Lithuanian journalist Vitoldas Milius departed from Cabo da Roca in Portugal in a Dacia Sandero Stepway on April 15 planning to cover the 16,000 km distance in 15 days. Yet, he managed to set a new world record by covering 15,200 km in just 11 days and almost 16 hours. Milius reached Vladivostok, Russia, on April 26, 2010.
The journalist drove through 8 countries, namely Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia.
“I am a little tired, but very happy,” said Vitoldas Milius after his arrival in Vladivostok. “No one yet has tried to complete such a complex and difficult route alone, merely relying on the own strength and the equipment.”
As for the vehicle itself, the Dacia Sandero Stepway in question was a regular, front-wheel drive vehicle. The car was fitted with a 1.6-litre petrol engine developing 87 hp and a maximum speed of 108 mph (175 km/h). Milius took with him two 25-litre cans of fuel.
As one of the sponsors, Sonax applied the Premium Class Nano Paint Protect Nano Pro, the Antifreeze & Clear View windscreen protection, Xtreme Clear View 1:100 insect removal solution, and several other products in its portfolio.
“The trip has been really interesting in every respect, yet I still need a bit of time to realise what I have managed to pull off. One part of the journey was Europe, which can hardly impress anyone, but crossing Russia is something unique. Still, I can now say that there’s nothing terrible about it, the roads are passable,” added Milius.
“I had heard a lot of stuff from other travellers and knew what I should expect, more or less, but no one was there to tell me what I would be in for beyond Chita. And so before I set off I only knew the approximate number of kilometres I’d have to travel, as there were different ways to plan the route. So instead of the 16,000 kilometres planned I covered slightly less, about 15,200 km,” he said.
autoevolution has also tested the Dacia Sandero Stepway. You can check out the review here.