Success makes you attractive.

Or was it the other way around?

Actually, it doesn't matter, especially for Dacia, because with its third generation of the Sandero Stepway, both should succeed.

60 percent of buyers have already opted for the more expensive Stepway variant of the predecessor, which satisfies a little off-roading desire with more ground clearance, indicated underride protection and roof rails.

Success?

So is there.

And now the newcomer to the Romanian squad ensures attractiveness.

Anyone who happens to see the inside of a Dacia for the first time with the Stepway could well ask why the brand has such a cheap image.

Anna-Lena Niemann

Editor in business.

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The lot of hard plastic has not disappeared in the interior, but details are added that enhance the look. In addition to the central controls for the automatic air conditioning in chrome look, the trim strips, which are matched to the warm metallic orange of the test car, and an attractive mesh textile that clad the interior are particularly appealing. The seats are comfortable and have proven to be suitable for long journeys. The space on the back seat looks comparatively generous for a 4.09 meter long small car.

The basic version costs 11,990 euros. Anyone who loads the full wish list into the Stepway pays 16,000 euros. That's where the VW Polo just begins. There are parking aids at the front and rear, a reversing camera and a blind spot warning. The mobile phone can be integrated and can be placed in a holder next to the infotainment touch display. Its graphics, however, look a bit dusty, and the fact that the volume can only be adjusted by touch and not with the slider remains impractical.

The Romanian pragmatist can of course also drive. He curves calmly over narrow mountain roads. The CVT automatic transmission works well but at a leisurely pace. It takes 13.4 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h. If you want to get more dynamism from the 91 hp of the three-cylinder, you should reach for the stick of the six-speed gearbox, which is also available for the TCe 90. Or to the 101 hp, gas-powered motorization. According to the standard, 5.2 liters of petrol will bring our Stepway 100 kilometers. In the end there is actually 6.7 liters in the notepad. There should be less. The car itself proves that less can do more.