Renault Sandero is the perfect embodiment of a B-class car, a five-door hatchback. This is, first of all, a harmonious and attractive design that embodies reliability and dynamics. A wide radiator grille made in a sporty style, body-colored bumpers, expressive headlights will never leave you indifferent.
Advantages of Renault Sandero
Significant trunk volume - 320l, excellent ground clearance - 175 cm, fuel consumption in the combined cycle is 7.6l / 100km and a fuel tank of 50l, the front suspension is MacPherson, the rear is semi-independent, spring.
The popularity of the Renault Sandero skyrocketed in 2008 after its premiere in Geneva. The development of a compact state employee was carried out by Renault specialists in Brazil. Great visibility, simple steering, well balanced design. All these advantages are immediately visible during a sandero test drive.
Renault Sandero is available in the following trim levels:
- "Authentic" - standard equipment, including 1.4 l, 8-valve. 75 hp motor and driver's airbag. Recommended price - 337,000 "Expression" - available with any of the engines offered to choose from - 1.4.l, 8-valve, 75hp; 1.6. l, 8-valve, 84 hp; 1.6. l, 16-valve, 102 hp (manual transmission / automatic transmission). Recommended price -368 000.
- "Prestige" - a luxury version, equipped almost the same as the "norm" - hydraulic booster, air conditioning, driver's airbag. Also on the norm and on the suite, you can install a set of ABS and passenger airbags. But unlike the Norma, the Lux-configuration lacks a 1.4-liter engine. The recommended price is 425,000.
Also, since December 2011, an updated version has appeared in Russia - Reno Sandero Stepway, its cost is about 466,000.
To get to know Renault Sandero better, we suggest watching a video test drive of Sandero.
We have a new Renault Sandero Stepway for a test drive in the most affordable configuration for 485,000 rubles. It's a 1.6 and a manual transmission. Prices start from 485,000 to 540,000 rubles, if you want a 1.6 eight-valve engine for 82 horsepower, and if you want a sixteen-valve engine, then another 20,000 rubles. expensive.
What can be said about the appearance of the Renault Sandero Stepway 2016, of course, the appearance was taken from the usual Sandero and made a "sneak" under the mini-crossover.
How is such a cut made? A standard body is taken and increased, in this case, due to spring struts and wheels of a larger diameter. Naturally, the car becomes higher. Then they add an aerodynamic body kit made of colorless black plastic, make roof rails, visually, the car becomes even higher and looks like some kind of crossover, because this is typical for such cars.
Thus, a slight change in design, and this is very cheap, makes the car visually larger and it becomes like a crossover. Although, on the other hand, if we take the Kalina station wagon and compare Renault Sandero with this, we will see that the improvements there are the same, absolutely.
As a result, compared with the previous Sandero Stepway, the clearance became 195 mm, theoretically this is more than, for example, the Kia Sportage. New wheels have appeared, this one is like a snag, in fact these are not alloy wheels, but a stamped disk with an overhead cap, but everything is held on by bolts. They look beautiful as cast and have the practicality of stamped.
Outwardly, the car looks great, but something betrays its cheapness.
When we open the door, it is felt that it is light. This suggests that there is practically no sound insulation, thin metal. The sound of closing is also not solid by default. Unlike the vase or the Chinese, the seals sit evenly and do not stick out. But uncomfortable door handles and the sound of a cheap door closing cannot be hidden.
Huge doorways are an absolute advantage of this car. A person of any complexion can sit freely.
A very practical coating over the wheels, you can scratch and destroy it, but it's easy to paint it later by buying a spray of paint for literally 100 rubles. There was a reinforced bottom protection, unlike conventional Sanders, and a fully heated windshield, and not just in the wiper area.
under the hood
There are two engines: 1.6 8 valves 82 horsepower and 1.6 16 valves 102 horsepower. The advantages of an eight-valve engine, firstly, are low maintenance, secondly, these are taxes, and thirdly, 1.6 has a much earlier start of torque than 16 valves. Theoretically, the 8 valve is more convenient for the city and even off-road, we always have traction. They are perceived as approximately equal in dynamics. Therefore, for budget cars in Russia, the 1.6 8-valve engine is optimal.
By suspension. The car was not easily raised on spacers, but the struts, springs were increased and the most basic advantage in clearance was obtained due to larger diameter wheels, respectively, the suspension theoretically became a little stiffer, but the energy intensity increased when overcoming bad roads.
Here, an anti-gravel coating is used on the bottom, because it is positioned as a vehicle for rough terrain. Here is a new mastic that absorbs noise, and plus all the fuel hoses in plastic covers.
Thus, the car is significantly different from the bottom of the standard Sandero. To say that this is just a raised option is impossible.
There was a hydro. Previously, noise isolation was in the maximum configuration, now it has already appeared in the database.
Let's see the salon Renault Sandero Stepway. There's minimalism here, the realm of cheap plastic, but in a $500,000 car like this, you can't add to that.
The main requirement for budget cars is that cheap plastic does not rattle or irritate on rough roads, it is also very desirable to create as little passenger contact with this cheap plastic as possible.
That is, a person gets into a car, he first of all takes the steering wheel, gearbox, respectively, here the plastic is a little more expensive. The steering wheel is even comfortable, there are pickups. The lever shape is good.
With a height of 192 centimeters, it is uncomfortable to sit, there are no hints of electric adjustment, a little bit of lateral support could be added. The panel could be at an angle so that the tidy is located around. There is enough space in the cabin, but the cheapness is already scary.
There are two power windows and mirror adjustment, there are no rear power windows. On the maximum versions there are heated seats and air conditioning, a touch radio, navigation. Everything is minimally necessary, now it is even on the Vase.
In the back row, there is not much space in the knees, but there is enough overhead, there are no rear deflectors. There are also no armrests.
The problem with the trunk used to be that it was difficult to open it, you had to hold the button and pull. Now, if you press it first, it will already be open and you can freely lift the trunk lid. Large in volume, but not practical.
In the conditions of Russia, a sedan can be more practical. Especially in winter, it’s inconvenient, because when it’s -30 outside, you open it, take out your luggage and the whole cabin is already blowing through.
We continue the review of Renault Sandero. We release the gear and understand that our clutch is very difficult, because the cotton pedal grabs it at the end. The move is very large, so if a person still does not drive well, he may have many problems in starting off on this car. When you let go of the clutch, the foot rises high, so you have to adjust the fit because of this.
The car drives well, easily, but it is not yet possible to check the suspension due to smooth roads. Poor visibility due to small mirrors. They could have been made larger and the price would not have changed because of this. In 4th gear and 2.5 thousand rpm, the motor pulls well and even downhill there are no complaints.
The car obeys the helm, with air conditioning, and when the car is loaded. The suspension is firm, even on the ground. Energy intensity is at the level, nothing in the cabin creaks, it does not give off to the steering wheel. A more detailed test drive of Renault Sandero on the road can be viewed in the video.
What really impressed me was a really energy-intensive suspension, here, unlike Logan, it is high and for Russian roads it will be a good option. Among the shortcomings are an uncomfortable clutch pedal and small mirrors. The car was lifted, but the roll did not appear.
Everything fits into the budget of 500,000 rubles - this is very good. Otherwise, there are no particular shortcomings.
We have all heard the phrase “a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation” more than once, and recently more and more car manufacturers are heeding this wise saying, adding budget sedans and hatchbacks to their lineups. At Renault, the quintessence of "anti-luxury" was expressed in the Logan and Sandero models of the first generation. Formally, these machines did not belong to the same family, but they shared a platform, and, most importantly, an ultra-budget philosophy. Many did not like it and, they say, even the image of other Renault cars was not very good. Perhaps that is why in the new generation of Sandero at first sight you do not recognize an economy class car. And from the second? Or from the third? A week behind the wheel of a Sandero hatchback with a modest 1.2 engine, estimated in the basic version at 479,000 rubles, gave the answer to this question.
To be honest, getting the keys to the blue hatch, I was a little worried. The fact is that I had a trip out of town, including sections of toll roads with a rather high speed limit. Will a 75-horsepower unit work? How will it feel at highway speeds? Oddly enough, it turned out that the machine copes with such a task quite well. And even, which especially struck me (and pleased), it allows me to feel quite confident when overtaking. The hatchback, if you keep the engine in good shape, tucking low gears in time, accelerates quite confidently from 90 km / h up to 130 km / h, and this is more than enough for most maneuvers. Then, of course, it turns sour, but you can’t drive faster in Russia, right? The maximum speed is 156 km / h.
There are, however, a few fly in the ointment in the suburban behavior of the car. First and most annoying is the noise. Already at around 80 km / h, the rumble of tires becomes annoying, and above “hundreds” it naturally interferes with talking. And this despite the fact that the tires on the hatchback are not studded. I tried out of habit to make the music louder, but it was not there. If you care about your eardrums and aesthetic feelings, in no case do not make the music louder than the “20” mark on the Sandero (this is about the middle). Better yet, stop early. Otherwise, you will feel as if you are sitting not in a metal car, but in a large cardboard box, on which someone unkind is hammering with mallets.
Another drawback, this time completely expected - handling. Due to the high center of gravity (clearance is 155 mm), the car reacts to steering actions with a solid delay, the lateral buildup of the body is clearly visible on the shifts, and the steering wheel does not give enough feedback to understand what exactly is happening with the steered wheels. Considering that the stabilization system for the Sandero model is available only in the top version of the Privilege, it is better to refuse sharp taxiing, because it is unsafe.
But you can not be afraid of broken roads at all. There were plenty of them on my way: expectedly melted ice, according to tradition, asphalt “melted” along with it, pits, puddles, potholes and bumps ... All this is absolutely nothing for the suspension. As a result, I felt much more at ease on a front-wheel drive hatch than people on urban all-wheel drive crossovers. Not a single breakdown of the suspension, not a single sound from the bottom caught on something. For truly “budget” roads, a budget car fits better than some expensive ones.
I thought that in the city the car would not surprise me, but it turned out that this was not entirely true. I reasonably assumed that 75 horses would be enough to not feel like an absolute underdog, but as it turned out, the 1.2 engine loves high speeds as much as I do, so we merged with him, and not just kept up with stream, and sometimes burst forward, causing a lot of surprised looks. Few people expected any agility from the car with acceleration to “hundreds” in 14.5 s. True, in this case, you will have to forget about low fuel consumption: the manufacturer claims an indicator of 7.7 liters in the urban cycle, and not 92, but 95 gasoline and more. By the way, if savings are more important to you than dynamics, Sandero will help you with this - the car is equipped with an indicator of the optimal moment for shifting up. But the result of changes in driving style will have to be calculated by checks from gas stations - the car's on-board computer relies only in the top version.
But as an option, you can order a proprietary multimedia system with navigation, which works great, can read flash drives and dock with iPhone / iPod, as well as display the current speed limit on a fairly large screen with a decent resolution, and, if exceeded, emit a warning sound signal. And in general, the interior of the Sandero looks more simple than cheap. Yes, if you poke your fingers into the plastic, everything becomes clear, but it looks quite nice, with good textures, and the details fit together well enough not to cause cavils. The chrome surrounds for the instruments and air ducts bring a touch of color to the gray interior, as do the yellow hands on the dials. The latter are perfectly readable, but the “odd” digitization in the French manner (70, 90, 110 km / h) requires some getting used to.
The front seats, of course, do not claim to be a masterpiece of ergonomics and a standard of developed lateral support, but they allow you to wind more than 500 km in a row without fatigue, and the backs of the front seats fold out almost to a horizontal position, so you can take a nap comfortably. The filler is dense and pleasant, and the fabric upholstery, of course, does not look as cool as Nappa leather, but the car does not need seat ventilation to keep the driver and passengers from sweating in the summer. Lateral support, by the way, is quite noticeable, at least it is enough to cover the entire range of lateral overloads that Renault Sandero is capable of.
There is, of course, not as much space in the back as in the Logan soplatform, due to the shortened wheelbase, but in fact it is quite enough for ordinary life, especially if the riders are of average height. The trunk also cannot be called a record - 320 liters by the standards of the class is quite an average, but, again, this is dictated by the dimensions of the car. By the way, I really liked the huge handle in the middle of the fifth door. Not on every hatch, the trunk can be closed without hesitation and conveniently with any hand. But the Sandero doors are fraught with danger: a curving upper edge and a wide pocket for small things strive to be substituted under the ear, or the knee of the driver getting out of the car in a tight parking lot.
Pros and cons, price and quality ... After I carefully weighed all the advantages and disadvantages of the car, I came to the conclusion that, first of all, the creators of Sandero deserve praise. After all, everyone, no matter how much they can spend on a car, wants to get a little comfort and coziness, and not to run away from an ugly car without looking back. And Sandero will cope well with this - I confess, I turned around more than once or twice to see how the sun plays in a beautiful blue metallic. And for any of the shortcomings I have listed, Sandero has an answer in the spirit of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This answer is 479,000. Rubles, of course.
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Let me say a word about the new Sandero Stepway... but I want to say right away that the car has exceeded all expectations. There was no trace of skepticism after the visit. The eerie color, golden-green onyx, which I did not like so much at the exhibition, turned out to be very pleasant in real life and even liked it more than Logan's azure blue.
Otherwise, it was a good test drive, we tested it as best we could ... despite a very spoiled first day, about the events of which, the second day we drove the new Renault Sandero Stepway outside the narrow streets of Athens.
Traditionally, there wasn’t really enough time for anything… while the journalists were sleeping in cozy rooms, a small company of bloggers pulled out a car and set off for Mount Lycabettus with the first rays of the sun. The Turkish prime minister, who arrived on the eve of Greece on a visit, was also sleeping without hind legs, so access to the height was open to everyone.
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To sum it all up, the new Renault Sandero Stepway really deserves attention. Despite the fact that the car has lost its identity and turned into a Logan hatchback with an off-road body kit, from a technical point of view, he has risen to a higher level. Oh how he said! In the future, if I fail to save up for a Renault Duster (you will save up with these courses, yeah), then I will buy myself a Renault Sandero Stepway with a 102 hp engine. and a full range of options. If you do not agree with my choice and prefer any alternative options, you are welcome to speak in the comments.
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I highly recommend going to Ruslan's LiveJournal unis and read his take on the test drive of the new Renault Sandero Stepway in Greece. In addition, do not be too lazy to look at Alexander udikov , which is now testing the new Renault Logan and is preparing a New Year's trip around the Golden Ring. Well, stay in touch, maybe there will be something interesting. 😉
The modern world of crossovers is very wide. To enter it, it is not necessary to buy a bulky car for a million hryvnias. Renault Sandero Stepway has a very attractive price, plus it has recently been updated again. Isn't that a reason to take a closer look at it?
Last year's Paris Motor Show became the site of the official presentation of the restyled family and. At the end of 2016, new items reached Ukrainian car dealerships. Let's use the Sandero Stepway compact crossover as an example to study what has changed in the updated car and how it has become even more interesting for young motorists?
"C" means light
The main distinguishing feature of the updated French car was the optics, which received new C-shaped elements both front and rear. In the headlights, the daytime running lights shine in an arc, in the rear lights - the dimensions. The car also received new bumpers, the shape of the radiator grille (by the way, it has its own in Ukraine, not the same as on European cars), the headlights are now connected by a stylish chrome strip passing through the emblem. Now the front bumper and grille of the Stepway also differs from the "urban" modifications of the family. 
The dimensions of the car have not changed, the length and wheelbase are still equal to 4080 and 2589 mm, respectively. Ground clearance of 197 mm also remained unchanged.. This figure is very significant, almost 20-centimeter ground clearance can be envied by many all-wheel drive crossovers of a higher class. The angles of entry and exit also did not increase. The hatchback around the perimeter is “wrapped” in overlays made of unpainted dark gray plastic, which protects body parts well from small branches and stones flying from under the wheels. And the lower edge of the front bumper has a painted light gray element that is the first to take contact with the curbstones. The power unit also received quite effective metal protection. 
Also, few will notice that now you don't need to get out of the car to open the hatch that hides the fuel tank cap. But in order to open the gas tank cap itself, the driver (or passenger) will still have to go out, it can only be opened with a key. The exterior mirrors painted in gray are in harmony with the same color bumper inserts and the newly designed 16-inch light-alloy wheels. It's nice that roof rails are included in the basic package of the car. 
More gloss
Salon modified "Stepway" slightly updated. So, the frame of the air vents on the center console has become glossy, and now it is somewhat reminiscent of varnished dark wood. An old acquaintance is located under the air ducts - multimedia system MediaNAV with 7-inch touch screen, which is friendly with smartphones and has a well-drawn map of Ukraine in navigation. By the way, detailed maps of Belarus, Russia, the countries of the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australia will be loaded into the car for an extra charge in the salon of an official dealer. So you can travel by Renault not just far, but very far. The climate control unit and the rear window controls remain the same. 
The new steering wheel significantly refreshed the interior and added ease of use.
A familiar multimedia system in terms of knowledge of navigation and clarity of response to pressing will give odds to more recent competitor devices.
The numbers on the instruments seem small.
But what attracts the most attention is the new “Softfeel” steering wheel, shaped like the “steering wheel” of the Renault Megane hatchback. As before, cruise control buttons are placed on it. The power window with a soft-closer and the front armrest are already available in the "base". Thanks to the height adjustment of the steering wheel and the microlift at the driver's seat, your obedient servant with a height of 183 cm managed to get comfortable in the driver's seat. 
Papal and cigarette lighter options for those sitting in the back.
The climate control unit is familiar from other models of the brand.
True, the long road showed a certain lack of steering adjustment for reach. Second-row passengers get a 12-volt outlet and a single cup holder in the transmission tunnel. Thanks to the high roof and the right angle of the rear seat back, even tall passengers in the gallery will not feel the lack of free space. 
Glove box with backlight will fit A4 documents.
There is enough space in the gallery for three adults.
The volume of the luggage compartment in the stowed position is 320 liters. The number is really big. But some difficulties are caused by a high trunk threshold, which, moreover, does not have a plastic lining - it will quickly be scratched by inaccurate users. If you fold the back of the second row completely, we will already get 1200 liters. If you do not need so much space, then you can only lower half (traditionally in a 60/40 ratio). A full-size spare wheel was hidden under the floor. 
A 0.9-liter gasoline engine combined with a 5-speed robotic transmission did not bode well a few years ago. But the new generation of power units is slowly correcting this situation. Three cylinder engine Energy TCe 90 with a volume of 898 cubic centimeters develops 90 hp. With. power(the same as a 1.5-liter diesel) and 140 Nm of maximum torque. The main strength of the "engine" is a very modest appetite. Judge for yourself, with daily active driving in a metropolis with traditional traffic jams and constantly on air conditioning, our consumption did not rise above 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers. 
On the highway, up to a speed of 110 km / h, the flow meter did not rise above 5.5 liters per “hundred” at all. But a further increase in speed significantly increases the consumption. It's all about the laws of aerodynamics and the need for the engine to maintain high speeds (at 110 km / h - 3000 rpm, then more). Accelerating dynamics in 11 seconds to “hundreds” seems good to us. Let's be honest, sitting in the car, this figure seems more. But from a crossover, sharpened for economical driving, you do not expect active "driving" qualities. 
The robotic transmission accompanies the gear shift with a slight pause, which is especially noticeable in the “eco mode”, and is almost leveled when shifting gears in manual mode. Interestingly, the gearbox is very responsive and adapts well to the mood of the driver, either changing gears at one and a half thousand revolutions, or soaring the tachometer needle up to 5000 rpm. On ups and downs, the corresponding assistant helps to get under way, but it is activated only if the brake pedal is previously depressed to the stop. Otherwise, the car may begin to roll while you move your foot from the brake to the gas. Also the box does not have a traditional parking mode for us, the car must be left in "neutral" and be sure to activate the handbrake. 
Renault Sandero Stepway suspension is simple in design(McPherson struts in front and a beam in the back), but its settings are the best suited for our conditions. Perfectly knocked down and resilient, the Renault chassis confidently kept its course on wavy and patched-patched asphalt, where other cars, even a class higher, have to be caught, besides, the car passes waves and small pits essentially silently. At speed, only the engine speed is audible in the cabin. 
Great start
You can safely start your acquaintance with the class of crossovers with the Renault Sandero Stepway. Both the economical engine and the interior, pulled up in terms of equipment, will not disappoint your expectations. And for the sake of an incredibly comfortable suspension, you can forgive the car even minor flaws in other aspects. I am sure that anyone who rides the Sandero Stepway for at least a month will not so quickly want to change to a larger and more expensive crossover. After all, there is something to love the youngest. 
