Dacia Sandero Stepway Review 2024

SUV-styled hatchbacks like the Dacia Sandero Stepway are something of a niche option, adding extra ride height and bespoke body cladding to a conventional supermini. Rivals such as the Honda Jazz Crosstar and outgoing Ford Fiesta Active are the closest rivals, with the Suzuki Ignis and Fiat Panda both similar in their approach.

The Dacia Sandero has established itself as one of the best value-for-money options in the new car market, delivering plenty of space for not a great deal of cash.

Opting for the Dacia Sandero Stepway brings the same benefits, but adds extra ground clearance and some rugged, SUV-inspired styling features.

Before we get too far in our Dacia Sandero Stepway review, it’s important to note that it is not really an off-roader. Yes, it might have an extra 41mm of ground clearance compared to a regular Dacia Sandero, but you will not be venturing far on rough terrain.

Instead, there is skid plate-effect underbody cladding, plus extra black plastic trim and standard roof rails.

It certainly leaves the Dacia Sandero Stepway looking the part, and the increased ride height allows you to traverse bumpy rural tracks without much fuss.

For most, simply dealing with the UK’s crumbling road network will feel easier, thanks to a suspension set-up designed to absorb the worst bumps and ruts.

On the downside, this translates into a lot of body roll, and a car that is not particularly engaging to drive.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway generates plenty of grip, but it is not a vehicle that makes tackling corners something you’d do for fun.

The same is true of the engine options, which place their focus upon efficiency instead of performance. There is only a single 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, but it can be fuelled by petrol or LPG.

The latter might seem like a throwback to the early 2000s, but it can certainly make the Dacia Sandero Stepway even cheaper to run.

Choosing the ECO-G Bi-Fuel version means drivers can switch between petrol and LPG as they desire. Running on LPG does mean reduced fuel economy, but the cheaper price per litre still makes for a major cost saving.

Although the Dacia Sandero Stepway has increased in price over time, it still represents a genuine bargain. Prices for the entry-level Essential start at just over £15,000. For comparison, a Honda Jazz Crosstar costs from £28,000, while a Ford Fiesta Active will set you back £22,550.

Even the cheapest Dacia Sandero Stepway comes with equipment such as air conditioning and LED headlights as standard, while the interior is more spacious than those of more expensive superminis.

Where the Dacia Sandero Stepway becomes a harder sell is when you consider its Euro NCAP safety rating. It scores just two stars out of five, which looks poor when almost every new car seems to achieve at least four stars.

The important thing to remember is the basic vehicle underneath scores well for occupant protection, but the Dacia Sandero Stepway goes without some of the electronic safety equipment required to earn it a top rating.

Ultimately, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is all about value for money, along with a roomy interior and low running costs. No, it is not the most refined vehicle to drive, and its handling is far from inspiring.

Perhaps its biggest challenge comes from the regular Dacia Sandero, which does almost everything its SUV-styled cousin can do, but for less money.

Forget any ideas of the Dacia Sandero Stepway being a sporty SUV. This is a car that majors on comfort, not dynamic handling.

In part, this is thanks to the increased ride height, which adds 41mm of ground clearance compared to the regular Dacia Sandero.

Dealing with rough roads in Dacia’s native Romania is the key motivation for this long-travel suspension, but it translates well to help the Dacia Sandero Stepway cope with the UK’s less-than-perfect road network.

The downside is a rather pronounced amount of body roll, meaning cornering is really not the model’s strong point.

Although it has steering that is light and fairly precise, there is little pleasure to be had in tackling a twisty road.

Being front-wheel drive, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is limited in its off-road ability.

Extreme models do come with an Extended Grip setting, which adjusts the power delivery to cope better with slippery conditions.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is offered with just one engine, but it comes in three different varieties. A turbocharged three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine, also used in a host of other Dacia products, is the starting point.

In its most basic form, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is powered by a 90PS version of the engine fuelled by petrol alone. It comes connected to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels.

Accelerating from 0-62mph takes 12.0 seconds, which does not sound particularly quick on paper. However, the 1.0 TCe 90’s punchy torque output of 160Nm makes it feel more lively on the road.

The 1.0 engine is also available with Dacia’s unique Bi-Fuel option, allowing drivers to pick between petrol or LPG. Running on petrol, the ECO-G 100 engine produces the same 90PS and 160Nm of torque.

However, switching to LPG increases these outputs to 100PS and 170Nm, dropping the 0-62mph time fractionally to 11.9 seconds. Along with this extra power, the ECO-G 100 engine feels smoother and more refined.

Like the TCe 90, it comes equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The final option is reserved solely for the top-spec Extreme. Instead of a manual gearbox, it adds a CVT automatic transmission.

Although the engine retains the same 90PS power output, the CVT automatic cuts the torque produced down to 142Nm. Along with being a little noisy around town, the CVT also increases the 0-62mph time to 14.2 seconds.

Unless you really don’t want to shift gears yourself (or aren’t able to), the six-speed manual version is the better choice.

Where the Dacia Sandero Stepway falls notably behind its rivals is with its official safety rating. Following tests by the Euro NCAP organisation, the car was awarded only two stars.

However, Dacia has made it clear it does not pursue the maximum five-star rating, balancing affordability with the stringent demands of Euro NCAP testing.

When it comes to adult occupant protection, the Dacia Sandero Stepway scores an acceptable 70 percent, with child occupants rated at 72 percent.

This is on par with other small cars, but the lack of active safety technology pulls the Dacia Sandero Stepway’s rating down.

There is a limited autonomous emergency braking system, along with plenty of airbags, plus Isofix child seat attachments for the outer rear seats.

Although only a compact SUV-styled hatchback, rather than a true off-roader, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is still relatively capable when it comes to towing. All versions are rated for hauling a braked trailer weighing up to 1100kg.

The standard Dacia Sandero is larger than most rival hatchbacks, which means the Dacia Sandero Stepway is also more spacious.

Measuring 4099mm in length, with a width of 1848mm, it’s a compact car that offers plenty of room on the inside.

In the front, there is more than enough headroom and legroom to accommodate even the tallest drivers. There is also a useful number of storage spaces and cupholders.

The same applies to the rear of the Dacia Sandero Stepway, which comes close to rivalling the Honda Jazz for space.

Headroom is plentiful, while legroom will only be a squeeze for those more than six-feet tall. Three people can sit side-by-side on the rear bench if needed.

The bench splits and folds 60:40, making it easier to transport large items. With the rear seats in place, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is capable of holding 328 litres of luggage – much more than you would find in most hatchbacks.

Fold the rear seats down and this increases to a very useful 1108 litres, with 78 litres beneath the false floor.

Keep in mind that Bi-Fuel models place the LPG tank where the spare wheel usually goes, so you won’t get a proper spare.

Just how basic the Dacia Sandero Stepway appears depends on the trim level chosen. The entry-level Essential feels a little sparse, although the layout is simple and easy to use.

This is all in keeping with a car costing thousands of pounds less than its rivals.

Moving up to Expression trim brings a fancier cabin, with fabric trim on the dashboard and armrests. A soft-touch steering wheel adds a little luxury, too.

There are plenty of hard plastics, with cost-saving always evident, but the Dacia Sandero Stepway feels robust enough to survive family life.

What you get from the Dacia Sandero Stepway’s infotainment system is determined by just how much money you want to splash out on this bargain hatchback.

In basic Essential trim, the Dacia Sandero Stepway is one of the few new cars without a touchscreen as standard. Instead, there is a simple DAB radio, with a 3.5-inch display found on the conventional instrument panel.

There is Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port, though, along with steering wheel-mounted controls.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway Expression comes with an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen. As you would hope from Dacia, even this is fairly simple and easy to use, helped by touch-sensitive buttons alongside it.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality is included, and all versions come with a dashboard-mounted holder for your smartphone.

In range-topping Extreme specification, satellite navigation is added as well.

At the time of writing, prices for the Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential start from just under £15,300, with this covering both the petrol TCe 90 and Bi-Fuel TCe 100 models.

Opting for the Dacia Sandero Stepway in Expression trim requires only £1000 more, while the range-topping Dacia Sandero Stepway Extreme starts from £17,645.

By comparison, a regular Dacia Sandero is priced from less than £14,000, meaning you can save even more by eschewing the SUV styling.

However, the Dacia Sandero Stepway remains a bargain, particularly when rivals such as the Honda Jazz Crosstar cost from £28,000.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is cheap to buy, and should be relatively cheap to run. How affordable you want to make it depends on the engine you pick.

The petrol TCe 90 engine is the most economical option on paper, being able to average 50.4mpg on the official WLTP test cycle.

In reality, the TCe 90 is likely to manage closer to 45mpg out on the road. To see just what the Dacia Sandero Stepway can achieve, be sure to read our Real MPG submissions, written by drivers who actually own one.

With the CVT automatic transmission, fuel economy from the 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine does decline. Compared with the manual-equipped model, the CVT version averages 45.5mpg.

Opting for the ECO-G 100 Bi-Fuel model gives drivers an option to maximise efficiency. When running on petrol, this engine cuts average fuel economy to 48.7mpg.

And switching to run on LPG reduces this still further, to only 38mpg.

However, LPG still costs much less than petrol to buy, meaning it will be cheaper to run overall. This is all providing you have a filling station that sells LPG nearby, of course.

Other running costs for the Dacia Sandero Stepway should remain low, with insurance starting in group 10 for the basic Essential model. This rises to a still-reasonable group 14 in the top Extreme version.

Every new Dacia Sandero Stepway comes with a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty as standard. This can be extended all the way to six years or 100,000 miles of coverage for a reasonable £690.

Dacia also offers a number of servicing packages, allowing maintenance costs to be paid for on a monthly basis.

Even with bargain pricing, the Dacia Sandero Stepway comes with a relatively generous level of standard equipment.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential includes LED signature headlights, automatic LED daytime running lights, a gloss black front grille and body-coloured front and rear bumpers.

There is some evidence of keeping costs down, with 16-inch steel wheels, black door handles and black side mirrors. The standard roof rails come in black, too.

On the inside, the seats are finished in ‘Specific’ cloth upholstery, with copper-coloured stitching and inserts. More copper brown can be found on the air vent surrounds, with the door handles in black.

There is also manual air conditioning, remote central locking, electric front windows, cruise control and a trip computer.

A DAB radio is fitted, with four speakers, a USB socket and Bluetooth connectivity. The steering wheel includes controls for the audio system, plus there is a smartphone holder attached to the dashboard.

Moving up to the Dacia Sandero Stepway Expression brings an extra bundle of features, including a white front grille and body-coloured door handles and side mirrors.

Front fog lights are fitted, while the side mirrors become electrically adjustable and heated.

The interior benefits from a fabric lining on the dashboard and door armrests, with the steering wheel gaining a soft-touch feel. Fog Grey trim is used for the air vent surrounds and decorative inserts, with Steel Grey found on the door handles.

Automatic windscreen wipers, front and rear electric windows, keyless entry, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors are all included.

The infotainment is upgraded to an 8.0-inch touchscreen, which offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway Extreme is the range-topping model, with bespoke decals on the door protector trims, 16-inch black alloy wheels and a gloss black ‘shark fin’ radio antenna.

Copper Brown is used for the side mirrors, fog light trim, rear Dacia badging and the roof bar inscription.

Bespoke ‘Extreme’ upholstery is used for the interior, with a TEP MicroCloud fabric combined with Brun Cuivre stitching and an embossed Dacia logo.

There is more TEP MicroCloud fabric on the dashboard and front door armrests, along with rubber floor mats that feature a topographical design.

Automatic climate control is fitted, along with front and rear parking sensors and an electric parking brake.

You also get a split-level boot floor, blind-spot monitoring and Dacia’s Extended Grip setting. Satellite navigation is added to the infotainment system, too.