Dacia Sandero Stepway

Date: 09 October 2013   |   Author: Jack Carfrae

Category: Crossover P11D price: £10,740 Key rival: Peugeot 2008 On sale: June 2013

off-roader, though the aforementioned additions may make it more appropriate for businesses that want cheap vehicles to take a bit of a beating. Interior space remains the same as the standard Sandero, including a 320-litre boot, expanding to 1200 litres with the back seats folded down.

Tested here with the 90hp 1.5-litre dCi engine, the Stepway isn't a quick car, but there's enough mid-range pull in reserve to make it competent on A-roads and motorways. Refinement is a way off the class best and there's a fair amount of body roll, not helped by the increased ride height, so it does have a habit of lolloping its way round bends.

The cabin is fine given the car's budget standing, but it's very much a cut below that of Kia, Skoda or even Chevrolet. As long as you and your drivers are aware and accepting of that, then the Stepway makes for a sound financial proposition. Its biggest draw is the rock-bottom list price, which starts at £7940 for the basic model, while the top-spec dCi 90 Laureate driven here has a P11D of £10,740.

Given the Dacia's relatively compact size and bargain-basement status, it will never be particularly popular with user-choosers,, but with its exceptionally low cost-per-mile figure of 30.5ppm it can comfortably undercut the current swathe of smaller crossovers such as the Skoda Yeti, Peugeot 2008 and parent company rival, the Renault Captur.

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