A proper car and a proper price.

Its the right size too. I haven't checked the dimensions but I bet its not too far off an Escort or early Golf for size.

All important question - has the rear leg room improved over the previous shape Sandero?

Yes.

All important question - has the rear leg room improved over the previous shape Sandero?

When dad fancied a new car in about 2014 I thought a Sandero would be a great choice (on paper). The oily bits underneath were old Micra/Clio and since mum had no issues getting in and out of the K12 Micra (some cars had been difficult including the Jazz) all seemed favouable so off we went for a look. Really disappointed. Externally it was bigger than the K12 Micra, in the back it was smaller. He did not bother and actually gave up his license later that year.

Move onto 2019 when the uncle really needed a new motor, his Fiesta was 16 years old and through neglect totally knackered (it had only done about 30,000 miles). So again off to see the Sandero since no one ever used the rear seats. Sales chappy was a liar so we left. He bought a pre reg Celerio for less (£6750 inc met) and that car despite its tiny size is more spacious.

The Sandero desperately needs to be better along with the dealers.

Ordered one today, delivery not until May. Hardly Polo or Fiesta standard but for the money its a belting deal. Gone for the bi-fuel 100, the extra £400 outlay will be recouped in fuel savings within 12000 miles so a total no brainer really.

I don't think it is as far off the Polo and Fiesta as you think. Yes the Polo has the cachet of the VW badge (for those who care about that) and (probably) higher quality interior plastics (I say probably, because going by what I read in the motoring press, the interiors of some VAG cars are not what they once were). And no, the Sandero probably isn't going to handle with the panache of a Fiesta, but, A, that doesn't mean fun can't be had on a twisty road, and, B, any adults in the back will be much happier than are in a Sandero than a Fiesta.

I read a 300 mile road test of the Sandero in Car Magazine a couple of months ago, the writer was very impressed by it, so don't feel you are a pauper because you bought one rather than a Polo or Fiesta!.

Also, once you've had it for a wee while, come back and let us know what you think of the car.

I wonder to what extent a Dacia sold is a Renault unsold. Renault will need to maintain a clear gap between the makes, possibly by keeping the latest technology reserved for its cars.

Yes, that is something which maybe Renault hasn't really thought through. With the previous Sandero, it didn't look that much like the couple of generations old Clio it was based on. And while I wouldn't go as far as saying it looked cheap, it certainly looked like a basic, no nonsense kind of car.

Whereas the new Sandero, well that is based on the current Clio and you can see the resemblance. So I think there is definitely a danger that some buyers, who might have been thinking about a Clio, will go for a Sandero instead.

I also wonder what the bodywork is like. Modern Renaults are excellent in that department, so hopefully Dacias are as well. It used not to be the case of course, Renaults rusted quite badly in the 70s and into the 80s - but most cars did, even a 1975 Golf we had developed holes in the inner wings that you could poke your fingers through. This is one area where the manufacturers have really got their act together.

I don't think there is much danger of rust. When Dacia first returned to the UK marketthere were rust issues with the Duster and Sandero, but I believe the root of those problem were dealt with fairly quickly.

The equivalent spec Clio starts at almost 5k more than the top spec Sandero with the same engine, yet is only a 5 speed compared to the Sandero 6 speed gearbox.

Edited by Miller2 on 20/02/2021 at 14:32

They have dropped the basic Access model for £7995 from the UK Could be a temporary measure, dealership thinks it has something to do with chip shortages and the access is the least profitable hence for now it’s been shelved.

£8k for a new car. Wow. You'd have thought with prices rising generally on many goods at the moment, people would go for cheap basic wheels, especially with continued issues surrounding public transport.

If the reliability and longevity was good, then I'd certainly consider it if the money was that tight, compared to looking at a similar sized car from other makes and having to consider models that were 5+ years old.