- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru
One of the first cross hatchbacks
The Dacia Sandero Stepway is a five-door, five-seater hatchback with the higher ground clearance, developed by Renault Group, which owns Dacia (Romania). The car is based on the Sandero and Logan models. In 2021, the third generation is available on the market.
After creating the Sandero hatchback in 2005 together with their Brazilian and Romanian counterparts, the French manufacturers proceeded with the development of the off-road model. What for? Renault Group was inspired by the success of the ‘ordinary’ Sandero, a simple, affordable car that shared the platform and interior with the Logan. The Sandero has become a popular and even iconic car in the global market. For example, the Top Gear hosts noticed it. Of course, the British joked a lot about it, for example, James May said ‘Good news. The Dacia Sandero is almost here’, and Jeremy Clarkson only said briefly ‘Great! Now moving on…’, ignoring his colleague.
The first generation
It was produced from 2008 to 2012. The B0 platform, which the Logan, Sandero and Stepway are built on, has been developed by Renault and Nissan. The Nissan Micra, Note, Tiida and Juke, Dacia Duster and Lada Largus are also built on it. In fact, the Sandero Stepway is a modification of the standard Sandero, adapted to bad roads due to a ground clearance of 175 mm and an off-road-inspired body design.
The first Stepway was equipped with a 1.6-liter engine, which was available in an 8-valve version with 82 hp and a 16-valve version with 113 hp, a manual 5-speed gearbox or a 4-speed automatic transmission. This model had a very good suspension with a unique energy capacity. The Stepway springs were longer and thicker than those of the regular Sandero, the shock absorbers were stiffer, and the strut mountings were reinforced with additional welding points. As a result, the ‘off-road’ hatchback was able of driving even on the bumpiest roads. Bumps and holes simply did not reach the body. Consequently, the car became successful. Thus, during the production of the Sandero Stepway in Russia, the third night shift was created at plant of Avtoframos with an additional 600 workers being hired to increase the production of cars to 160 thousand per year.
The second generation
It was produced from 2012 to 2020, and was restyled in 2016. The second generation Sandero Stepway had a more stylish exterior, a thoroughly redesigned interior, high-quality finishing materials and a new 1-liter 3-cylinder engine with 90 hp. A 1.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine with 84 hp was installed on the European versions.
There were markets that offered 1.4-liter petrol and 1.6-liter 8-valve or 16-valve engines. The hatchback was equipped with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. Just like the first generation, the Stepway’s ground clearance has been increased by 20 mm through the use of different shock absorbers and springs. The car was distinguished by bumpers, plastic overlays on the arches and sills. The second generation was 4,070 mm long, 1,733 mm wide, 1,523 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,589 mm.
After the restyling in 2016, the car started featuring LED daytime running lights designed in the corporate style of Renault, implying a characteristic C-shape. The interior was adorned with a new leather-trimmed steering wheel and a new MediaNav 4.0 multimedia system with AndroidAuto and CarPlay, allowing you to use the most popular car applications on the system screen. As for technical equipment, the main innovation was the modern automatic continuously variable transmission CVT X-Tronic.
The third generation
It debuted in September 2020. The new Dacia Sandero Stepway has acquired a completely new more stylish design, even with a hint of elegance, LED branching running lights, convex fenders, a raised hood, interesting roof rails, similar to the new Renault Kangoo.
The car is based on a cheaper version of the CMF-B platform, which makes the model similar to the Nissan Micra and Renault Clio. The hatchback is 4,072 mm long, 1,733 mm wide and 1,559 mm high. The size of the trunk compartment with the rear seats folded down increases from 360 liters to 1,200 liters. The ground clearance is 201 mm for an empty car and 174 mm for a fully loaded one.
In Europe, the Stepway cars come only with 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engines. The basic naturally aspirated 1.0 SCe engine (65 hp) is aggregated with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the 1.0 TCe turbo engine (90 HP) is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or CVT. The car features the MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a semi-independent suspension at the rear.
The base version of the 2021/2022 Dacia Sandero Stepway comes with six airbags, front and rear belts with pretensioners, an automatic braking system (works at speeds up to 170 km/h) and blind spot monitoring system. The entry-level model also a cruise control and a speed limiter. The base versions do not have their own ‘music’. Instead, there is the Media Control system, which includes two speakers, a mount for a gadget, a USB connector and Bluetooth functions. By installing a special application on a smartphone, the owner can connect it to the car and use it instead of the standard multimedia, while the buttons on the steering wheel will work.
For a surcharge, you can order a full-fledged Media Display system with an 8-inch touchscreen and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions. The top versions also have a navigator, and you can connect Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. The list of options includes climate control, electric handbrake, rain sensor, rear view camera and front and rear parking sensors; a sunroof is offered for the first time.
