SA Road Tests

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Practical: 2020 Renault Sandero Stepway

This car is sold as Dacia Stepway in other markets

Priorities

Posted: October 27, 2020

The numbers
Prices: Sandero Expression at R217 900, Stepway Expression at R231 900, Stepway PLUS and TECHROAD at R251 900
Engine: 898 cc, DOHC, 12-valve, inline three-cylinder with turbocharger
Power: 66 kW at 5250 rpm
Torque: 135 Nm at 2500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 168 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.4 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Luggage: 292 – 1200 litres
Turning circle: 10.5 metres
Ground clearance: See text
Standard tyre sizes: 185/65R15 and 205/55R16
Maximum towing mass (unbraked and braked): 527 and 790 kg
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km
Service plan: 2 years / 30 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Read a survey last night. I get lots of them but this one dealt with men’s and women’s approaches to buying cars. It concluded that Frivolous Man buys for image while Hard-headed Woman chooses practicality and value. And under-24s would rather conduct the whole tedious process online than deal with pushy salespeople and confusing industry jargon.

Renault SA’s sales demographics show women accounting for 54.28 percent of its Sandero sales while men buy 43.34 percent. The remainder were presumably not asked.

A significant proportion goes to 26-to-30 year olds and declines from there, although over-55s account for noteworthy offtake. All salary groups are represented but most buyers earn R30 000 or more.

Let’s look at the range: Entry-level Sandero Expression is essentially the same as Stepway Expression but has less ground clearance to deal with bumps and potholes - 132 mm fully loaded vs 173 mm. Shared equipment consists of 15” steel wheels with plain plastic covers; two airbags; four-speaker Radio-CD-MP3 player with Bluetooth; 900 cc turbocharged petrol engine; electric windows in front; disc/drum brakes with ABS, EBD, EBA, ESC and AST; fabric upholstery; split and folding rear seatbacks; ISOFix mountings with tethers; five proper seatbelts; fully sized spare wheel and hill start assist.

The two top models, Stepway PLUS and Stepway TECHROAD, have 16” wheels with FLEX caps so convincing that South Africa’s top motoring magazine thought they were alloys. The only differences between these two offerings are seat colours and door pillar graphics.

Other upgrades include roof rails; fog lamps; two more airbags; cruise control with speed limiter; leather covered steering wheel and gear knob; smarter seats with the option of leather; powered rear windows; electric door mirrors; rear park assist; onboard computer; reversing camera and height adjustable driver’s chair. Because Renault assigned money to higher priorities, range is limited to all the way up or all the way down.

But the biggest motivation for buying one of these is to swap the plain entertainment centre for a 7” Multimedia outfit with touchscreen, phone mirroring, FM/AM tuner, audio streaming, hands-free calls and integrated navigation.  Even when you aren’t seeking out a new destination it’s comforting to bring up the map, that shows which street you’re on, if in unfamiliar territory.

Of eight available colours only Ice White is non-metallic. The others add R2 522 to list prices while leather upholstery (PLUS and TECHROAD only) costs R10 088.

Driving:
•    It steers and parks easily thanks to electrical steering assistance and although its turning circle isn’t the tightest, it’s competitive,
•    The 900 cc turbo engine pulls strongly for its size and is flexible,
•    Decently sized windows mean you can see where you’re going,
•    Front seat headroom is generous and although there’s no footrest, space is available,
•    Brakes work efficiently and the add-ons mean you’ll be as safe as electronics can keep you,
•    The gear stick is long but enables easy shifting,
•    The conventional, right-hand drive, parking brake works smoothly and holds well,
•    Two cup holders, medium sized cubby and door bins, a dashtop recess, 12-volt socket, quirky window and cruise switches, simple HVAC controls and a minimum of steering wheel buttons keep life simple yet organised.

Cargo:
•    The boot lip is 80 cm high; not the lowest, but manageable,
•    The cavity is 20 cm deep; again not the shallowest, but workable,
•    It’s equipped with a light, two bag hooks and a cargo cover. It’s 756 mm long, a metre wide between wheel arches and 469 mm deep,
•    Seatback catches can be reached from behind,
•    Jack and tools are in convenient niches on either side,
•    The spare is under the baseboard.

Back seat:
•    If everyone in your family is tall, backseat riders could find knee accommodation restricted although headroom and under-seat foot space is fine,
•    An averagely built tester, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. Take the tribe along to view,
•    A low centre tunnel means that Malcolm-in-the-middle should be able to sit quite comfortably,
•    A cup holder, two map pockets, door bins and a 12-volt socket look after basic needs.

Although Sandero can’t be everything to everyone, it comes close and offers good value for money. Stylish and well-built too. That’s why people love them.

Test unit from Renault SA press fleet

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.