2021 Dacia Sandero Owner’s Manual

Affordable, or just cheap? That was the question on the minds of many when they set their eyes on the 2021 Dacia Sandero, especially seeing that the starting price was just $10,500. It’s sadly not available in the US.

It’s a compact hatchback car, but still has 4 doors making it convenient as an affordable family car. It has also been extensively redesigned with new body-color bumpers, new grille design, a more attractive profile, new LED headlights and taillights, and a new interior.

Manufactured by French automaker Renault it shares many of its components with more premium models such as the Renault Clio and Nissan Juke.

New life has been breathed into the interior of the 2021 Sandero, with an all-new interior made to look more elegant and premium compared to the cheaper-looking one in the previous model. The use of soft-touch fabrics on the dashboard help to boost the look and feel of the dash compared to the all-plastic predecessor.

At the top end of the trim scale, you get a large infotainment touchscreen, which itself is fairly plain and straightforward. The surprising thing is that you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which even some high-end luxury cars don’t offer even now.

Dacia has also been very smart with their placement of USB ports, including one behind the built-in smartphone dash mount so you can charge the phone while it’s wirelessly connected to your infotainment and mounted on the dash. There’s also a rear-view camera on the top-level trim.

Both manual and automatic transmissions are available, and the car is just as comfortable on country roads as it is driving around town. The suspension is quite soft and it can’t handle tight bends at high speeds very well, but it’s an easy drive and comfortable enough ride.

The Sandero is powered by a 1.0L 65-hp engine, or a 1.0L turbo engine offering 90-hp and a 6-speed manual transmission or an optional upgrade to automatic.