- Price (Base/Test): NIS 126,400/120,000
- Competitors: Seat Arona, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic
- Likes: Off-road capabilities, spaciousness, city comfort
- Dislikes: Material quality, noise insulation, handling, safety
- Score: 7/10
What’s the difference between an omelet and a scrambled egg in restaurants? It's not the whisking, the toppings, or even the presentation. In the end, the difference between an omelet and scrambled eggs is NIS 25-30. Car manufacturers figured this out a long time ago. Why sell a basic, everyday supermini when you can sprinkle some magic, add a few extra centimeters in height, tough black wheel arches, plastic trim resembling shields, and a roof rack—and voilà, your scrambled egg turns into an omelet, with a price tag to match. Dacia didn’t invent this trick with the Sandero Stepway; many did it before them, and almost every manufacturer will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Just like its previous generation, Dacia’s supermini—now the best-selling car in Europe—also offers a raised version with a rugged appearance and a higher price tag called Stepway. The question is whether, in its current generation, it continues to offer Dacia’s traditional formula of practicality combined with convincing pricing.
Design: The Sandero Stepway faithfully follows the protocol for turning a mini into a crossover. Raised stance, black wheels, "protective" plastic trim in metallic color, black wheel arch cladding, and an aggressive roof rack. The bronze color of the test car enhances this look, effectively conveying the right message. Even the side stickers on the doors, which feature the coordinates of Argeș County in central Romania (I can’t see coordinates without checking them, a bad habit from my army days), show a mountain pass and road that, according to Google Maps, looks very tempting.
Interior: The functional approach is maintained inside the car. No gimmicks or unnecessary complications. The design is nice, but the material quality is far from impressive. The plastic is very basic and hollow. However, the seats are comfortable even after several kilometers, and the driving position is high, as expected in this class. Dacia’s ergonomics were never its strong suit, and that hasn't changed. On the plus side, the climate control system is easy to operate with very large knobs. On the downside, there is no physical control for the audio volume other than from the steering wheel, the screen occasionally responded with a slight delay, and the single USB port is located on top of the dashboard. This placement was convenient when we used to mount phones there or attach them to the windshield, but with today’s screen mirroring systems, it feels redundant and somewhat cumbersome. The two cup holders are placed under the armrest and are not easily accessible.
Like the front, the rear seats also offer a pleasant living space overall, with decent legroom even for an adult, although the cheap plastic is once again noticeable.
Trunk: With an official volume of 328 liters, the Sandero Stepway's trunk is good for a supermini, though not the largest in its category. Its deep structure and high loading lip require lifting items quite high. In the spirit of general cost-saving, some unusual details are found here—a basic driver's tool kit attached to the side of the trunk, exposed metal at the edge of the trunk without the typical plastic protection, and a recipe for paint scrapes. We were happy to find a spare tire, which was not skimped on and is quite important.
Equipment: Dacia has never lured customers with excessive equipment. There's an 8-inch multimedia screen compatible with Android and Apple, keyless entry and start, climate control, and that’s about it for interior comfort. Optional extras include a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, external door protectors, rubber mats, window lifters, and more, priced at NIS 6,384.
Safety Equipment: Advanced safety features include autonomous emergency braking, lane departure correction, and speed limit sign recognition. As mentioned, blind-spot monitoring is available as an optional local installation. The car received two out of five stars in the European crash test.
Performance: The engine is a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder turbo producing 91 horsepower and 14.5 kg-m of torque. Power is delivered through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with front-wheel drive. If this doesn’t sound like much, you're right. The engine is not particularly refined, and the characteristic vibration of three-cylinder engines is not well dampened, passing into the cabin when idling. As long as you're driving slowly and moderately, such as in the city, it’s fine, but once you need to accelerate, you realize it’s underpowered, and the transmission, which quickly raises the RPM to try to coax more power from the engine, only increases the overall noise.
Fuel Consumption: Though we received a car with only a few hundred kilometers on it, the fuel consumption was reasonable, but nothing more: 14.8 km per liter, not far from the manufacturer’s claim of 15.8 km per liter, but not outstanding.
Comfort and Handling: The Stepway feels at home in the city not just in terms of performance, but also comfort. It struggles with small road imperfections, and vibrations pass into the cabin on rough or cracked roads. It handles bumps better at slow speeds than outside the city. In the city, its relatively compact dimensions, light steering, and good outward visibility can also be used to full advantage. Outside the city, it’s not a pleasant ride for passengers. The engine, as mentioned, is noisy, noise insulation is poor, and above 90-100 km/h, the roof rails start to whistle.
We didn’t expect much from its road handling, and indeed, it didn’t surprise. As long as you maintain a moderate pace, there won’t be any issues. But if you push it, the car quickly reacts with significant body roll, bouncing, and if you hit a bump during a fast curve, it will definitely teach you a lesson.
We should note that in a test involving high-speed braking and evasive maneuvers, the car did not inspire confidence or feel particularly stable. Given that this is a crossover with a respectable ground clearance of 20 cm, I allowed myself to take it on easy trails, where it performed surprisingly well. The suspension handled bumps nicely, the engine performed efficiently at low RPMs, and the car’s light weight allowed it to maintain momentum and move forward confidently, even when I overdid it.
Bottom Line
The Sandero Stepway is simple, in every sense of the word. There's no excessive sophistication or gimmickry. It’s a straightforward car with a pleasant and even attractive look, a basic and unremarkable interior, and equipment that covers the necessities but falls short on safety. Its weak powertrain struggles in intercity driving, fuel consumption is unimpressive, and it’s best suited for urban life. For those venturing beyond the city, there’s a pleasant surprise awaiting on easy trails.
So far, this description could also apply to the previous generation of the Sandero Stepway. But with a price tag of NIS 120,000, it’s just too close to excellent competitors like the Kia Stonic, Seat Arona, and Hyundai Venue, priced between NIS 127,000 and NIS 130,000. At such a small price gap, it’s no longer the tempting deal that makes it easy to overlook its shortcomings.
Technical Specifications: Dacia Sandero Stepway
- Engine, Drive: Turbo, 3 cylinders
- Power/Torque (HP/kg-m): 14.5/91
- Transmission: Automatic, CVT
Dimensions:
- Length (m): 4.1
- Width (m): 1.85
- Height (m): 1.53
- Wheelbase (m): 2.60
- Trunk (liters): 328
- Weight: 1,193 kg
- Tires: 205/60R16
Performance:
- 0-100 km/h acceleration (seconds): 14.2
- Top speed (km/h): 163
- Fuel consumption (manufacturer): 15.8 km/l
- Fuel consumption (test): 14.8 km/l
Safety:
- European crash test score: 2/5 stars
- Active safety: Autonomous braking, lane departure correction, speed sign recognition
Emissions:
- Group 13 out of 15
Warranty:
- 3 years or 100,000 km