Dacia Sandero

Reviews:

Positives On the whole it is running well. It has more pep, more space, is larger and generally more comfortable than the Suzuki Celerio I traded in. Linked phone via Bluetooth OK, although couldn't understand why I couldn't link to Android Auto. Eventually discovered that my phone being a budget model only works using a data cable for this (not wirelessly). Can now use Android Auto and access sat-nav. The advantage to using a cable is that my phone charges at the same time. I really like the reversing camera. Concerns Sometimes the infotainment system sound output fails to start along with the car (no radio sound, no sounds from the reversing sensors, etc...) The only way I can get it to operate correctly is to reboot the system by holding down the power button for five seconds, then waiting for a minute or so while the infotainment system restarts. There seems to be a problem with the app(s) controlling the sound output not awakening from sleep mode correctly. Traffic Sign Recognition generally works OK (although not 100% accurate). Centre Arm Rest impedes access to, and effective operation, of the handbrake lever. It wasn't a problem on the car I test drove, as it had an electronic handbrake. Had I realised how awkward and uncomfortable the handbrake access, I would have reconsidered the version of car chosen. Dacia really should reconsider whether it is safe or ergonomically appropriate to have an arm rest that projects over the handbrake lever by 7.5 cm (3 inches). Have removed armrest for safety reasons described! A small rubber component randomly appeared in the passenger footwell. It appears to be a grommet for a 2.5cm square hole. I'm still trying to work out where it came from. The part number is: 7 (followed by Renault symbol then) 8200 538 078. My passenger is complaining about the bar operating the front seat slide release blocking access to putting items under the seat.

It was a surprise when i purchased my new 2026 sandero journey manual petrol white modek..I had only seen a computer version and a 2023 sandero essential. I have had it 3 months months and i love it every time i drive it. I did have a problem with the milti media audio system it glitches.But 9/10 times it works ok.i thought having a bigger car would be harder to handle.But i find it a very safe car to drive.i love the computer it keeps me right.i can even find out how i driven that journey. Theres nothing at the moment you could have done better.

I love my Dacia, it is easy to drive and economical on fuel. It is a cheerful car! I do love the dashboard, and driving cameras. I also like how I can get a rating after driving! I also like the automatic wipers, lights and the heated seats too. I do find the eye level camera disconcerting sometimes and have had displays telling me to take a break after driving for only a short distance. I'm not very technologically adept and I do have difficulties with pairing my phone, the radio and GPS

This is the 6th or 7th Dacia Sandero that I have had and apart from one, which spent more time in the distributer's garage for repairs than at my property, I have been satisfied. I would though like to make some comments/ suggestions. I feel that Dacia has moved away from the original idea to have a basic affordable car. It is now quite expensive and has far too many unnecessary gadgets but not improved some important ones. eg the seatbelts can not be adjusted for smaller people, the radio was faulty, (perhaps now sorted with the upgrade?), poorer quality seat covering.

Bought this as we had 2 previous Dacias and found them excellent. We opted for the Essential as we thought it would be the simplest vehicle but found that there are more options so found it tricky to get used to them. We ordered (and paid for) a handbook as there was little info in the one provided. We find the radio to be quite complicated, especially when trying to find favourite channels to save. The main features which are great are the speed control and the air-conditioning.

The things I like about the car stretch into the hundreds which include some very clever and unique features. Overall I rate the car very highly. There are always some unavoidable usually personal niggles though: the A posts are very thick which restrict visibility when pulling out of junctions, not being able to add a spare wheel to the order, the driver vigilance system being fooled if I wear sunglasses and going off constantly and the touch screen onboard management system isn’t the best ( the radio didn’t work properly for the first two months and I still don’t know if the car has a built in sat nav because I just end up in a tech doom loop every time I go into it) Minor niggles to me, maybe not to others.

A good reliable, comfortable automobile with a manual gear box and many helpful safety features. The handbrake is a very likeable feature as is also the folding wingmirrors operated from inside the vehicle. It would help if on entering the vehicle one was not greeted by a loud barrage of sound which is disconcerting and entirely unnecessary and pointless.

I picked up my brand new Dacia Sandero Expression from Pentagon Motor Group in Lincoln on 12th May. I noticed after a week there was some paint chipping on the bottom of the front valance, it looked as though it had been damaged in transit and badly touched in. The main dealer rectified it with a smart repair, so all good. I then discovered that the rear side door was out of alignment at the bottom by the rear wheel arch, so back to the main dealer with it. In trying to rectify this, they have misaligned the striker plate and also fiddled with the front door, which is now well out of alignment at the bottom by the front wing. The front wing is also slightly out of alignment. As the main dealer does not have its own body shop, it has to go out to a local one. I took the car to the body shop to be assessed, and they have sent an estimate to the main dealer. I have had contact with the main dealer on numerous occasions, and also with Dacia, and to date I am still awaiting clearance for the car to go into the body shop for rectification. Bear in mind this is a brand new car, and the 4th Sandero I have owned. I have had to do all the legwork with this problem, and have had to keep chasing both the main dealer and Dacia for this warranty repair. It is utterly unacceptable.

I have recently bought a Stepway Essential. This is the "Basic" model and even this now has reverse warning, road speed limit indication, a useful reminder , lane wandering warning, which you can over ride, I was driving down a quite empty country lane weaving to avoid pot holes and got a dash message " Focus on your driving" !. In 6th gear on a motorway journey I get over 50 miles to the gallon. For the " Basic " model I think is extremely good value. The only minor thing is the gear change is a bit "notchy", could be a bit smoother and to have a couple of other paint colours to choose. So very pleased with new Stepway.

Why six gears ? Previous Stepways that I owned had 5 and reverse was where 6th gear is now this I found a lot easier in use . Also the arm rest cover between driver and passenger extends too far and is in the way when reaching for the handbrake/seat belt latch if this was reduced by an inch or so it would still perform the job and be less of a hinderence ! I also find driver lane assist an irritation especially as it has to be switched off everytime you start the car. Lane assist may be useful on a long motorway trip but for a normal city journey never. Like the rear view camera for parking that's useful. A proper hatch back version would be a better small family car too.

The reasons I have given my Dacia Sandero Stepway Extreme 2026 model only three stars are as follows:- I updated from the previous model of the same car because it was soon to be wanting a test but found the later model was not a patch on the old one, in fact I think it was a step down. The 'Here We Go' navigation system as fitted to the car that I have is not fit for purpose compared to the system in the previous model, in my opinion. The female voice, which cannot be changed on my system is not clear, made worse with road noise at motorway speeds and in traffic. The display is positively anemic, grey on light blue, it does not stand out and I find the junction display confusing, fact I found the whole system so bad I installed Waz on my phone. Imputing a destination is not easy and there is no way input coordinates which I find the easiest. The speed limit sign reader does not work effectively in that it will not read signs that are partially obscured or faded and it will read signs for side roads at junctions and beep all the time because you are on the main road and travelling at a different speed, that's if it decides to work at all, mine takes every other day off, (The camera is clean), because I have Waz I tried to turn it off but can't find a way. The engine has more poke than the old one, just, but seems to be short of low range torque and will stall easily pulling away at junctions. The door mirrors I find seem smaller and the boot lid does not always shut fully unless slammed and it does not warn you until you set off and have to find somewhere to pull-in to slam it shut. We regularly do a 220 mile trip to see our daughters and find we get back ache in this car and never did in the other but have not found why, the seats are different but feel reasonably comfortable. The one good thing I have found, though, is the electronic hand brake is improved, the previous car would roll back when hill starting, I've not had that at all with this one, in fact I find it really good. When talking to the salesman about my problems with the car I could tell he thought I was making a fuss over nothing but a couple of weeks later he phoned to tell me that others had had problems and Dacia were working on a fix but I've heard nothing since so perhaps that'll come in the next model in a couple of years. To summarize, this one may not make one year, There are some very good Chinese cars coming on the market.

Car does what I want but one or two quality control issues. Compared to my other car (a Renault Clio) the finish is a little inferior but acceptable at the price point. I am happy with the more plasticky interior panelling because it’s wipe clean although little niggles like the end panel of the dashboard not fitting properly will need sorting. Performance is surprisingly OK with 5th and 6th gear hardly used on my short runs. Cold running is a little jerky until the automatic choke (or whatever) has shut down. As with all modern cars Driver Assist can be annoying with unexpected emergency braking and lane assist steering needing to be turned off. Best feature is luggage space. The back seat folds flat if the central headrest is removed and there’s acres of room. To protect the cheap seat back fabric I fitted a sheet of plywood and rubber matting and lo and behold I’ve got as much storage space as an estate car!

Dislikes :- The proximity alarms are too loud even on the lowest volume setting as is the welcome aboard. The indents in the boot lid for closing the boot are at the wrong angle, so that you have to use the other hand on the outside of the boot lid to finally close it. The DAB Radio does not work most of the time The central computer display is too large and intrudes on the line of sight for short drivers. The drivers display has a lot of wasted space and would be better off with conventional dials for speed and engine revs. The lack of an owners manual means spending hours on line looking for what you want to do. The central arm rest is in the way of putting on the seat belts, making it very difficult to buckle up. The gearbox selection is very notchy almost to the point of missing gears during changes up or down. The electronic hand brake is downright dangerous as it switched iself off when on slight inclines causing the car to roll either forward or backwards. The door aperture is on the short side, compared to the Sandero, meaning even short people can hit their head getting in to the car. Lane Control. Like :- The colour of the car. The engine responsiveness. The buttons for switching off lane control.

It is a very nice car but not as nice as the 2022 car I had before. More noise, the infotainment system is a bit glitchy and needs resetting every day or so. Engine power up so a bit more peppy but shorter gear ratio's make it a bit restrictive when commuting. I set my personal assistance and it resets ever time I turn the engine off - please update it to stay on Personal settings. Overall it is great but as I said, my old 2022 Stepway was nicer to drive. Just a little bit.

Car meets expectations except for a few points.... 1) Electric handbrake cannot be put on and released very quickly like the old manual handbrake. There are times, like junctions or steep inclines when you need to do this very quickly. No longer possible. Control is taken away from driver!! 2) Overspeed alert goes off even if doing just 1 mph over speed limit. I would like an option to alert when doing over 10% over speed limit instead. 3) Not enough storage in front area. I had to buy additional storage to mount in un-utilised areas. 4) Built in phone holder does not fit larger phones and phones with robust cases. Either this should be designed so that it does fit all OR is customisable at car purchase OR is removable by at car purchase.

The car is well engineered and fulfils my ‘on the road’ expectations. I think the ‘eco’ option works well. Loses one star in my rating as the multimedia system keeps losing the radio setting on start-up, so reboot is required most days. Suspect it needs a software update but cannot find a way of doing this myself. The ‘losing attention’ notification is too sensitive but not sure how to switch it off. A couple of other minor niggles on the ‘apps’.

I love the car shape , style and size and that it has power whilst only being a 1000c. Engine , hate all the “safety” features , can’t stand the bleeping find it very distracting when driving, have set promatorys to own personal settings to turn some of the noise off , hate that every time the system updates it switches all the music off very annoying

I previously ordered a Stepway in 2022 but either due to a mistake by the dealer or Dacia, after waiting four months, a new Sandero was delivered. As I didn't want to wait another four months I accepted the Sandero. I now have what I originally ordered i.e a Stepway. This is my fifth Dacia and is undoubtably the best. I originally bought my first Dacia, which was a Stepway, around twelve years ago and although I was happy with that car, this new Stepway is a vast improvement. This new model is a vast improvement on the old Stepway being more stylish, better performing with a greatly improved interior with all the accessories like satnav, speed limiter, reversing camera, heated seats and improved upholstery. I was happy with the old model and accepted the rather basic interior and exterior because of the low price. The new model in the Extreme format has addressed all the failings of the previous one but obviously at a considerably higher price. I still feel it is good value for money. I gave this car five stars because I finally have the car I wanted which is even better than I expected. I have one minor complaint which I am learning to live with. The seat belt is very difficult to engage on this Stepway Extreme model as the female socket is hidden under the central armrest/glovebox. I would like to know if this problem has been addressed and if there is an available modification. I have also owned two Dacia Dusters, the Mk1 and Mk2. Likewise the improvement over the two models was dramatic. When I purchased my current Stepway there was a new Duster in the showroom which is absolutely beautiful but I couldn't afford it and at my age 80 the Stepway is easier to park, insure and is ideal for my requirements. The New Duster was in Cedar Green and I satisfied myself buying my new Stepway in this beautiful colour. This is another improvement in the Dacia range i.e a better colour choice.

My Sandero Stepway is nice and smart looking as well as being very economical. I like the modular roof bars that can be easily turned to make a roof rack. I really appreciate the keyless entry especially when it’s dark. I’m sure that I’ll aLeo enjoy the heated front seats during the colder months. The only negative for me, is the minimal sound- proofing, making it somewhat noisy to drive when the road surface isn’t pristine.

No nonsense straight forward no bells and whistles. I got what i asked for and i am happy so far with it. Maybe Slightly tinted windows as the sun is getting unrelented every year could improve comfort otherwise great. I don't do a lot of motoring but it is an excellent run around. Suits me.