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Good News! James May Compares Dacia Sandero to His Similarly Priced Custom Bike

Is there anyone on this planet who doesn't know about James May and his automotive love affair with the Dacia Sandero?! He's looking quite fit these days on account of his pub and all, as well as the fact that he’s riding a custom enhanced Orbea Orca OMR with carbon fiber parts. That way he’s adding a nice orange, twist to the blue Dacia Sandero’s review.
James May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on Drivetribe 43 photos
Photo: Drivetribe / YouTube
James May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on DrivetribeJames May reviews Dacia Sandero with a custom bike twist on Drivetribe
James May practically turned the Dacia Sandero into a Top Gear star since the original came out. Now that Renault’s budget brand has evolved and the best-selling hatchback has reached its third generation, it was only natural for the Drivetribe host to give it another go.

He’s also upgraded because he’s not driving the “cheapest car in Britain” version—which he says it can be had for under £8k (Access model goes for £7,995/$11,286) “if you’re an absolute tight-ass.” Instead, he’s at the wheel of an intermediate version (possibly the Essential, kicking off at £8,995/$12,699), which comes with perks such as a 90-hp engine, manual AC, an armrest, and even a digital radio.

The test unit's cost is around £10k (roughly $14k), so he’s brought his own bike for a bit of a challenge (from the 1:07 mark). The Orbea Orca OMR, complete with a custom carbon fiber frame and other parts, costs about the same, so comparing the two of them isn’t that far-fetched as one would imagine.

May has this properly arranged in chapters, starting with the “Niceness” factor from the 1:55 mark. Although he considers the Sandero to be “astonishingly cheap but not crap” and a modern car, he also reckons there’s nothing special in particular. Unlike his bike, which is painted in the same color as his Ferrari, and is very much just as “exotic (and) alive” that he sometimes feels compelled to park it at night in the bedroom...

So, it’s only obvious this chapter is won by the bike, unlike “Practicality.” That one comes from the 3:25 mark, and it’s a bit of a struggle for the car, but in the end, the Dacia prevails and so we reach the “Comfort” part (4:32), which is actually an easy one for the car (bike has no weather protection, and “a seat like a colonoscopy”).

The “Performance” and “Value” chapters come next (from 5:25 and 6:45, respectively), and each one goes in a different direction—you’ll really want to find out why the Dacia loses the latter. There’s also a James May-special section called “Looking like a berk” (from 7:32) before he arrives at the conclusion that Dacia’s Sandero is the winner... but there are also a lot of other alternatives for certain use case scenarios.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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