The 2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway versus the older generation

No sooner had it opened its doors to us in the studio, at the end of September, than the new Sandero had won over us. Difficult to speak of love at first sight, because the Romanian rather plays the card of pragmatism. But the progress made in the exterior presentation as in the passenger compartment, were immediately surprising, already announcing a great quality / price ratio.. Yesterday, the city car Dacia transformed the test with flying colors, showing off all its consistency and excellent road performance. No need to torture your mind, at € 8,690 for the basic version or at € 15,290 for the most expensive Stepway – TCe 90 automatic gearbox – this second generation is an excellent deal and it will further expand its audience. If you are one of them, you will surely be interested in our tests of both standard and Stepway versions, but the detailed technical specifications may also be of use to you. Once is not custom, we have already been able to pass the new Stepway through our base in Montlhéry, in order to present you with the most complete technical sheet possible. Here it is largely revealed, with comparisons against the older generation and sometimes against the Clio 5.

All prices of the new Dacia Sandero and Sandero Stepway 2021

Acceleration and recovery

For this first measured test and while waiting for other versions very soon, it is a TCe 90 version with CVT automatic transmission and in Comfort finish – the highest therefore, at € 15,290 – that we have tried. Well known in the Renault group, the small 3-cylinder 1.0 always does a good job. In its 90 hp version, however, it is a little less cheerful than under the hood of the Clio TCe 100. According to our chrono, the Stepway CVT runs:

• 0 to 60 km / h in 6 seconds
• 0 to 80 km / h in 9.4 seconds
• 0 to 100 km / h in 13.6 seconds
• 0 to 120 km / h in 20.6 seconds
• the 400 meters standing start in 19.4 seconds
• the 1000 meters standing start in 36 seconds

In times, the city car Dacia is doing even a little better since it achieves:

• 30 to 60 km / h in 3.3 seconds
• 60 to 100 km / h in 7.40 seconds
• 80 to 120 km / h in 11.00 seconds

With 5 people on board, it will be better to anticipate so as not to be surprised, but you never have the feeling of missing. Difficult to compare this new generation with the Sandero Stepway 1 since the latter was only available, in automatic gearbox, with the horrible Easy-R, not even installed under the hood of the “Stepway”.

Braking

When it comes to braking, the Sandero proves once again that low price doesn’t mean insecurity. According to our brakeographer, she is clearly more gifted in the exercise than her predecessor and even than her cousin Clio:

Habitability

Built on a completely different architecture, the new Dacia Sandero is significantly larger than its predecessor. Not so much in length, with only 2 cm more, but especially in width with an increase of 11.5 cm (1.83 m)! There was therefore a right to expect great progress in habitability, but to prove it, there is ultimately little difference between the first generation and the second. These results are undoubtedly due to more important bodywork reinforcements, which guarantee better safety in the event of an accident.

Soundproofing

Progress can also be noted on soundproofing. But in this regard, logic is respected. Understand that the Stepway 2 does better than the Stepway 1 but less well than the Clio.

Weight

The change of platform and the adoption of the CMF-B architecture allowed the Sandero to grow and improve its performance without taking too much weight. After verification, our Stepway TCe 90 CVT Confort weighs 1170 kg on the scale, only 26 kg more than its predecessor without automatic transmission. For comparison, the Clio 5 TCe 100 X-Tronic Intens climbs, it, to 1180 kg.

Consumption

Position could not be more important in the choice of an engine, consumption logically deserves your full attention. Let’s say it right away, the Stepway 2 is not a benchmark in this area. With an average established at 7.6 l / 100 km, it does less well than its predecessor, admittedly with a manual gearbox.. It is obviously on the motorway that the TCe 90 CVT is the most voracious, with 8.6 l / 100 km. Faced with a Clio or a Peugeot 208, the Romanian pays cash for less studied aerodynamics, especially in this enhanced Stepway version.