DACIA Sandero Stepway Review

A few months back we got the chance to test one of the cheapest hatchbacks on the planet, the Dacia Sandero. With a somewhat odd styling for a modern car and some pretty beefed up (height wise) suspension, the little Sandero fared pretty well for a car costing as much as a feature on a luxury car.

Its only major flaws were the lack of modern options and an engine and gearbox with 1980's technology, but other than those and the somewhat passe styling, the Sandero scored a decent amount of points. In the mean time, first rumors and then spyshots continued to pour in about a compact SUV that Dacia will unveil in the following year.

Probably thinking it might as well offer its customers a preview of what it's like to drive a Dacia compact SUV, they decided to first unveil a modified Sandero. By "modified" we don't necessarily mean a prequel to the Dacia SUV, but a more rugged-looking Sandero, with a design closer to a compact crossover/SUV than a hatchback.

Compared to the regular Sandero, the Stepway is almost two centimeters (about an inch) higher - by way of a suspension with increased travel – and has a body kit that makes the car look ready to tackle the Baja 1000. OK, we kid about the last bit, but it sure does look off-road ready, doesn't it?

We got the chance to spend some time behind the wheel of a Sandero Stepway 1.6 MPI, so in most of the chapters - if not all – we will compare it with the Sandero 1.6 MPI we tested earlier. Some may call the Stepway just another trim level on the Sandero, while others see a new model. Considering the technical differences are pretty big between the two, we'll consider it a new model just in the same way we consider the Subaru Outback a different car compared to a Legacy Wagon.

The rugged-looking bodykit is the first thing you notice when seeing a Sandero Stepway. Too bad pretty much all of the silver inserts all around the car are made of plastic and make absolutely no difference in the car's off-roading ability. The increased ground clearance is the second thing you notice different about the car compared to the Sandero, and this bit actually makes a lot of difference in its off-roading capability.

On the whole, the plastic silver bodykit practically transforms the car from looking like an average East-European econobox to a pretty cool crossover(ish) vehicle, especially since the ground clearance is almost as high as on some other modern compact crossovers. And plus, who's going to know that you're not actually sporting an all-wheel drive transmission, while the tires with high side walls were equipped for cost-cutting measures and not off-road activity?

Besides the aforementioned differences in design, the silver lining which used to adorn the exterior of the headlights is now black on the Stepway, giving it sort of a "grim" look, like the car is angry about something. Differently-designed alloy wheels are also present on the car, although still only in 15-inch guise, while the exhaust pipe now sports a chrome tip.

Oddly, when the Stepway was first launched, 16-inch alloy wheels seemed to be present as standard on it, but the car would have prpobably accelerated even slower with those on. Anyway, other than the said differences, the car is obviously identical to the normal Sandero, so every body panel is the same. Nevertheless, the overall impression thanks to the rugged bodykit and the increased height is that of the best-looking Dacia ever, as lame as that may sound.

Unfortunately, the Sandero Stepway's interior is available in a single trim level, and it's not exactly the cheeriest one Dacia designers could find. Obviously, the design of every button and every knob is identical to the one from the regular Sandero and the Logan/Logan MCV. The only thing setting the Stepway apart from those is the darker color for the "aluminium" plastic inserts on the center console.

Other than that, nothing. There is a "Stepway" sticker on the door sills but you can only see that while the door is open, naturally. The interior gives you almost no clue you're in a different model than the ones mentioned above. Same cheap but sturdy plastic, same poor ergonomics, but there's also a twist.

This is the first new car we drove this year that didn't have all the windows electrically-operated, since the ones from the rear doors are manual. Plus, as a "Stepway special", the mirrors aren't electrically operated either, not even on the options list. But wait, there's more! The Stepway doesn't have an onboard computer. Yes, you've read that correctly, if you want to know how much gas you're using you have to do it the old-fashion way – after each trip to the pump.

Other than the small "glitches" mentioned above, there is also a Stepway-only new upholstery, but it somewhat fails to cheer up everyone inside. As for the interior space, everything is absolutely identical to the Sandero. In other words, four or even five adults can be seated just fine inside for shorter trips, while the 340-liters (11.3 cubic feet) of luggage space are way above the class average. On the whole, for a car costing less than 10,000 euros the interior quality is somewhat acceptable, while the space available is more than you would otherwise bargain for.

Since all the passengers, including the driver, are sitting at an SUV-like height, the overall visibility in the Dacia Sandero Stepway is quite a good step above your average subcompact hatchback. Did we say "step"? More like an entire ladder. To put things into perspective, the regular Dacia Sandero sits high enough for a car in its class, with a ground clearance of 16.5 centimeters (6.5 inches). If you think that's high, learn that the Sandero Stepway has no less than 18 centimeters (7.1 inches) of ground clearance. That's as high as some crossover/SUVs out there.

So, in short, the Stepway's main benefit over the regular Sandero in the city is the increased ground clearance, which translates into an SUV-like visibility. That and the fact that the comfort over speed bumps and over optimistic roadside curbs is at a much higher level. Considering a few months back we tested a regular Sandero, which came equipped with the same 1.6-liter engine, it will be easier to give an objective opinion about the Sandero Stepway 1.6 MPI.

To be frank, the ancient four-cylinder under the Stepway's hood left us with an even worse impression than the one in the regular Sandero we tested before. In theory, it's the same car, the same engine and the same gearbox, but in practice the Stepway is a much worse candidate for this technical package. Speaking of which, this also translates into a fuel consumption even higher than that on the normal Sandero.

Since our test car was not equipped (not even optionally!) with an onboard computer, we had to calculate the mileage ourselves, the old-fashioned way. We achieved a figure close 11.5-12 liters per 100 kilometers (US 19.6-20.4 mpg) in strictly busy city driving, which is quite a bit higher than the advertised 10.2 liters per 100 kilometers (US 23.1 mpg).

That's not bad but it's not super great either, especially when thinking this is a 1.6-liter engine after all and the Stepway isn't exactly a juggernaut at a little under 1200 kilograms (2645 pounds). Apart from the rather high fuel consumption, we didn't find many downsides with this engine option on the Stepway for the city. Considering it has a pretty good torque curve, it offers pleasurable driving despite its low power. All in all, if you're going exclusively for fuel economy you might be better off with the lower-powered 1.5 dCi version.

Until the Kanjara/Duster compact SUV hits the markets in 2010, the Sandero Stepway is the closest thing to a four-by-four in the current Dacia model line-up. Without having an all-wheel drive system – albeit it sure looks like a small SUV – the Stepway can really hold its own on more-than-rough roads. We're talking cross-country mountain roads with huge potholes, where a high ground clearance is vital.

As we mentioned before, the Stepway sports no less than 18 centimeters (7.1 inches) of ground clearance, more than enough to tackle quite a good number of poor roads without any major sweat. To really put it to the test we took our car through a mountain road where the only other vehicle we met was a modified Suzuki Jimny with lifted suspension and all-terrain tires.

The Stepway proved to be a very good companion in this situation, but the lack of all-wheel drive, some proper off-road tires and, of course, decency, stopped us from climbing all the way to the top of the mountain. All in all, the Stepway's destiny as a road trip car is to tackle some of the poorest roads in the world.

On a nice, pothole-free road though – such as, let's say, a highway – the best addition to the Stepway (the high ground clearance, ed) is transforming into its enemy. The regular Sandero we tested before also had a mildly high suspension setup, but it was much more adequate at high speeds or during "dynamic" driving. To put it shortly, the Stepway's SUV-like height is doing nothing but hurt its medium-to-high speeds capabilities.

The JH five speed gearbox is probably the least fortunate piece of technology to make its way on the Sandero 1.6 MPI. The thing is, this isn't such a terrible transmission, it's just that its ratios are too long, especially for an engine as "powerful" as this. Another downside is probably the fact that the gearshifts aren't the most precise in the world and you might find yourself missing third from time to time.

As for the other dynamic qualities, the 12.4 seconds from naught to 100 km/h (62 mph) feel like forever, especially when even the non-Stepway Sandero achieved a time of 11.5 seconds. That one felt slower than that in reality as well, so you can imagine how a time of almost a second more felt. Also, probably "thanks" to a drag coefficient of 0.39 and about a hundred kilograms of extra weight, the top speed dropped from 174 kilometers per hour to a rather shabby 163 km/h (from 108 mph to 101 mph).

All in all the Sandero Stepway is MUCH better than the regular Sandero on poor roads, but it's also infinitely worse on smooth surfaces, "thanks" not only to the raised suspension but to the poorer aerodynamics and the extra weight.