Renault’s Sandero Stepway Plus: a value-packed new addition

By Ané Theron

It offers even more convenience features for budget-savvy buyers. Here’s why the well-priced Plus derivative should become a firm favourite with the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly, alike.

It stands tall

Being styled like an SUV, it offers good ground clearance of 193 mm if the need should arise to scale a sidewalk. On day one of my test week, someone parked me in at the dentist. I would not have been able to make my escape in a Renault Clio. The raised ride height also helps you to see what’s coming up ahead.

It’s super safe for its price

The Sandero Stepway Plus offers best-in-class safety, with front and side airbags, ABS with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA), as well as traction- and stability control, helping the Sandero stay on its course and on its wheels. And If you don’t care much for engaging and releasing the handbrake before driving away at an incline, the Stepway offers hill-start assist (HSA) too, keeping the car firmly in place for about 3 seconds, affording you enough time to smoothly make your way forward without an embarrassing engine-stall.

Leaving a crowded parking lot? The Stepway Plus offers Renault’s 7-inch MediaNav system with a rearview camera (and TomTom-based satnav) helps you do so. The only gripe is that the system takes a few seconds before displaying the camera view after you’ve selected reverse, which is annoying if someone’s waiting impatiently for you to exit your coveted shopping mall parking spot.  

Young families will be glad to hear of the  2017 Global NCAP 4-star rating for child protection. The rear seats have 3x three-point seat belts so each occupant can be strapped in properly.

It offers serious space in the ‘AB Entry Hatch’ segment

The Sandero’s boot is a generous 292 litres and perfectly suited for weekends away, short holidays, or bi-monthly family grocery shopping. There’s serious head-, elbow-,  and wiggle room up front, but the rear bench is best left to the vertically challenged, and three adults seated side-by-side will be a bit of a squeeze. Still, for its segment it’s very competitive.

When I recommended the Sandero to a friend she remarked that it may be too big for her - I found that very amusing, but to be fair, she was used to driving a Hyundai  i10.  In the end she did buy a Sandero though…

Its upmarket look belies its humble pricing

The Stepway Plus looks the part with sexy alloy wheels, and Renault’s signature C-shaped daytime running lamps. There are no blatant giveaways that this is a budget-hatchback - the interior is solid and well-appointed , especially if you spec leather seats (R10 000). Small details such as the irregular edges of the hard plastics behind the steering wheel give you an indication that this is not quite an Audi Q2, but only if you’re very pedantic will this really bother you.

Comfort features galore in the new Plus

Compared to the more expensive new Polo Vivo 1.6 Maxx (R225 000), the Sandero trumps it completely, except on the power front. The Vivo Maxx has 77kW vs. the Sandero’s 66kW, and the Vivo Maxx has electrically retractable mirrors and a tyre pressure monitor. But: It doesn’t have the Sandero’s cruise control, handy hill-start assist, satnav, front and rear power windows, park distance control/rearview camera, and the Maxx only has two airbags vs. the Sandero’s four. The Maxx’s ground clearance of 158 mm is also not as impressive as the Stepway Plus’s 193 mm. To open the Sandero’s boot, however, you physically have to unlock the boot lid from the outside with your key. With arms full of shopping, it’s bit of a pain. There’s also a lever you can pull on the inside that will open it.

And the performance/fuel economy combo is not bad either...

Renault claims that the Stepway, with its  F1-inspired 66kW turbocharged engine, only uses 5.2 litres/100km on the highway and beyond. I can’t vouch for that figure since I mainly drove in the city,  and my consumption was a congestion-friendly 6.8 litres per 100 km. Based on that inner-city figure, the 50-litre tank of the Sandero will easily see you completing 735 kilometres before you need to fill up again,  if you don’t drive too fast. The little 900cc engine is a fine one, and you’ll be surprised how well it goes for its size.

Other ‘likes’...

I like how its  chunky its steering wheel feels in my hands, the elevated seating position, fold-away centre armrest, and general ease of use. It’s the perfect little city car but also the decently spacious and frugal road-trip car. It’s neither too masculine nor feminine, it’s fun on tar and good on dirt. Young moms will feel reassured by its safety features, older persons will appreciate its ride height and maneuverability, and worry-pot fathers of varsity-kids will sleep easy at night.  But its price is what’s going to attract the most buyers. At R206 900 the Stepway Plus, with all its features, is quite the bargain.