Dacia Sandero Journey: Why you shouldn't write off buying a Dacia Sandero for your next car

Or in 1999 when it was sold by the government to the French company? Or in 2004 when the alliance launched the Logan, a small saloon with a mooted 5,000 euro price tag? It was to cost slightly more.

The Sandero hatchback version followed, then the Duster SUV, then the Lodgy MPV. By now Dacia had the attention of the motorist who wanted something cheap and usable and, based on Renault components, reliable and serviceable.

Recently we have welcomed the Jogger, the electric Spring all the way from China, and the Bigster.

Most are still made in Romania but many are produced in other countries and some are made in Morocco.

This is where I shall begin, in Marrakesh where a sludge yellow Logan taxi picked me up at the ultra smart airport and another Logan returned me a week later. Dacia seems to have the taxi market bottled up with the Logan, Lodgy and the Sandero - produced in both Casablanca and Tangier.

They are readily found, their dull yellow paint marginally brighter than the drab ochre clay walls of the fabled city. For vibrant colour hail a Logan and head for the Yves St Laurent couture museum at the Majorelle Gardens.

Cars need to be tough in North Africa, though roads have improved since Peugeot’s dominance last century. Dacias must be lasting the course.

And so home from the Moroccan sun to a chilled northern February and the keys to the latest Sandero. The subtle cedar green paint job seemed to fit my wintery mood but looked smart, offset with stark white graphics across the broad face and abstract block capitals on the tailgate.

The entry model Sandero costs £14,200 (or £124 a month) for a Fiesta-sized five-door hatchback. This is the Essential model with either a long range dual fuel petrol-LPG engine or a three-cylinder petrol engine. Kit includes steel wheels, air con and electric front windows.

You are likely to add £1,000 for the Expression which brings electric rear windows snd mirrors, larger wheels, a touchscreen, rear camera and parking sensors and handsfree entry.

Another £1,000 buys the Journey at £16,200 or £17,700, with the three-pot engine and CVT automatic gearbox — the car we were sent.

It includes alloys, a shark fin roof antennae, more speakers, more parking sensors, blind spot warning and a rear usb, The cedar green metallic paint added £650. White paint is the only free colour.

The newly face-lifted Sandero was easily the best-selling car in Europe last year, selling 268,101 and overtaking the Tesla Y, which dropped to fourth as sales plummeted. Some say its owner’s bullish politics are not helping.

Sandero and lots of rivals like the Corsa suit commuters, shoppers or compact families. The Sandero beats them on price and cabin space.

First impressions of the Sandero? An attractive exterior with the stylised glaring white DC logo in the wide grille catching the eye.

The headlamps, with LED dipped beams, have their own bright signature, a double chevron and the rest of the car looks smart, unfussy and quite unlike the plusher Renault Clio on which it is based.

My first drive in the Sandero Journey was straight off the plane from Morocco and not having driven for a week.

I noticed a harsh ride, some clatter in the rear and chatter from anything in contact with the hardshell trim, gloves box and door pockets. I wrote: “Poor soundproofing amplifies any rattles, stone pings underneath and rain on the windscreen”.

Keep reading. Never mind the quality, feel the width - 56 inches of elbow room which puts it in the Golf class. Within a few days I was in tune with the Sandero, a case of familiarity softening things.

Renault’s small petrol turbo TCe 90 engine performed well and quietly, under 3,000rpm at 70mph. I never matched its headline 49.56mpg despite a coaching app and vain advice to use Castrol oil. I used to favour Duckhams.

The instrumentation has a central screen and convenient large controls for the ventilation. The black plastics are softened by a bright black/white cloth trim.

The navigation voice was clear and word perfect. There are usb and 12v sockets front and back, with four bag hooks in the large boot which is 40 inches wide, stretching to 50 inches when the chairs are folded.

There is a large well under the Journey’s two-tier floor for an optional spare wheel and is where the LPG gas tank would sit.

Renault stuff on show includes the handy audio selector on the steering column and the neat card key. It rides on 16-inch alloys with top quality Continental 195/55 tyres.

They took me here and there in the week and by the seventh day the things I didn’t like had faded and I started to enjoy the Sandero and wanted to have another go at the elusive fuel economy target.

It is not the best in class but at the price there’s nothing gets near. It’s a contender and worth trying. I’d have the dual fuel version, which is hugely popular in the EU in the Sandero and the Duster SUV - from £18,850 with dual fuelling.

Dacia Sandero Journey TCe 90 automatic:

Price: £17,700, metallic paint £650.

Engine: 999cc petrol turbo

Power: 88.75 bhp

Torque: 104.6 lb/ft

Transmission: DCT automatic

Top speed: 105mph

0-62mph: 12.2 seconds

Economy: 49.6 (36 to 41mpg in testing)

Tank: 11 gallons (50 litres)

CO 2 emissions:129g/km

Length: 189 inches (4m)

Braked towing limit: 1100 kg

More: dacia.co.uk