings just a few years ago, leaving the U.S. market to the full-size vans once again. Ram, though, has decided it's time for a smaller van to return, just not as small.Ram Threading The Needle Between Compact And Full-Size The new ProMaster City is based on the same basic mid-size van offered by nearly every Stellantis brand in Europe. The Fiat version is called the Scudo, the Citroën version is called Dispatch. Even Toyota has a version of this van called the Proace. The old model was based on a smaller platform, with the Fiat version having the name Doblo. This new Ram version is distinguished with unique headlights that have running lights to mimic those on the Ram 1500, and a plastic trim piece bridges them with the new "RAM" script.Ram Exactly how much of a size difference are we talking about, though? The new City is 210 inches long, an increase of nearly 2 feet over the original. However, it's only 2.5 in. taller than the little model, which means it still fits in garages and parking structures. Additionally, Ram says that the turning circle is about 42 feet, which is basically identical to the old version.Ram Interior space climbs tremendously, though. Maximum cargo volume is up by 35.4 cubic feet to 167.1, and two rows of seats can be fitted to the passenger version. The extra length also means that 4 ft. by 8 ft. sheets of plywood or two U.S. standard pallets can fit with the rear doors closed. Both payload and towing capacity come in at about 2,000 pounds. So in some ways, the ProMaster City is much bigger and more capable than it used to be, but it's also meant to still be easy to live with.That's basically why Ram decided to go with this larger van, as well as part of why they're re-entering the smaller van market. The director of Ram Professional's operations, Dave Sowers, explained that, even if demand slowed over time, at least a million compact vans have been sold since 2009. Apparently, many of those buyers like having a small van, and don't want to go to a full-size van, but they're going to be ready to replace their existing ones, and also wouldn't mind a little more space. This new ProMaster City is meant to hit that sweet spot. It Has An Exclusive Powertrain A key area in which the ProMaster City differs from its European siblings is with the engine. It's the only one to be fitted with a turbocharged 1.6-liter gasoline four-cylinder. It's actually a version of the same engine in the new Jeep Cherokee, but it's not a hybrid. As a result, overall output is less impressive at 166 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. That's actually a bit less power than the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder in the old model, but a fair bit more torque. It's significantly more gutsy than the diesel options offered in Europe, which top out around 145 hp, as well as the electric version that tops out at around 135 hp.Joel Stocksdale / CarBuzz / Valnet The lack of hybrid accouterments means the ProMaster City also has a traditional automatic transmission. It's an 8-speed unit from Aisin, which we're glad to hear, because we've never been big fans of the 9-speed automatic from ZF that has graced so many front-drive Chrysler products. Front-drive is also the only option. As for the chassis, the unibody sits on MacPherson struts up front and a coil-sprung independent trailing arm suspension at the rear. It's Coming Soon In A Few Combos And With A Reasonable Price Every ProMaster City has the same basic body and wheelbase, but comes in either cargo or passenger forms. Cargo models have various window choices with glass, grated glass, or solid panels, and the passenger model can have two or three rows of seats. They're each available in either the base Tradesman or SLT trims. They're easily distinguished, too, as the former has 17-in. steel wheels, and unpainted bumpers and side skirts. The latter gets body-painted parts and front fog lights.Ram No matter the trim, they come decently well-equipped for being basic vans, as they have dual 10-inch displays for instruments and infotainment, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, a digital rearview mirror, automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, and automatic emergency braking. The SLT gets front parking sensors and a wireless phone charger, and a heated steering wheel can be added as an option.Exact pricing hasn't been announced, but the ProMaster City will have a starting MSRP less than $40,000. For comparison, the full-size ProMaster has a starting MSRP of $46,370. Even the Chrysler Voyager (soon to be replaced by the Pacifica LX), which is a tad smaller but has more power and towing capacity, has a base MSRP of $41,395. So, the ProMaster City could be a genuinely solid option for people looking for maximum cargo and people carrying for minimum cost.2027 Ram ProMaster City SLT front three-quarter