Category: Commercial Vehicles

2023 Ram ProMaster detailed with many updates

2023 Ram ProMaster super high roof front 3/4

Ram

2023 Ram ProMaster super high roof front 3/4

Ram

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The 2023 Ram ProMaster is here, and it’s sporting a bunch of great upgrades over the outgoing model.

Starting on the design front, Ram gave the ProMaster a new (thoughtful) front end. The headlights are positioned out of the collision zone in a direct frontal crash now to save them in the event of an accident. Plus, the bumper has an integrated step that allows you to step up and either clean the windshield or swap wiper blades far easier. The headlights themselves are also improved. Standard halogen lights provide 15% more range of light, and optional LED headlights provide 50% more range.

The popularity of black appearance packages has made it into the van world now, too, as this ProMaster is available with exactly that, blacking out grille, badges and wheels. Lastly on the appearance side of things, Ram introduced two new colors: Ceramic Gray and Spitfire Orange. Ram says these colors were designed specifically with its #vanlife customers in mind. Unfortunately, no images of these colors were available upon this story’s publishing.

A new extra-high roof option is available for 2023, adding 10 inches over top of the previous high-roof option. Additionally, Ram is offering a new roll-up door in case that would fit a customer’s lifestyle better than a traditional rear door. It’s made of anodized aluminum to be easier to use.

There are 19 configurations available in total for the 2023 ProMaster including three roof heights, three wheelbases and four vehicle lengths. Every single one of them will come equipped with the Pentastar V6 (just like before) that makes 276 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. All of the vans are also front-wheel drive only. And lest you forget, Ram is still planning on releasing its electric ProMaster in 2023 — Amazon will be taking delivery of thousands of those electric vans next year.

Interior and tech upgrades are aplenty for the 2023 ProMaster. For example, the ProMaster uses the latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system. The standard display is a 7-inch screen, but you can tack on an optional 10-inch screen. That means it has wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. You can spec a wireless phone charger, and the interior features both USB-A and USB-C ports.

Safety and convenience features are made readily available. Standard safety equipment includes collision warning, crosswind assist, drowsiness detection and traffic sign recognition. You can tack on nice extras like an auto-park feature, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-centering, auto high-beams, front parking sensors, cornering lights and rain-sensing wipers.

One excellent feature that is available on any trim of ProMaster is a new digital rearview camera mirror. Flip it into digital mode, and you’ll get a total unobstructed view rearwards. Many vehicles offer this sort of mirror these days, but it’s great to see it in such a visibility-challenged vehicle.

Ram says its updated ProMaster will be available to buy in the third quarter of 2022, but it didn’t provide pricing for any of the models.

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Watch vehicles go flying in terrifying train crash with car hauler

The video above captures what happened after a semi truck carrying a load of vehicles got itself high-centered on a railroad crossing Friday near Thackerville, Okla. An Amtrak train hits the incapacitated truck at speed in one of the most spectacular crashes we can recall, sending the truckload of vehicles flying and crumpling the car trailer. Worse, five people aboard the Amtrak were injured and were transported to a hospital, according to Love County firefighters, though the injuries were non-critical.

Fire officials said the driver of the truck was not injured, nor were his dogs. In the video, you can see someone jumping up and down in a vain attempt to warn the train. That may well have been the trucker.

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Photos in the gallery above show the aftermath of the crash, with some vehicles nearly unrecognizable. The impact lifted the locomotive off the tracks and derailed it, as you can see in one of the photos.

The train was northbound. Thackerville is in southern Oklahoma north of Dallas/Fort Worth. Some of the Amtrak passengers were ferried in school buses to lodging, while some stayed aboard. There was a locomotive at the rear of the train, so the damaged locomotive was uncoupled and a locomotive at the south end of the train was used to take passengers back to Fort Worth.