Insurance Group: 11
MPG: 70.6
CO2: 105
0-62 Mph: 11.8 secs
BHP: 90 BHP
Range: 776 miles
PROS: The Sandero Stepway represents value for money on a new level and delivers superb fuel economy with low CO2 emissions. It is spacious and comes with some great equipment.
CONS: The steering can be a little inaccurate at times and refinement is poor all round. The suspension can unsettle the ride if you pass over road imperfections too fast.
The Dacia Sandero Stepway Laureate 1.5 dCi delivers a driving experience which is impressive in some areas and flawed in others. The steering is light and makes low-speed manoeuvres easy to complete, although it can be a little unpredictable at times, and all round visibility is excellent. At low speeds the suspension soaks up bumps and road imperfections with ease but the ride becomes unsettled if you accelerate fast over them. Road grip is strong but you will notice a fair amount of body lean when cornering.
The 1.5 litre diesel engine produces 90bhp and 162lb-ft of torque. Its top speed is a rather modest 103mph but acceleration feels quicker than the 0 – 62mph time of 11.8 seconds, due to the availability of the torque lower down the rev range. The worst aspect of the Stepway’s driveability is its refinement. The engine is loud when revved and there is plenty of wind and road noise to be heard at motorway speeds.
The Sandero Stepway is a smartly styled vehicle which has a very rounded exterior. As you’d expect given the price of the car, the interior does feel a little cheap in places and is rather bland although some chrome surrounding brightens things up a bit.
A decent level of equipment is included with the model; Bluetooth connectivity, metallic paint, an aux in slot, a USB slot, heated door mirrors, air conditioning, electric windows and a 7-inch colour touch screen with an integrated satellite navigation system.
Leather seats are available for £600.
One of the most impressive parts of the Dacia Sandero Stepway is the amount of space it provides for passengers. There is loads of room in the front and rear seat occupants shouldn’t have any complaints either thanks to the high roofline. Moreover there is plenty of space in the boot for luggage – 320 litres of it. The rear seats fold flat to accommodate larger loads too.
A decent amount of safety equipment is included as standard including driver, passenger and front side airbags as well as an immobiliser. An alarm is not however. Reliability should be good and you get a 3 year warranty.
This is where the Dacia Sandero Stepway really excels. Although the Laureate 1.5 dCi is actually the most expensive model in the range at £10,795, it still represents superb value for money like no other car on the road. It provides decent performance on the road and a level of equipment that you could only find for the same price in a used car.
Additionally, the model is incredibly cheap to run. CO2 emissions of just 105g/km equate to very low road tax, and with an average fuel economy of 70.6mpg you won’t be making regular trips to the petrol station.
The Dacia Sandero Access 1.2 16v 5dr is a supermini produced by Renault in partnership with its Romanian subsidiary Dacia. While the current model is the second generation of the Sandero, it is the...
The Dacia Sandero Stepway Laureate 1.5 dCi is spacious in terms of both the cabin and the boot while providing an excellent level of standard equipment. It is generally good to drive although the r...
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