Dacia Sandero Stepway: Price from £7,995

The third Dacia model for the UK – the Dacia Sandero Stepway – a rugged compact crossover based on the Sandero will cost from £7,995.

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There’s no doubt that Renault’s budget Dacia Brand is causing shockwaves across the car industry in the UK, with its ‘Shockingly Affordable’ prices looking too good to be true. But true they are, and now there’s a third Dacia model to tempt buyers in to UK showrooms – the Dacia Sandero Stepway.

The Sandero Stepway is a rugged compact crossover – with a higher ride height and bolted on chunky bits – based on the very inexpensive Sandero, so you won’t be shocked to learn that the Sandero Stepway is as inexpensive as its hatch sibling – from only £600 more than the equivalent trim Sandero.

Dacia has decided that the Sandero Stepway won’t come in completely stripped-out Access trim – unlike the Sandero and Duster SUV – but the entry level will be the Sandero Stepway Ambience, with a better equipped Stepway Lauréate for those who want a few more home comforts.

The Stepway Ambience comes with 16″ alloys, chrome roof bars, front and rear scuff plates, black wheel arch extenders, Bluetooth, metallic paint and radio CD. It’s not exactly a sybarites delight, but it’s enough to not look stupidly cheap.

Move up to the Stepway Lauréate and you get a chrome front grill, AirCon, electric windows, electric heated door mirrors, MediaNav with 7″ touchscreen, Cruise, AUX and USB and rear parking sensors. Perfectly decent.

Engines are a choice of the 0.9 litre TCe 90 (£7,995 in Ambience and £9,795 in Lauréate trim) or the 1.5 dCi 90 diesel (£8,995 in Ambience or £10,795 in Lauréate trim), with the petrol offering 125g/hm and 52.3mpg and the diesel 105g/km and 70.6mpg.

You can pop off to your local Dacia dealer from January 1st and place an order for the Sandero Stepway, with first customer cars due in May 2013.