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"  If you live in Europe you&amp;#039;ve seen the Ram ProMaster before, but it was called the Fiat Ducato and was the most popular heavy duty van on the continent. For 2014 Ram is bringing the heavyweight front-wheel-drive-only van to the US to replace the spot vacated by the very aged Ram Van. It comes in three different styles: Chassis cab (a cabin and ladder frame popular with box vans), a low height roof which looks like a regular van, a high-roof version, and a cutaway version where there&amp;#039;s no back wall to the cab - these are popular with RV manufacturers. There are also three different wheelbases and an extended body option. All told there are 13 variations to choose from.   As mentioned, the ProMaster is a front-wheel-drive only platform, even in chassis cab configuration. Engine options are a 3.6-liter gas V6 that maks 280 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque or a 3.0 liter inline four turbodiesel that musters 174 hp or 295 lb-ft of torque -- both get six speed automatics. Under the back end: Just a leaf spring suspension over a stick axle, not terribly different than a trailer. The van hangs everything from a unitized frame design so even the customary body-on-frame construction is gone. As alien as all this sounds, it&amp;#039;s a proven formula and offers several benefits. First of all, lighter overall construction means better fuel economy and more capacity for cargo within the limits of the tires. It also mean lower maintance and a simplified parts cache for fleet operators.  As far as swallowing payload goes, the ProMaster is a monster. Total payload weight is between 4,600 and 5,200 lbs, maximum volume is somewhere around that of a supertanker. The the rear doors open 260 degrees and the opening width is 62&amp;quot; wide with a maximum height of 70&amp;quot;. The side door is wide enough to comfortably accept a fully laden shipping pallet. The Promaster also comes with a full suite of management tools like Uconnect and speed limiters as well as overhead storage, super durable seating surfaces and all manner of work-related touches. We&amp;#039;re going to have to get very creative in a Promaster vs Ford Transit comparison testing. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a8709/2014-ram-promaster-van/>