I’ve got the Promaster, a 2017 118” wheelbase (shorty) used for property management and residential rehab (our own rental properties). It’s basically also my daily driver, the Mrs. gets the Hellcat. I don’t have personal experience in the Transit beyond a test drive. But, overall, I am very pleased with the PM, as it has been rock solid. But, as my previous van was an 03 Dodge B series, some might argue I’d be very pleased with any updated van.
Good: Even though the 118” is the “low“ roof, it has 8 inches more interior cargo height then the Transit low roof as I recall. Easy drivability managing tight parking lots, alleys, and city streets as the turning radius is ridiculously tight (36 feet for the 118, 39 feet for the regular 136 inch wheelbase) and there’s lots of glass area for excellent visibility down low. It also cruises along at 80/85 mph on the freeway with little wind buffeting, if that’s what you need. HVAC controls are simple and easy to manipulate, even with gloves on, and it has more heat or cooling then you will need—It produces cabin heat faster than any other vehicle I’ve ever driven (I assume that even when “closed” the thermostat must pass a fair amount of coolant).
Bad: Most of my driving is stop and go city streets, and the mileage is, IMO, horrible, my average MPG is 12-14, depending on how often I end up on the highway for a given tankful. This is basically what I used to get in my old 03 van. I can say that I have taken a few highway trips and the mileage will shoot right up to high teens and low 20s at normal cruising speeds, but, that also depends on whether you decide to cruise at 65 or 80, since you’re basically driving a brick. The only reliability issue on PMs I have read about is with water infiltration into the engine compartment around the hood and windshield base weatherstripping/sealing. Apparently Ram decided that a a certain amount of water was OK as it has not been fully addressed in recall fixes, despite being well known. This has not impacted me as mine gets garaged, most cases I have read about involve outside storage. Plus, I think “normal” usage probably dries things out from engine heat. But, there are documented cases of heavily rusted intake manifold bolts causing hassles when engine repairs require it’s removal. A smaller number of more extreme cases have resulted in broken belts when they have literally “frozen” as in being encased in ice.
it is definitely a cargo van (sometimes to the dismay of thone who use it for a camper van) so keep in mind that everything from the seats, to controls, to radio/audio is a step or two below what you can get in a Ram 1500 truck, F-150, or large SUV.
If you have not already been there,
promasterforum.com has a lot of good info.
