While the 2014 Ram Promaster series may not be the best looking of van bunch, it does its job well — giving the similarly designed Sprinter cargo van a run for its money. Literally.

On sale now, the Chrysler Ram Promaster cargo is priced at $28,630 — that’s nearly $8,000 less than its counterpart Mercedes Benz Sprinter cargo van. Industry experts also report that the Ram’s maintenance requirements will be virtually nonexistent and costs will be low. Until now, the Benz Sprinter has generally owned the cargo van market, but, says Ram President and CEO Reid Bigland, the Promaster “goes toe to toe with the Sprinter all over the world.”

The Promaster series offers a chassis cab, cutaway and window van version in addition to the cargo van. Not yet priced is its EcoDiesel engine model — set to release in 2014 — that will come with a six-speed automated manual transmission.

Ronald Ahrens, of Automobile Magazine, writes: “The unique styling that’s solely in the name of functionality really grabbed us. Beholding the ProMaster for the first time, we thought of Picasso’s rearrangement of facial features on canvas. But the headlamps are up high for the same reason that the bumper has three pieces: operating costs are reduced.”

[h/t Automobile Magazine]