Careful observers cannot help but have noticed how, in recent years, the philosophy of Dacia has evolved: from an initial, “low cost” direction, aimed at finding maximum savings (with which it appeared on the market in 2005), to a more balanced concept of “smart buy” or “intelligent purchase”. It is an approach that is still concrete and attentive to costs, but that aims to also offer an improved perception of quality. It is obtained, above all, through a careful “design to cost” ratio that is both modern and rational. This vision was again emphasised on the arrival of the Sandero Stepway in dealerships.

This vehicle is the most highly regarded and requested of the Dacia compact, now in its the third generation, which it embodies particularly well. The Sandero “cross” variant combines, in fact, current details – such as the lights’ Y-shaped light signature – with a wise use of offroad elements – such as the trims and the glossy profile of the front bumpers. These become decorative and, at the same time, reinforce the vehicle’s image, distancing the idea of minimalism to which Dacia, in its first phase, was purposefully linked.

Style and functionality are also found in the roof rails, typical of the Stepway, that are transformed, in a few seconds, into cross bars. But the careful play of contrasts in the interiors: the overlapping surfaces of the dashboard, the touches of colour in the ventilation outlets, and the stitching on the armrests, also enliven the passenger compartment, shifting attention from the more cheaply manufactured elements, such as the upper, plastic panels of the doors.