Geneva 2008: Dacia Sandero

[Overheat]

The Dacia brand-name is coming back to Britain in early 2009. The Romanian company - now owned by Renault - is building a five-door version of its Logan, to be called Sandero. This will join the Logan saloon, Logan MCV seven-seat estate, van and pick-up in the Dacia line-up, and will be built in Pitesti, Romania.

Four engines will be offered in the Sandero: 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol units (75bhp and 90bhp), and 68bhp and 86bhp versions of the popular Renault 1.5dCi diesel (emitting 120g/km). The car will come with a comprehensive warranty and will be marketed as a low-cost, roomy, practical vehicle.

Much of the Sandero's underpinnings have been derived from the second-generation Clio, and it has been developed to be simple to maintain and drive - there won't be any over-complex electronics - and robust to own, able to cope with poorly-surfaced roads in remote areas. It has underbody protection and tough torsion-beam suspension with coil springs and extended-travel dampers.

Somewhere between a supermini and a small family car in size, the Sandero is just over 4m long. It seats three adults in the back, and has a 320-litre boot plus folding rear bench seat.

The lowest-spec versions - minus power steering and ABS anti-lock brakes - will not come to the UK; we should get versions with at least twin front airbags, though don't expect a five-star NCAP crash test score like that of Renault-brand models. This is an old-tech car built down to a price, positioned in the budget sector and aimed at people who would otherwise be buying secondhand.

[maxtortheone]

This one looks pretty good compared to the other Dacia models mainly because it was designed to be a Renault in South America. Being lower priced than Dacia's current cheap car, the Logan, it will make it a big seller, at least in Romania, where if you want a affordable car, you most likely want a Dacia.

[vikiradTG2007]

New badge looks like something you use to pop open a beer bottle.

No thanks. I'll be sticking to my dad's Focus.

[niccce]

This might just be the very car a next Lada's design will be copied from. In 10 years or so.

Geneva 08 commenting spree

[luvcars]

Not fussed on this. In know its a budget car, but surely that doesn't mean it can't look nice?

[Spazatao]

I prefer the Renault version:


And the whole point of the car is to be a budget yet with very good internal space. One cannot argue on that, as surely anything as big as it inside will be out of the budget segment.

[un-dee]

wow thats just awful. part of it is completely overdesigned and other parts are not designed at all. worse than a cheap tuner car

[amdforever]

Looks more like a Kia than a Dacia