Design and Build

As before, the Stepway is styled to look a bit more rugged without actually offering any four wheel-drive underpinnings. The extra 41mm of stepped up ground clearance gives it a nicely chunky look and might well prove useful when bumping up and down big kerbs in town. This third generation version has a redesigned front end and body features such as proper metal front and rear skid plates, fog lamps, pronounced flared wheel arches, larger 16-inch alloy wheels, longitudinal roof bars that can be turned into a functional roof rack and some smart paint colours. Otherwise, it's exactly like a standard Sandero, which means that this 'DJF/BJ1 cross' generation version rides on the same CMF-B platform as a far pricier (and smaller) Renault Clio. That's allowed it to be a touch bigger than the pre-2020 MK2 model, noticeably wider (1,848mm without mirrors) and 19mm longer. The look's less anonymous too, thanks to a Y-shaped LED front lighting signature. Inside, it's much nicer than you might expect, with a modern dashboard that's embellished on this Stepway variant with fabric finishes. Infotainment's taken step forward since 2020 too, most versions getting an 8-inch centre monitor featuring smartphone mirroring. Access to the rear is easy, with wide-opening doors and reasonable knee room; you could seat a couple of adults there more comfortably than in most other superminis. The boot's a decent size too, rated at 328-litres, extendable to 1,108-litres with the back seat folded.

Market and Model

There are three trim levels - 'Essential', 'Expression' and 'Extreme'. So how much are you going to end up paying? Think in terms of a Stepway starting price of just over £15,000 (about £1,500 more than a regular Sandero) and you won't be too far out. That makes this still the cheapest Crossover-styled car you can buy. It undercuts rugged-ised versions of smaller city cars like the Fiat Panda Cross and the Kia Picanto X-line and offers lots more space inside than both. For some perspective, in size, this car is somewhere between a Fiesta Active-shaped supermini (models of which tend to be priced from around £22,500) and a Focus Active-sized family hatch (priced from around £28,000). So you get the idea. It really is hard to argue with this kind of value proposition. Three interior media infotainment options are available, the most basic system - called 'Media Control' - includes Bluetooth and a DAB radio, but no screen. Instead, you get a dock for your smartphone which can run a purpose-designed app for in-car use. Further up the range, you get two options based around an 8-inch touchscreen; 'Media Display', which incorporates 'Android Auto' and 'Apple CarPlay' smartphone-mirroring. And (only for the top Stepway 'Extreme' variant) 'Media Nav', which has built-in sat nav with Wi-Fi-based smartphone access. Optional extras if you want to plush up your Sandero include automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, a reversing camera, auto wipers and a power operated sunroof.

Cost of Ownership

There's a surprisingly high efficiency price to pay for this Stepway variant's 'SUV'-ness. In an ordinary Sandero, the three cylinder turbo 1.0-litre TCe 90 turbo unit almost all customers choose returns 53.3mpg on the combined cycle and 119g/km of CO2. The same engine in a Sandero Stepway manages 50.4mpg and 127g/km. It's 45.6mpg and 140g/km for the automatic version. You would of course do much better with a pricier mainstream rugged-ised supermini like a Ford Fiesta Active, but there's no doubt that Dacia has considerably closed the previous gap in efficiency that existed compared to the mainstream market. And it's useful to have the rare option of LPG power for the TCe engine (the TCe 100 Bi-fuel model), should you be prepared to consider it. On to the warranty. Dacia offers its latest Zen warranty which can cover you for you to 7 years provided you get your car regularly serviced at a Dacia franchise. This is backed by three years or 60,000 miles of roadside assistance. Service intervals are every year or every 12,000 miles and since most Renault dealers look after Dacias too, you shouldn't be too far from a specialist workshop. It also helps that there's a timing chain that'll last as long as the engine. Dacia offers a choice of pre-paid servicing schemes covering you for either two years and 24,000 miles or three years and 36,000 miles.

Summary

This Dacia Sandero Stepway sells well for a reason. It's a much more interesting and, crucially, more expensive-looking car than the basic Sandero hatch and although the craze for these SUV-styled superminis might have been and gone, it's still a vehicle that will continue to find a ready market here in the UK. With its 41mm raised ride height, it will not only appeal to those looking for something a bit beefy-looking to drive in town, but older buyers might well appreciate not having to sit so far down into the vehicle. The pricing, though nothing like as affordable as it used to be, still looks pretty good as well. For only a couple of hundred pounds more than the most depressingly basic citycar, you can buy a well-equipped Stepway with a modern petrol turbo engine and miles more equipment. Perhaps Skoda should have been Volkswagen's Dacia, but it hasn't really worked out that way. It's become a bit too gentrified. In contrast, the Stepway is a case study in how to do budget cars very well indeed.