Here I am again, one month on and a bit more used to the 21 Stepway Prestige. Sorry it’s a bit long but you don’t have to read it all.

Things I don’t like;
The damn armrest between the driver and passenger seats, it seems the most useless bit of ‘fluff’ they could have added. It gets in the way every time I want to attach or detach my seatbelt. It is also so small inside as yet I have found no use for it as storage.

Reaching down to pull up the handbrake then having to double check I’ve got the little leaver for the electronic handbrake. Then having to count 1, 2, 3, for the brake to come on. Try that at a set of traffic lights on a slope with some nice driver 6“ from your rear bumper.

Not having an actual OFF position for the lights only AUTO, Side and Headlights. The driver coming towards me the other day must have wondered what the heck I was up to as I drove under some dark trees and the headlights flashed on and off all on their own.

The spring loaded doors. The number of times I’ve smacked my knuckles when opening the driver’s door in a tight space and had it smack back because of the spring.

The gearbox, I’m having trouble when reversing and changing from reverse to 1st, It seems the detent doesn’t always drop down so I push forwards into 1st and find I’m still in reverse. I now have the habit of selecting 2nd then 1st to make sure I’m in the right gear. Just a minor niggle but it should get better as it wears in.

And things I like;
The engine, in Eco mode it has the same pulling power as my old Sandero. Take the Eco off and you get a noticeable punch in the acceleration.

Fuel economy. I live in laid back, we don’t have motorways (we really don’t) slightly rural Dorset. So most of my journeys are on A, B, C or unclassified roads. So far according to the digital display I’m getting 50 MPG, 11 more than my old car.

The display; this took me by surprise the whole display is backlit at all times, even when the lights are off. That was my biggest bugbear with the old car, in gloomy conditions or under bright sun I could not see the speedo. I also love the digital display of the speed in MPH and things like water temp, trip distance etc.

Android Auto, it works fine with my mobile phone. Google maps mean I don’t have to spend a fortune keeping the maps up to date. Voice commands so far work fine, even when I really put it to the test and issued a long command. I’ve not tried the hands free phone yet, still taking small steps at my age

The rear door having an electronic lock, so much easier when you arrive with a load of shopping and just open it with a press of the button.

The reversing camera, lets me see if some little person is hiding behind the car when pulling out in the supermarket car park. Also all the warning alarms, I did think about turning them off but now I’ve toned them down a bit (volume and tone) I decided to leave them on.

Lastly I like the way Dacia has integrated the Nav system with the car so I can adjust a lot of the cars settings with just a few taps of the screen. Well done for that Dacia.

 

I have a prestige like yours, and agree with almost everything you say - but I think you may have something wrong with your gear selector, as I have no problems with reverse selection. it feels much more positive than my old Duster.

 

Good review. I have a Comfort which only lacks the Prestige armrest(the regular armrest does what it should without blocking belts, gearshift or parking brake)the robot handbrake and blindspot warning. The techy features I've already tried in a leased Nissan, and disliked them, along with lane assist and adaptive cruise, I switched them all off if I could.

I really like the reversing camera and sensors though. The visibility out of the rear window is very poor and our car lives in a cramped underground carpark.
Finally MPG. We're getting just 30/31 on LPG, mostly due to the 1500 foot climb each way every time we go out. Tried ECO mode and got it up to 32 but at the cost of a near undriveable car, so ECO stays off.

I like it. It's a roomy, well equipped car with little or no competition on price. We bought it outright from stock with no delivery delay at all, and plan on keeping it many years.

 

My new Stepway (july 2021) is brill. I'm very pleased with it. So much better than the old with good fit and finnish, deep paint, better suspension and an engine that has loads of torque whatever the revs. It's amazing what they have done with the 1 litre engine, considering it's jusy three cylinders and 90 bhp. I really can't think of anything bad to say.

 

Some months ago when I signed up to this forum I mentioned I would be upgrading to a new Stepway. Well Last Tuesday after just over 10 months of waiting, delays and frustrations I finally managed to pick it up.

What have I got, a Sandero Stepway Prestige in Desert Orange, 6 speed manual gearbox, and petrol exactly as shown on Dacia’s advert.

Do I like it, well it’s taking a bit of getting used too.

The colour is actually lighter in real life than it seems on the select your car site (subject to me being colour blind in the red/green spectrum).

The car is much quieter to drive than my old 65 Sandero and the engine seem much ‘puncher’ and quicker to respond to a touch on the loud pedal. The seats are comfortable and have a pretty good range of adjustments. Steering is very light at low speeds and gets more ‘restrained’ as you get faster (that’s how I found it your mileage may vary).

Still having ‘fun’ with the keyless entry and the start button, had to study the manual to find out how to turn on the accessories side on the car without starting it. Oh yes I must remember to actually ‘Stop’ the engine when parking up not rely on the ‘Stop/Start’.

The electronic handbrake will take some getting used too, I have driven cars with a ‘real’ handbrake since I was 17 and I’m about to turn 76 next year so stopping on a hill or at traffic lights will be ‘interesting’. Any tips?

The Nav unit seems to work as expected and connects to my mobile fine. I used Android Auto with Google maps as a test on my way home from the dealer (30 miles or so), and I was surprised by how accurate the Nav worked. The voice directions even gave the road names as well as the number and worked out any changes very fast.

The warnings from the proximity detectors took me by surprise as I pulled up facing the wall at home the screen lit up and warnings flashed as I approached (I can turn most of this stuff off in the Nav settings but I will leave as is for now).

So downsides, I miss the gas lift strut on the bonnet, back to the old ‘pull down the holding bar’ type of fitting. The gearbox is a bit stiff and somewhat woolly to use I find 5 to 6 to be the worst but most say it frees up after some 500 miles or so. The double height boot floor is OK but a bit of a fiddle to change, not that I’ll do it very often.

Otherwise I’m pleased with the car and even my friends were impressed. Would I buy a Dacia again yes but this time from a forecourt not as a pre-order (although I did get it at last year’s price before all the rises).

Finally a question, on the instrument panel (the digital one between the dials) is a small picture of a car (not the door open one) it sometimes changes from grey to white (sort of lights up) but I can’t find what it means in the manual, anyone have any idea?

 

Some months ago when I signed up to this forum I mentioned I would be upgrading to a new Stepway. Well Last Tuesday after just over 10 months of waiting, delays and frustrations I finally managed to pick it up.

What have I got, a Sandero Stepway Prestige in Desert Orange, 6 speed manual gearbox, and petrol exactly as shown on Dacia’s advert.

Do I like it, well it’s taking a bit of getting used too.

The colour is actually lighter in real life than it seems on the select your car site (subject to me being colour blind in the red/green spectrum).

The car is much quieter to drive than my old 65 Sandero and the engine seem much ‘puncher’ and quicker to respond to a touch on the loud pedal. The seats are comfortable and have a pretty good range of adjustments. Steering is very light at low speeds and gets more ‘restrained’ as you get faster (that’s how I found it your mileage may vary).

Still having ‘fun’ with the keyless entry and the start button, had to study the manual to find out how to turn on the accessories side on the car without starting it. Oh yes I must remember to actually ‘Stop’ the engine when parking up not rely on the ‘Stop/Start’.

The electronic handbrake will take some getting used too, I have driven cars with a ‘real’ handbrake since I was 17 and I’m about to turn 76 next year so stopping on a hill or at traffic lights will be ‘interesting’. Any tips?

The Nav unit seems to work as expected and connects to my mobile fine. I used Android Auto with Google maps as a test on my way home from the dealer (30 miles or so), and I was surprised by how accurate the Nav worked. The voice directions even gave the road names as well as the number and worked out any changes very fast.

The warnings from the proximity detectors took me by surprise as I pulled up facing the wall at home the screen lit up and warnings flashed as I approached (I can turn most of this stuff off in the Nav settings but I will leave as is for now).

So downsides, I miss the gas lift strut on the bonnet, back to the old ‘pull down the holding bar’ type of fitting. The gearbox is a bit stiff and somewhat woolly to use I find 5 to 6 to be the worst but most say it frees up after some 500 miles or so. The double height boot floor is OK but a bit of a fiddle to change, not that I’ll do it very often.

Otherwise I’m pleased with the car and even my friends were impressed. Would I buy a Dacia again yes but this time from a forecourt not as a pre-order (although I did get it at last year’s price before all the rises).

Finally a question, on the instrument panel (the digital one between the dials) is a small picture of a car (not the door open one) it sometimes changes from grey to white (sort of lights up) but I can’t find what it means in the manual, anyone have any idea?

Congrats on your new Stepway. Don't know what went wrong with the wait but I think you've found it's worth it. I've got the Comfort, had mine three months now and like you was impressed with the engine straight off.
The electronics are a bit qurky, I'll not say to much and let you make your own impression. I've had nothing to do to before with keyless entry before and because of it managed to lock myself out the house. I've since got a remote pouch with a key ring attached. You get them on Ebay for the Kadjar (same size remote), Card as they call them in the hand book. One thing more I will mention. I've had a couple of messages come on the dash which say '' place card in zone and press start''. Car won't start unless this is done. I didn't have a clue the first time, breakdown people didn't either. It tells you all about this in the handbook if you know not (in the middle). lastly no idea what the car symbil is. Come back here with any problems.

 

Very pleased with my white TCe Laureatte. I can't believe the power from such a small engine. Just done 150 miles so still running in by gets better each run. 4 adults in and it cruises at 70 with air con on with no issues. Pulls clean and returns better mpg than my old i30. Also noted at 70 the rpm is well below 3000.

 

I have a Sandero Stepway BI Fuel Comfort and only got it three weeks ago and so far I am very very pleased with everything about the car.
On Lpg which i can get locally in Liverpool for 57.7 ppl so far I have done 288.8 miles on the first tank which when filed from new was 33 litres to fill this driving was mostly around town and one 60 mile run keeping revs low.
50mph in 5 gear is around 2500 rpm pop into 6th gear and drops to 1900 rpm.
It must be about to run out I want to see if it automatically goes onto petrol and if it tells you when on petrol.
When I start the car and the LPG swich is on, the green light flashes and then it goes on to LPG instantly and green light then stays on to inform you you are on LPG.
It did inform me LPG low 30miles away it said low LPG on the info.
If you can get LPG locally then it is well worth it and the drives great on LPG.
I have just moved from a Vauxhaul Astra which i ran on LPG for 14yrs.
JUST RAN OUT OF lpg at 290 miles on Stepway thats good on 33 litres.

 

I have a Sandero Stepway BI Fuel Comfort
It did inform me LPG low 30miles away it said low LPG on the info.

JUST RAN OUT OF lpg at 290 miles on Stepway thats good on 33 litres.

When I ran mine out, it took 44 litres to refill it not 33.
When I refilled at the "LPG low" warning it took just 32 or 33.
Checked the manual, the LPG tank capacity is "approx 40 litres" useable.

 

It was back ~2010. I can't remember all the ins and outs but it definitely auto released when you moved off. Maybe yours was faulty!

Does this mean the new cars have rear discs as I always though electronic handbrakes clamped the pads to the disc?

 

Viewed the MG3 a few times ( pre ugly facelift ) on display in our local shopping centre and I was always struck by the rough and ready finish, and a design that looked like it was from the 1980s. The old tech 1.5 petrol seemed less than competitive too. It's only virtues seemed to be cheapness, and it's zombie branding.
Dacia match the cheapness with Sandero, but it's a best selling modern product based on latest Renault platforms that sells on its own merits. In comparison SIAC wouldn't sell a single car to British consumers without that nostalgic MG badge.

 

Wat ever stepway u commit urself to u can't go wrong cos UV one the maths

 

never a truer word spoken!

 

Agree with Glen

I'm also very pleased with my azure blue 0.9TCe Laureate Sandero Stepway.

I love the power from such a small engine.

Just done 250 miles so also been running her in, it's true she gets better each run.

Had 3 adults or 2 adults & a large Weimaraner in the boot and she cruises at 60 & 70 with air con on with no issues.

I love the stop start engine, she pulls away clean and returns a much better mpg than my old Nissan Almera Tino. Also noticed the revs below 3000.

Her ride is very smooth, very quiet, very economical, she alerts when to go up and down the gear box, which was very useful initially as I'd previously driven a 1.8 engine and this is a 0.9 turbo engine.

My mum and ourselves have mobility and access issues, we all use walking aids, so we got the Stepway as it has higher raised seating which is much easier to access.

This car is very nippy and yet economical in town driving, very easy to park using the rear camera, with the front & rear parking sensors.

It has a large enough boot for weekly supermarket shopping for ourselves & my mum.

When we go on holiday next month, I will start to use the eco button and cruise control/speed limiter, to ensure better motorway driving.

It has a fabulous media sat nav system, great speakers my music sounds wonderful when using either the DAB radio or blue tooth connection to my android smartphone to play my music from my amazon cloud.

The phone is clear when making calls via Bluetooth from the car.

The sat nav is very clear, the maps show points of interest, petrol stations,shops, cafes etc. It alerts for traffic warnings, speed cameras, it visually displays the current speed limit. It works well, just as good as my previous Garmin.

It has 12v socket for our electric cool bag. Electric Windows. 2 cup holders in front but only one in the back, which is enough for us.

This is a fabulous car to drive, it holds the road well, has great breaks, a great turning circle.

For the money, it is the best value for money deal. You get a great car with a fantastic spec for a lower cost than other cars.

Sent from my HTC One using DaciaForum.co.uk mobile app

 

This is a fabulous car to drive, it holds the road well, has great breaks, a great turning circle.

I heard this many times before in different countries, from different users. It is one of the most understated, under-reported or under-praised feature of the Stepway version of the Sandero. I dear to say that Sandero Stepway is maybe the best Dacia car in terms of driveability. Okay, Dacia tried to replicate the success of Stepway recipe for Logan MCV but I think that it only just looks good. On Sandero, however, the Stepway ingredients actually work on the road: increased road clearance (and some say that a tougher suspension - or maybe only the anti-roll bar), 205/55/R16 tires, and I think the under the car is also roughened with two shields on front and on the rear axle but may also change the air flows under the car. Maybe it is only the tires, who knows ? With its shorter tail, compared to Logan or Logan MCV, Sandero can really exploit the larger tires and sit better on the road without having to fight the boot that inertially is going outside the curve.

I found myself leaving some usual cars behind on curvy roads although I do not drive aggressively. I do not make the tires scream.

 

BTW, I had this confirmation. Someone with a Dacia Logan installed a rear axle shield that is present in the Sandero Stepway. The feedback is that the stability on the road is much improved. The air flow coming from large trucks no longer rocks the Dacia Logan as a boat.

 

On my second stepway petrol this time little or no turbo lag
Had a 1.5dci before had my doubts about such a small engine but it performs well much faster of the mark than the deisel
It really is a much under rated car
So many people think they are junk perhaps they remember the old ones from the 80s which were junk

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using DaciaForum.co.uk mobile app

 

Let people keep thinking they're junk.If they get to popular the same thing will happen as with KIA prices through the roof. ????????

Sent from S7 Edge

 

Move on to another make
Fiat are planning to intro duce a budget brand based on the patio made in Brazil

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using DaciaForum.co.uk mobile app

 

Dacia certainly out sell MG and they ain't cheap £12500 for a 3 and staring at £15000 for there SUV you can get top of range duster for that

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using DaciaForum.co.uk mobile app

 

I've had my Stepway Tce90 White Ambiance about 8 months and only done 3000 miles very pleased with my purchase so far, I love the surge of acceleration when turning the eco button off !!

But I have two pet hates.

Pet hate1. Having no button to press to get into the boot when shopping, you have to unlock the boot with the key or walk round to front, open the door and release the catch, I cant remember when a car didnt have something that was easier than that!

Pet hate 2

The speedometer, When sky's are grey and the and the sun isn't shining you cannot see what speed you are doing, the speedo is so far recessed that you have to put side lights on to see the speed, which is a pain.

This year due to circumstances I havent done much mileage but next year it should be different,I've found the car very comfortable to drive and so has the wife who was a bit dubious at first but now she loves it.

Another minor gripe is that the MPG calculator isnt included in the software for the Ambiance, I know its there but its not switched on.

MPG i have worked out to be about 42 mpg to the gallon which is nearly all short runs of about 4 to 5 miles each time, so not bad. I was getting about 44 on my old Hyundai i20.

Would I recommend getting one? Yes I would, providing you are not a badge snob, it does all I want in comfort, and it keeps up easily with traffic, and when entering motorways there is plenty of speed to accelerate safely into the traffic.

I will update this post now and again

 

We have had our 2017 Stepway 0.9Tce Easy-R Prestige ( French) since August. So far mostly local running plus a short holiday to Florence which was 500Km each way.

Averaging 6.5L/Km, about 43mpg over 2,500 Km which is pretty good I think with aircon.

The engine goes really well now as it loosens up even with four up and luggage on the motorway.

A really comfy car which I did not expect.No problems with dashboard refections or opening of the boot from the boot button on outside of the back door.

We live in the south of France and so far its still quite hot (25 degress today) so the aircon has been on all the time and it keeps the inside of the car quite cool.

The Easy-R and Start/Stop are great once you adjust your driving style. I also love the way the revs are blipped automatically each time it changes down!

My wife loves driving it so all in all a great value for money practical car.

 

I doubt Dacia's prices will explode. Any higher and will compete with Renault's models in terms of price. This will not happen as Renault is keen at keeping the two brands apart. Dacia is budget, british-like food, Renault is French cousine.

 

Dacia is like super markets own brand better value and in some cases better than property brands
Just running around can Get 46
/47 miles/ gal
Yes I think prices will rise have been the same for years

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using DaciaForum.co.uk mobile app

 

Pet hate 2

The speedometer, When sky's are grey and the and the sun isn't shining you cannot see what speed you are doing, the speedo is so far recessed that you have to put side lights on to see the speed, which is a pain.

This is posted often. There is a physical mod.

http://www.daciaforum.co.uk/forum/topic/13794-daytime-dashboard-illumination/

Although one person posted his wiring colours did not match.

The UCH is the Body Control Module. When the lights are switched on 12 volts should appear at pin 20. N.B. this is a logic voltage and does not supply current to the instrument panel lights so will probable only be measurable with everything properly connected.

I have done this mod and it only lights the instrument panel, the heater and radio illumination remains off until the lights are switched on.

 

Had my diesel Stepway for over a month now and am very pleased with it. I echo the complaints re the boot and the speedometer but forgive these quite easily when set against the value it represents. Again I do appreciate the high seat position which makes it easier for those of us with dodgy knees to get in and out.

In mixed driving I'm getting 57 mpg but this is using the computer read-out which may or may not be correct. I've just fitted a chip for the EMS and am curious to see what improvements this may bring....it certainly does improve the power available as this is noticeable.

My only problem is that I've lost all of my maps...GPS is working but maps disappeared following an attempt to update and I suspect that the USB used was faulty....anyway the dealer was unable to help as they don't have any suitable software to remedy this. The dealer said that they would investigate further but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I thought that the maps, if paid on Medianav Toolbox, should be available for download more than once.

The documentation says .... does this means that once you install a map, you will no longer be able to download it again if your usb is faulty? I found that hard to believe. Please tell me.

If you purchased updates and/or added free updates to the installation queue, you will be redirected to the "Updates" screen. In case this would not happen, please click on the "Updates" button in the menu bar on the left hand side. This is the last step to update your navigation device.

The "Updates" button will open a screen which shows all available updates, including:

• items that you have purchased but not yet installed (updates or extra content),

• free updates and extra content that you added to the installation queue from the "Catalogue" menu,

• and special free updates (which are normally paid updates but currently provided free of charge due to a special occasion).

The list shows all available updates.

 

Regarding the boot, I think you in UK have some sort of regulations regarding the safety of exiting the boot. I read something but I may be completely wrong, that one, in case of entering the boot and accidentally being trapped inside must be able to enter the car by opening the rear seats from the trunk.

In the rest of Europe, Dacia has a button to open the boot.