The new Dacia Sandero and Sandero Stepway models are now available to pre-order in the UK with prices starting at just under £8,000. Although customers can secure their places on the waiting list with a £99 deposit, the first deliveries are not expected until April 2021.
The new hatchbacks are the first Dacias to be built on parent company Renault’s CMF platform, which is shared with other models in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. The platform is already in use with the Renault Clio, Nissan Micra and Nissan Juke models, as well as the Renault Captur.
Aside from the new mechanical underpinnings, the 2021 Sandero will also benefit from an updated exterior design, as well as a revamped cabin promising “a significant uplift in quality”. As before, the Stepway versions will be differentiated from standard Sandero models with raised suspension, extra body cladding and metal skid plates.
Gallery: 2020 Dacia Sandero Stepway
The conventional Sandero hatchback will come to the UK with a choice of three trim levels, ranging from the entry-level Access, Essential and Comfort trims. Sandero Stepway customers will also get a choice of three trims, but the basic Access is off the menu, while the range-topping Prestige model is added to the line-up.
Access models justify their £7,995 starting price with automatic LED headlights with Y-shaped LED daytime running lights, plus 15-inch steel wheels, front electric windows and a phone docking station. The basic version also comes with an Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS), which can automatically apply the brakes if it detects an impending collision, and six airbags.
Moving up to the Essential raises the price to £8,995, and offers customers 15-inch wheel covers and body coloured bumpers, as well as a height-adjustable driver’s seat with armrest. The car also comes with a fully adjustable steering column, manual air conditioning and cruise control, not to mention remote central locking, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
The Comfort, meanwhile, comes in at £11,595 and is singled out by its 15-inch ‘Flexwheels’, body coloured mirrors and chrome fog light surrounds. Keyless entry aids access, and once inside, you’ll find an eight-inch Media Nav touchscreen display. That screen houses satellite navigation and smartphone integration systems, as well as a reversing camera.
Although the Stepway’s trim levels may have similar names to the Sandero’s, the level of specification is very different. Essential-level Stepways cost £10,995, and they come with 16-inch ‘Flexwheels’, tinted windows, and front fog lights, plus manual air conditioning and rear parking sensors.
Moving up to the £12,595 Comfort gets you a leather steering wheel, keyless entry and cruise control, along with automatic lights and wipers. As with the standard Sandero, the Comfort trim also offers the eight-inch Media Nav touchscreen, complete with smartphone integration and reversing camera.
Crowning the range is the new Prestige trim, which comes in at £13,395. That buys you 16-inch alloy wheels, an automatic parking brake and climate control, as well as front parking sensors and a centre console with an integrated armrest and storage.
The engine range comprises three petrol engines, with entry-level Sandero models coming with the SCe 65 engine as standard. That 64 bhp engine is joined by the 89 bhp TCe 90 and 99 bhp TCe 100 – an engine that is also capable of running on LPG. All three engines are available with the standard Sandero, but the Stepway is only offered with the two more powerful units.
More on the Dacia Sandero:
Gallery: 2020 Dacia Sandero
