Test drive: Sandero 2021 range, much more car for the same price

When we attended the first static presentation of the new Dacia Sandero and Sandero Stepway, where we already revealed the main novelties of this generation and our first impressions, without driving it we dared to title it “the best of the cheap cars”.

Now we have been able to test the new Dacia Sandero during the international press presentation, learn more details about the range and prices for Spain, and we can only reaffirm our first impression. It’s time to tell you how the new Sandero performs, analyse the engine range to see which is the most interesting, see how far it has evolved in quality and equipment possibilities… and choose our recommended version. Let’s get to it.

A review of the main novelties of the Dacia Sandero 2021

The third generation of the Sandero debuts the CMF-B platform, the same one used in the Renault Clio and Renault Captur. This, to begin with, means it would be ready for a possible electrification. Something that, at least for now, Dacia rules out. The “electric” spotlight in the brand is reserved for the new Dacia Spring, and the “ECO” versions of the Sandero will continue to bet on LPG. Now more than ever, as diesel engines disappear from the offer.

But the truly important thing about adopting this platform comes from the side of safety and dynamic qualities. Think that the Sandero sold until now used a reworked platform… not from the previous Clio, but from two generations ago!

The new platform is stiffer, lighter and allows offering new driving assistance systems that the Sandero could not have before. In theory, all this should be noticeable when driving it. And I can already tell you that, in practice, it certainly is. Dacia has paid special attention to this area, redesigning the suspensions (especially on the front axle) and fitting for the first time an electric power steering, replacing the previous hydraulic steering. The result is a car that no longer “dances” when corners come or if the road has many potholes, and responds with a path precision that the previous Sandero never managed to offer.

Other interesting novelties now arriving in the Sandero range are the option to install an electric sunroof, the keyless card and the push-button start already offered on the Dacia Duster, the new multimedia system we will discuss later, the electric parking brake or rain and light sensors. Also new are the six-speed manual gearbox and a new continuously variable CVT automatic gearbox.

Dacia Sandero images

More modern design and higher interior quality

Except in width, where it grows noticeably (about 10 cm), the Sandero does not change size in the rest of its dimensions. But it does change in appearance, to offer a much more modern image. A design that helps convey a greater sense of quality, together with the materials used, their fit and the incorporation of equipment features that were previously not possible in a Sandero.

Careful, don’t get it wrong. It is still a simple car in its approach, but it no longer projects an image or driving sensations of a “low cost” car. The body colour range is already, on its own, a statement of intent, with Azul Rayo for the Sandero and Atakama Orange on the Sandero Stepway as launch colours. In addition, you can choose from red, white, black and three shades of grey.

Roominess barely changes, which means it remains good relative to its external size. As for the boot, its 328 litres (8 more than the previous generation) place it in line with its rivals. As in the previous Sandero, the LPG versions include the Autogas tank in the area where a possible spare wheel would go, without reducing luggage volume. Some versions may have a floor that can be placed at two heights.

Without doubt, the progress made in exterior design goes hand in hand with the sense of increased quality perceived inside. Hard plastics are still used on the dashboard and on all trim pieces, but with a visual appearance similar to soft materials, and they do not sound “hollow” when touched. Fabric-trimmed applications on the best-equipped versions, well-placed controls with good feel (those of the air conditioning, for example, like those you might find in the Clio) and comfortable seats round off the picture in a Sandero that does not lose its character as a simple car.

It is now also easier for any driver to feel comfortable at the wheel, not only thanks to seats with more “body”, but also thanks to the double steering wheel adjustment (not on all versions) and a wider height adjustment range for the seat. However, the seatbelts still have no height adjustment.

Dacia Sandero vs Sandero Stepway

In some countries, such as Spain, more than 70% of the Sanderos sold correspond to the Stepway version, which could not be missing from this new generation. The difference between the two is now more pronounced, and the Stepway does have that more “adventurous” look that the previous generation’s model never quite achieved.

To this end, the Sandero Stepway features different bumpers that make it 11 mm longer, reaching 4.10 metres. It also incorporates wheel arch protections and a suspension with specific settings that raises ground clearance to 201 mm versus the Sandero’s 162 mm. The definitive “touch” is provided by the new roof bars, with an ingenious system that allows them to be removed and fitted transversely as a roof rack. They support a load of up to 80 kg. The interior also features some decorative details, always in orange.

https://youtu.be/a7-n1yuumwg

As we will see later, the Stepway is not offered with the 65 hp engine. With identical mechanics and equipment, the price difference between a Sandero and a Sandero Stepway is between 1,000 and 1,300 euros.

Dacia Sandero Stepway images

Dacia Sandero and Sandero Stepway range and prices: go for LPG!

Dacia offers three engines for the new Sandero, all of them 3-cylinder petrol. The naturally aspirated SCe produces 65 hp and is paired with the two lower trims, Access and Essential. It is followed by the 90 hp TCe, available in Essential and Comfort trim, both on the Sandero and the Sandero Stepway. For this engine, now with a new six-speed manual gearbox instead of five, there is the option of a CVT automatic gearbox, at an extra cost of 1,000 euros.

The LPG versions, which will gain even more prominence in the range with the disappearance of diesel engines, are called ECO-G and produce 100 hp. Their price compared with the 90 hp TCe makes them enormously attractive: for just 700 euros more you get a car with an ECO environmental label from the DGT, capable of reaching 1,300 km of range between the petrol and gas tanks, with savings of up to 40% in cost per kilometre when running on LPG.

These are the prices for the Spanish market, from which you could deduct 1,200 euros when financing the purchase, plus the corresponding aid under the Renove plan.

Dacia Sandero
Sandero Access SCe 65 hp: 9,600 euros
Sandero Essential SCe 65 hp: 10,800 euros
Sandero Essential TCe 90 hp: 11,800 euros
Sandero Comfort TCe 90 hp: 12,500 euros
Sandero Comfort TCe 90 hp CVT: 13,600 euros
Sandero Essential ECO-G 100 hp: 12,500 euros
Sandero Comfort ECO-G 100 hp: 13,200 euros

Dacia Sandero Stepway
Sandero Stepway Essential TCe 90 hp: 12,800 euros
Sandero Stepway Comfort TCe 90 hp: 13,800 euros
Sandero Stepway Comfort TCe 90 hp CVT: 14,900 euros
Sandero Stepway Essential ECO-G 100 hp: 13,500 euros
Sandero Stepway Comfort ECO-G 100 hp: 14,500 euros

The Access version, which is paired only with the naturally aspirated engine, is the least equipped, which allows a “from price” clearly below 10,000 euros. It is very basic, both in standard equipment and in appearance.

Our recommendation if you are going to look at a Sandero is to start with the Essential trim, which already has body-coloured bumpers, fog lights, boot light, cruise control, folding key, more substantial upholstery and Media Control system. The latter allows you to place your mobile phone in a dedicated space, connect it to the car and use it as a navigation system through the specific Dacia Media Control app.

The Comfort versions add, compared with the Essential, the rain and light sensor, manual air conditioning, ECO driving mode (which limits accelerator response to favour fuel consumption), the Media Display system with an 8-inch touchscreen compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, electric heated exterior mirrors, height and reach adjustable steering wheel and Comfort upholstery.

Wheels are always steel with wheel covers, 15 inches on the Sandero and 16 inches on the Sandero Stepway, with alloy wheels optional only on the Comfort trim.

Driving the Dacia Sandero

During the test route on our first contact with the Dacia Sandero we were able to verify that, without quite offering the feel and footing of a Clio, its dynamic behaviour has nothing to do with the previous generation. It is much more comfortable and conveys a greater sense of security, with suspensions that work much better and steering that lets you feel what is happening under the wheels.

There is no trace left of the “bouncy” and imprecise behaviour of the previous generation, also highlighting better sound insulation and greater smoothness in all the controls.

The 90 hp TCe engine now delivers its maximum torque almost 700 rpm earlier, and you can feel it. Together with the new six-speed gearbox, its gear spacing gives agility when pulling away from rest and gaining speed, and a relaxed top gear for cruising with little noise and low consumption. In addition, the engine is very refined in operation. I have not driven the naturally aspirated 65 hp SCe with five-speed manual gearbox. But the difference between this engine and the TCe in performance and ease of use is far greater in favour of the turbocharged engine than the 1,000 euros that separate them in price.

As for the automatic version, it is quite tempting at only 1,100 euros more than the manual. But I would only recommend this option to those who will be doing a lot of city driving, due to the peculiar behaviour of continuously variable transmissions without fixed gears when driving on main roads or motorways, with constant rises and falls in engine speed at the slightest lift or press of the accelerator. It’s a pity that the new Sandero did not receive the Clio’s dual-clutch gearbox, although the price would have been higher.

Alternatives to the Dacia Sandero

Among the possible alternatives to the Dacia Sandero, if you are looking for a new car at the lowest possible price, do not overlook the Fiat Panda, although it sits one step lower in size.

Other Sandero rivals that fit better by size would be the entry-level versions of models such as the Citroën C3, the Seat Ibiza or the Opel Corsa, for example; all of them are more expensive than the Sandero when comparing versions with an equivalent engine. A Renault Clio with the same engine as the Sandero and similar equipment costs around 4,000 euros more.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackDacia Sandero23 versions · from 13,520 €