Dacia Sandero Stepway (2013-2021) Review

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is a more expensive version of Dacia’s cheapest car. It taps into our growing love of crossovers by tempting you with a raised ride height, chunkier styling and a higher level of standard equipment, in the hope that you’ll be prepared to pay extra for the privilege.

Despite appearances, the Dacia Sandero Stepway isn’t a true off-roader, but how many of us really need a 4x4? Instead, the Stepway is a slightly more polished take on the standard Dacia Sandero formula, with the same easy-to-drive and easy-to-live-with appeal.

That said, it is showing its age, with a 2016 facelift and the launch of a few special editions along the way failing to disguise its vintage. Still, if you’re after a no-frills affordable crossover, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is an appealing proposition.

The Renault-sourced 0.9 TCe 90 petrol engine has been available throughout the Dacia Sandero Stepway’s life. The three-cylinder turbocharged motor provides the best balance of performance and economy.

It seems perfectly suited to the Dacia Sandero Stepway, offering a reasonably punchy 90PS and a respectable 51.4mpg, with reassurance provided by the fact that it also resides in the Renault Clio and Captur.

There’s no super-basicl Access trim on the Dacia Sandero Stepway version of the Sandero, so while this means the cost of entry is higher, you get an improved level of standard equipment. Trim levels have changed during the car’s seven-year lifespan, but Ambiance and Comfort offer a great blend of price and equipment. Spend too much on the Dacia Sandero Stepway and the price gets perilously close to rival cars, diluting the car’s appeal.

The most obvious rival to the Stepway is the standard Dacia Sandero, which offers none of the rugged fancy stuff. It doesn’t feel as special as the Stepway, but paying the lowest price has always been central to Dacia’s appeal.

Beefy versions of small hatchbacks are relatively common these days - the Vauxhall Viva Rocks for example, but the Sandero Stepway straddles a number of segments, making it a fairly unique proposition. It’s cheaper than the smaller Fiat Panda City Cross and Fiat Panda 4x4, with a price tag that places it squarely in the sights of the latest budget city cars. You could also compare it to the likes of the Suzuki Ignis.

In fairness to the Dacia Sandero Stepway, the interior feels robust and hard-wearing. The car has been around long enough for us to know that things don’t start to fall off when it reaches a certain age. Don’t confuse soft-touch plastics and so-called premium materials with longevity. The Dacia Sandero Stepway is just as likely to withstand 100,000 miles of daily use as any car at this end of the market.

You’ll have to live with heater controls that feel like they’re unattached to the dashboard, along with plastics that are a distant relative of those used in a box of chocolates. It’s just a shame you won’t find a Sumptuous Strawberry or Hazelnut Perfection in the Dacia. Still, this is your Dacia Sandero Stepway, not Terry’s.

Spending more on a lavish version of the Dacia Sandero Stepway helps to raise the level of perceived quality, but there are many reminders that this was a car built to a price. Buying a pre-facelift Dacia Sandero Stepway in Laureate trim helps, because this version featured a leather steering wheel and gear knob. As the two items you touch most in the car, having improved quality versions of the pair actually lifts the cabin to a higher level.

Because there isn’t an entry-level Access version of the Dacia Sandero Stepway, all models boast an audio system of some sort. Pre-facelift, this meant a radio with a CD player for the Ambiance trim, or a seven-inch touchscreen system for the Laureate model.

The Essential trim packs a DAB/FM/AM radio with steering wheel controls, two speakers, Bluetooth and USB connection for MP3 players. Sorry, folks, the CD player has been consigned to the Dacia dustbin. Time to put your Abba Gold CD in the attic.

Comfort and SE Twenty models get a seven-inch MediaNav touchscreen with navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That’s a pretty impressive package for a budget car. A seven-inch screen is relatively small by modern standards, while the display looks like something from the 90s. Not that this matters, because proper mirroring connectivity means that you can replace the graphics with a more familiar smartphone layout.

Space is the great leveller. No, we’re not talking about the race between the Soviet Union and United States to send a human into space, but when you’re measuring luggage capacity in a car, it doesn’t matter if you’re looking at a budget hatchback or a premium SUV.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway offers family hatchback levels of interior space for a price more commonly associated with a small hatch or city car.

Four adults will find plenty of headroom and legroom, while the middle rear seat offers enough space for occasional use. The driver gets a height-adjustable seat, but it’s worth noting that the steering wheel adjusts for height and not reach.

All versions get map pockets on the back of the front seats, a couple of shallow cupholders between the gearstick and centre console, sizeable door pockets and a decent size glovebox. However, the Dacia Sandero Stepway lacks the clever storage options offered by many crossovers.

Things are much better in the boot, where you’ll find 320 litres of luggage capacity. That’s more than the 311 litres of space you’ll find in a Ford Fiesta – and 20 litres more than the Citroen C3. The luggage capacity increases to 1,200 litres with the rear seats folded down, with the bench splitting 60/40. There’s a relatively high loading lip to get over, but the tailgate opens to reveal a tall and wide space.

There are also two ISOFIX points in the back, so fitting a pair of child seats won’t be a problem. However, you won’t get a third child seat in there. Fortunately, the rear doors open wide, so you’ll have little trouble loading your children into their seats.

If you need more space, the Dacia Logan Stepway is the estate version of the Dacia Sandero Stepway. No other new car offers quite the same blend of load capacity and low price.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway dimensions are 4089mm long, 1994mm wide and 1555mm tall.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is the UK’s most popular Dacia, so it must be doing something right. It was launched in 2013 with a choice of a 0.9-litre three-cylinder petrol engine (labelled 0.9 TCe 90), along with a 1.5-litre diesel that wore a 1.5 dCi 90 badge.

The 1.5 dCi was dropped from the range, leaving you with a choice of entry-level SCe 75 petrol engine, the favoured TCe 90 (Group Renault’s best-selling engine) and the TCe 100 Bi-Fuel unit.

This dual-fuel option was added to the Dacia range in early 2020, with an LPG tank fitted in place of the spare wheel. Along with improved economy and reduced CO2 emissions, the Bi-Fuel model also boasts additional torque.

Although it’s cheap, the non-turbocharged SCe 75 is best avoided, as it has to be worked really hard to get the best from it. The 0-62mph time is a glacial 15.1 seconds, but you’ll have given up long before then. The TCe 90 is no firecracker, but the 0-62mph time drops to a respectable 11.1 seconds. Crucially, it feels more refined at speed and requires less effort to squeeze the best from it.

If you spend a lot of time on the motorway, we’d recommend one of the earlier 1.5-litre diesel engines. The combination of low CO2 emissions, punchy low- and mid-range torque and fuel economy makes it more appealing than a petrol unit. All models get a five-speed gearbox, because a six-speed ‘box would be too expensive. An automatic transmission isn’t available.

Refinement isn’t a strong point of the Dacia Sandero Stepway. Imperfections in the road are transmitted to the occupants through the pedals, steering wheel and seats, along with an audible reminder that you’re travelling in something cheap.

You also get a fair amount of wind noise, but that’s to be expected in a car with roof bars as standard. Road noise is another issue, presumably because Dacia has used less soundproofing in order to keep costs to a minimum. Are these things deal-breakers? Not at all, because everything has to be viewed in the context of price. The Dacia Sandero Stepway feels no less refined than other budget cars, such as the Mitsubishi Mirage, and it’s a whole lot more appealing than that.

The other issue is that three-cylinder petrol engines aren’t known for their refinement. Some people like the characterful soundtrack, others find it an unnecessary annoyance. In this respect, the discontinued diesel engine offers the best feeling of refinement.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2013, when it received an impressive four-star rating. Scores of 80 percent and 79 percent for adult and child occupant protection were offset by 57 percent and 55 percent for pedestrian safety and safety assist systems.

That was a long time ago, and because the Euro NCAP test procedure has moved on, the Dacia Sandero Stepway would almost certainly receive a lower rating in 2020. It’s not that the Dacia Sandero Stepway is any less safe today than it was in 2013, it’s just that the technology has moved on. Euro NCAP also places greater emphasis on electronic driver assistance systems, which is something the Dacia Sandero Stepway lacks.

Instead, you get driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, emergency brake assist and hill-start assist as standard. Comfort and SE Twenty models boast cruise control with a speed limiter and rear parking sensors. An emergency spare wheel is available as an option, but a tyre inflation kit comes as standard. Note: the spare wheel isn’t available on the TCe 100 Bi-Fuel version, because the wheel well is used to house the LPG tank.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway scored a mighty 9.75 out of 10 for reliability in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Survey, which isn't a massive surprise when it's sister car, the Dacia Sandero, scored 9.90 out of 10. There's something to be said for using well-proven if slightly older components, and it certainly helps keep repair costs low too.

As a brand it couldn't get much better either - Dacia was the highest rated brand overall in the same survey, beating mighty Lexus and Hyundai into first place. Find a good example and you can buy with confidence.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential SCe 75 slots into insurance group 3, making it a very inexpensive car to insure. That’s the kind of group rating you’d associate with city cars or lowly small hatchbacks.

Other versions fall into groups 6 to 13, so getting cover isn’t going to break the bank. The standard Sandero slots into groups three to 10, so the cost of insurance isn’t a reason to avoid the Dacia Sandero Stepway.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway will cost you £165 a year to tax regardless of which version you choose, so there's not much to think about here.

To set it apart from the standard car, Dacia pre-loaded the Dacia Sandero Stepway with a generous level of standard kit. Early cars came with 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome roof bars, tinted windows and remote central locking. Many buyers were tempted by the Laureate version, if only for its air conditioning and seven-inch touchscreen.

The later entry-level Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential trim is a little more generous, packing air-con and a DAB digital radio. Upgrading to Comfort trim would be advisable, not least because it offers front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, a seven-inch touchscreen, navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In truth, special editions and top-spec models make little sense when buying new, but if you see a Dacia Sandero Stepway Techroad, SE Summit, SE Twenty or Laureate trim when searching for a used example, they come highly recommended. Just don’t pay over the odds for your Dacia Sandero Stepway – stick to a tight budget.