Dacia Sandero Stepway Review (2021-present)
Dacia Sandero Stepway cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Undercuts its rivals by thousands of pounds
Improved quality and comfort compared with the previous model
The optional automatic gearbox is smooth
Cons
More expensive than a regular Sandero
Lags behind the latest safety standards
Entry-level cars are quite basic
The CarGurus verdict
By the standards of your average micro-SUV, the Sandero Stepway is a bit rough around the edges. It’s slow, it’s noisy, there’s not much finesse to its controls, the interior quality is behind that of most other cars in the supermini class, and despite vastly improved safety levels, it’s still not the safest car on the road by the latest standards. But what you have to remember is that the Stepway costs far, far less – we’re talking thousands, not hundreds – than pretty much any of those rivals. Not only are these sacrifices worth making for such a low pricetag, we’re frankly astounded that more sacrifices aren’t necessary.
Granted, the Stepway’s financial argument isn’t quite as compelling as that of the regular Sandero hatchback, but it’s operating in a different ballpark, mixing it with different, more expensive players, so it’s still terrific value compared to its rivals. Splash out on one of the posher trims, and it might well be better equipped, too.
What is the Dacia Sandero Stepway?
That could also go a long way towards explaining the colossal success of the Dacia Sandero Stepway. Like its Sandero sibling, it offers a simply vast amount of car for what seems like a ludicrously small amount of money. Yet where the Sandero hatchback has traditionally done so in a plain - perhaps even slightly awkward-looking – package, the Stepway has offered buyers more on-road presence due to its fashionable SUV styling. Who says you can’t have it all?
It’s not just a low price, some roof rails and some chunkier bumpers that account for this success, though. Yes, the Stepway is a slightly more aspirational offering than the regular Sandero (Britain's cheapest car to buy new), but it’s still managed to preserve the hatchback’s appealing, no-nonsense honesty that buyers love, so much so that these buyers have made the Sandero Europe’s biggest-selling retail car, a title it’s held since 2017.
However, time stands still for nobody, and there was always going to come a point where the original Sandero needed replacing. By 2021, the Sandero had been around for eight years, and the technology that underpinned it – it was built on the same platform that first saw service in the Renault Clio way back in 2005 – was positively ancient. No prizes for guessing that this was a large part of how Dacia managed to keep the price so low.
This left Dacia with a dilemma in building a successor. Do they continue on the pared-back bargain-basement theme and simply ignore ever-improving competition and ever-tightening safety regulations in order to maintain the low sticker price? Or do they bring the car up to date at the cost of watering down its price advantage? Well, that’s the truly remarkable part.
Again, it’s based on a Clio platform – Renault owns Dacia, by the way - but the one that underpins the very latest Clio. That means it supports all sorts of safety and luxury equipment items that weren’t available on the previous car, a decent slice of which come as standard on most versions. And yet, while prices have climbed a smidge, this is still one of the cheapest new cars you can currently buy, and in most cases, the difference is thousands rather than hundreds. How Dacia has managed to offer so much for so little borders on witchcraft.
How practical is it?
Just like the Sandero hatchback, a big part of the Stepway’s appeal is that it offers really generous space despite those low prices. There’s enough headroom and legroom in the back to comfortably accommodate a pair of tall adults, and it’s even better than most supermini-sized SUVs at carrying three in the back due to the wide middle seat and the fact there’s not much of a hump in the centre of the floor.
The boot space is nothing special for size compared with most supermini-sized SUVs, yet all but the entry-level car have split-folding rear seats and a false boot floor that levels off both the boot lip and the step to the rear seatbacks when they’re folded. That all adds up to very decent practicality.
What's it like to drive?
The latest Dacia Sandero is better to drive than ever. It’s still not the last word in precision or plushness, but it does a thoroughly decent job on both counts. It always feels secure and predictable when changing direction, while the suspension generally does a good job of mopping up bumps and ripples of various sorts. The Stepway has a slightly raised ride height compared with the regular Sandero hatchback, but you’ll notice virtually no difference between how the two cars behave on the road. It also probably doesn't need mentioning that despite its increased ground clearance and chunkier cladding around the wheel arches, the Stepway is no off-roader, with only front-wheel drive versions available.
It's not all positive, because you will feel a rather spongey character to the controls. The gearshift feels hollow and notchy, the steering is slow – to react, to turn, and to self-centre – and the mushy action of the pedals means that pulling away smoothly takes some practice.
Searing speed is something else you’ll have to sacrifice if you’re sold on the Sandero Stepway. We’ve only tried one of the two engines available – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo unit with 89bhp, known as the TCe 90 – and while it’s power delivery is eager enough to keep life reasonably relaxed, its shortage of grunt means it can easily get caught out by a steep incline if you find yourself in too high a gear. And however hard you work it, your pace is never any better than merely acceptable.
Not that you’d want to work it hard, mind. Even with relatively few revs on the dial, the engine gives off a loud, strained, breathless sound. What’s more, you can still hear the transmission whining away in the background, and you’ll also feel plenty of engine vibration through the pedals and steering wheel.
We’re yet to try the TCe 100 Bi-Fuel, a 99bhp unit that runs on both petrol and LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), but with only a slim power advantage, we can’t imagine that performance will be that much stronger.
Technology, infotainment and equipment
You’ll also need to avoid the most basic car if you want reach adjustment for the steering wheel, but with it, there’s plenty of movement to help you get comfy. The dashboard design is plain and simple, but what it lacks in flair, it makes up for in ease-of-use. The range-topping version, meanwhile, gets an extra dose of wow-factor thanks to its brilliant 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which looks great and is fast, easy and responsive to use. The top two trims also get some fabric dashboard inserts to pep up the otherwise rather dull-looking cabin, but while the plastics are harder and scratchier than those found in many other small SUVs, they’re better than before, and not too bad considering the car’s price.
Just one other quick note on safety. You might look at the Sandero’s two-star Euro NCAP rating and want to run a mile, but before you burst out of the blocks, it’s worth considering the reason for that lowly score. The automatic emergency braking system that’s standard across the range (it wasn’t available on the old car, even as an optional extra), is a basic version of the technology that only detects other cars, while the equivalent systems in most other cars are able to detect pedestrians and cyclists as well. That’s the big reason it was marked down by Euro NCAP, despite delivering entirely adequate crash protection that would otherwise have earned it a solid-if-unspectacular four-star rating. So, although not the safest car on the road by the latest standards, it may not be the deathtrap that a two-star rating might suggest.
Dacia Sandero Stepway running costs
As we’ve already stated, the Stepway isn’t quite as ludicrously cheap as the regular Sandero – it misses out on the entry-level trims and engines and is also appreciably more expensive version-for-version – but it’s still very affordable next to other small SUVs and represents great value.
It’s not quite as efficient, either, but it does get a lot closer to the regular Sandero on that score. The TCe 90 petrol engine returns fuel economy of just over 50 mpg according to official figures, and used gently, you should have a reasonable chance of getting somewhere close to that in the real world. The Bi-fuel version falls slightly short of that average, and delivers a lot less when you’re running on LPG, but the stuff you put in will cost you significantly less. The thirstiest version is the TCe 90 fitted with the automatic gearbox, with an official average of around 45 mpg. Bear in mind that the range no longer includes a DCi diesel option.
Insurance groupings range between 11 and 15, which is about par for the course in the small SUV class. Servicing and maintenance costs will also be pretty reasonable. Dacia offers a range of fixed-price servicing plans, the cheapest of which will take care of all routine work for three years/30,000 miles for less than a tenner per month.
Perhaps the best news on the running costs front is the fact that both the Sandero and the Stepway provide such incredible protection for your modest investment thanks to their scarcely believable residual values. After the standard three-year, 60,000-mile ownership period, the Stepway will retain up to 57% of its value according to the experts, compared to figures of more like 35% for most rival cars. That news is far less advantageous if you’re buying used, but when prices are so low to begin with, it’s not like you’ll ever pay top dollar for one.
Dacia Sandero Stepway reliability
Like with any brand new Sandero, new Stepways come with Dacia’s standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s nothing special, but it does match those of most other car manufacturers, which is impressive given that a brand new example will still cost you less than many used cars with little or no warranty. This cover can also be extended to up to six years or 100,000 miles for a small fee.
You can be reasonably hopeful that you’ll never have to call upon that cover, too. Reliability data on the latest Sandero is still in fairly short supply, but as a brand, Dacia placed a very creditable 13th out of 24 manufacturers in the 2019 JD Power UK Vehicle Dependability Study. That’s ahead of the industry average and considerably better than some much fancier brands we could name.
- Although the Stepway predictably shares much with the regular Sandero hatchback, its model range is very distinct. For starters, the hatchback’s entry-level engine isn’t offered in the Stepway – no great loss when it only offers up a paltry 64bhp, delivering performance that would have a snail tapping at its watch – and the hatchback’s lowliest trim level is also dispensed with in the Stepway. This makes the Stepway a slightly more upmarket offering than its hatchback sibling. This is reflected in the price, which compared version-for-version with the Sandero, is about £1,500 higher. However, it’s still great value by SUV standards.
- Despite the fact that the Stepway isn’t quite as much of a value-led proposition as the regular Sandero, it’ll still prove more popular overall. At the time of writing, Dacia had sold 1.3 million Sanderos in Europe, with 108,000 of those being in the UK. And of those, 60% were of the Stepway variety, and Dacia doesn’t see that changing with the latest model.
- Select second-rung Comfort trim or above, and your Stepway will come will fiendishly clever modular roof bars. In normal circumstances, these look like any other roof bars, lending the Stepway some extra visual chunkiness. But depending on the nature of the load you’re looking to carry on them, you can unscrew the bars using an Allen Key, turn them through 90 degrees across the width of the roof, and reattach them in their original mountings, turning them from longitudinal bars to latitudinal bars without the need for extra fixings.
- If you want the cheapest Stepway possible: Because there’s no Access trim on the Stepway like there is with the regular Sandero, the Essential is your entry point to the range. Yes, it’s a lot more expensive, but it does also come with a lot more kit. Essentials (no pun intended) such as a DAB-equipped stereo, air-conditioning, electric front windows and remote locking are included, as are niceties such as cruise control, LED headlamps and decorative wheel caps.
- If you want the best balance between kit and cost: Comfort trim is the one for you. Key to its appeal is the 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen which looks slick, is a doddle to use and comes equipped with satnav, DAB, Bluetooth, six speakers, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. That last item is a properly cutting edge one that’s still not available in many very exotic cars. Other important upgrades include reach adjustment for then steering wheel, split-folding rear seats, electric rear windows, those clever roof bars, parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless entry and automatic wipers.
- If you want the all the toys: The most sophisticated Stepway is the Prestige version. This gets genuine alloy wheels rather than plastic wheelcaps designed to look like them, along with an electronic parking brake and automatic climate control aircon. A blind spot warning system also gets added to the roster of safety kit.
- If you want to be lazy: Can’t be bothered to change gears for yourself? Good news. Dacia now offers the Sandero and Stepway with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) automatic option. Happily, it doesn’t behave much like a regular CVT. When you ask for more urgent acceleration, it doesn’t pin the rev needle to the limiter until you ease off the pedal, working the engine unnecessarily hard. Instead, it eases off the revs of its own accord, and in good time, keeping life more relaxed. It also swaps gears pretty smoothly, and it eliminates the mushy pedals, crunchy gearshift and whining transmission of the manual car.
