What is it?
The Dacia Sandero remains Britain’s cheapest car even after a £1000 price hike last year to £6995, but almost nobody buys that UN-spec version. When did you ever see a plain white Sandero with black bumpers?
That’s because even those at the very bottom end of the new car buying market are looking for a few creature comforts. The headline-grabber of the latest round of subtle revisions to the Sandero range is this new Comfort model, a range-topper that can be had with the optimum petrol engine, and all for less than £10,000.
Your £9795 gets you the kind of toys that most other car makers were using to promote small cars a decade ago, such as air conditioning, electric front windows and a trip computer, before active safety systems and ever fancier infotainment and connectivity features found favour.
The engine tested here is a Renault-sourced 0.9-litre triple in its 89bhp/103lb ft state of tune, hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox. Also on offer is a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre triple with 72bhp and what has become an endangered species in small cars: a diesel unit, in this case a 94bhp turbocharged four-pot.
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A Mercedes in poor clothes
fact remains that the merc A class has exactly the same Diesel engine.
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Not with a 89hp output like this one. I think you are referring to the 1.5 116ps. Also a base model a class vs a top of the range Dacia. See your point all the same. Every other component is different though.
See a lot of these driven badly on the roads by failed people. While they are cheap, they sure do look it.
True for the hardware...
...however in today`s cars its more work is in the software, the adjustment engine to gearbox to more components.
Jeez
but you poms do “put downs” like no one else on earth!
What a sniffy report on an honest little s**tbox. Look, we don’t get these Dacias but we get the Mitsi Mirage, which I’m sure is comparable. There’s a market for them. I’m not in it. I don’t care, but certainly wouldn’t be this rude about them...
Robbo
Aussierob wrote:
You're right, this is honest basic transport with little to no frills and as such is so much the better for it, it doesnt pretend to be premium or classy or sporty it is just a cheap economical hatch with enough space and toys to be all you need, if not want. Doesn't need damning with feigned praise. It wouldn't be my choice as I like my cars to be a bit of fun to drive, maybe thats why the review reads a bit unfairly as autocar and its readers are usually interested in sporty or fun.
Hadn't finished, I have had
Hadn't finished, I have had cars that aren't classed as fun in these pages but I have still enjoyed driving them as I am a car enthusiast and can have driving enjoyment, I reckon, in any car.
Strange this....!
Anyone notice the Dacia Add on Dave Channel, the Cars have a Engine sounds I don’t think a Dacia makes in real life.....?