Dacia Sandero Stepway
 

Does anyone here own or have knowledge of the Dacia Sandero Stepway, either the Ambiance or Lauréate model who could give me some advice regarding the Dacia/Renault brand?

We nearly purchased one yesterday all due to how cheap these mini SUV's are, I cant believe the engines in these motors are just 900cc 3 cylinder with turbo, CO2 emissions are just 115g/km on the 2016 petrol model with the start/stop feature (£30 year tax). :eek:

Oh, and I finally managed to look at the MG3, I couldn't help think it looks very much like the Suzuki Swift. There was no temptation on my part, I thought I would jump at the chance to own one, but no. :shrug:

My father in law has a top of the range diesel Sandero Stepway with all the options such as built in sat nav, roof bars etc and he cannot fault the car in any way.

You do seem to get a lot of car for the money.

They do seem very popular here in France,,,Do an Honest John car review for an unbiased report.;)

Thats for that Clyde, he must have the Laureate model, comes with the 7" MediaNav, aircon and a few other bits and bobs.

The Ambiance model though, doesn't even have aircon :shrug: or a height adjustable driver seat. :eek:

Thanks John, I can imagine they must be very popular where you are.

Including the grass cutting option Clyde, like in the advert? :D

Some have had rust issues, look at the inside of the bonnet and seams around strut mounts if buying used. The standard Sandero was in the top three when I was car buying a few months ago and two I looked at were showing a good few signs of tin worm on three year old cars.

This is very true,the thickness of the metal must be the thinnest you can get,So not sure of the longevity of these cars..:shrug:

Thanks fellas, we have looked at two 2016 Stepway models, one having just 500 miles on the clock and the other 10k, both are in pristine like new condition and have the extended 5 year warranty.

I'm not surprised about the mention of rust though, there was a late September 2015 model at the dealership which was showing way too much signs of rust discolouration on the undercarriage for a car less than 2 years old. :eek:

We are in two minds at the moment, obviously a 2016 model vehicle with just 500 miles is very tempting. But! these mini SUV's do seem quite flimsy regarding their build/component quality, I dread to think how long until the mechanics start to fail.

Having a 900cc engine with a turbo built by Renault puts me off a little, I remember the turbo's in the Scenic and the Espace not lasting no more than 40k ish miles, but these were the turbo diesels.

We looked at the Mazda2 today, also the new Toyota Aygo and Kia Picanto. I enjoyed the Mazda, but SWMBO likes the Picanto. :duh: We've not ruled out the Sandero Stepway as yet, I need another test drive me thinks.

I'm quite impress the 900cc engine on the Dacia is chain driven, even on the 1.3 Mazda2 and Picanto are chain driven

Hi Wes.
There has been issues with some small Renault engines recently with oil usage, down to ring issues and other items. Renault made some really great engines in days gone by and most of the issues were down to electrics and electronics.
Dacia is actually an old marque and made Renault 12's under license but more recently had their own designs backed by Renault. Every Dacia shares parts which is no bad thing but the steel although as thin as most makes use now to be compliant for crash tests is of lower quality and more likely to rust than the main stream manufacturers use.
If you want a SUV why not look at the Fiat 500x or the Jeep Renegade that uses the 500x chassis, fully galvanised and the 1.4 500x is as quick as a ZT 190!!!

Don't forget chains wear out too, they stretch and don't be fooled that they last forever, a simplex chain is likely to wear out as quick as a belt, when they stretch the timing alters whereas a belt will break at the end of its life.
Friends Mitsi L200 broke a chain at 120,000 miles and the bill came to over £3500

Hi Trev,
I didn't realised Dacia was founded back in 1966, and made this little beauty in the 70's, also the DACIA 1100S, how trendy that was back in the day.

I hear what you say about the chain belts, I've had several Fords with a DOHC chain driven belt engine, all reached high mileage and no issues except the plastic chain followers wearing. :shrug: Seems more car manufactures are now going back to the chain driven belt design, can only be a good thing.

Funny you mention about the Fiat 500X, I've just been looking at the Fiat 500L, I see its a regular Fiat 500 on steroids :D. Also the Nissan Duke seems to be the wife's favourite, I myself quite like the Nissan Qashqai though. We do have another Dacia Stepway to view tomorrow, also a Kia Picanto. I will be passing the MG3 again, so I'm going to have another test drive and give it a second chance.

Dont get me wrong, I'm not replacing my two ZT's, they are my hobby toys and not going anywhere. The new or newish car will be the wifes, so as much as she counts on me for decisions, she will still have the final decision :getmecoat: wish me luck.