In February, the Sandero TCe 90 is back with a five-speed manual gearbox, and the LPG version will do the same in a few weeks. But the Stepway adventurer will keep its six-speed transmission well. Explanations.
If you go to the Dacia Sandero configurator today, you will find that its TCe 90 engine is now equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox. However, since its debut, the third generation of this city car took advantage of six speeds with this turbocharged engine. A choice that remains valid for its adventurous Stepway version. We therefore asked the brand for an explanation of this somewhat surprising change, which has no influence on the price. The price remains fixed at €13,490 for this 100% petrol three-cylinder, only available on the high Comfort finish. Among the reasons put forward, there would be a problem with the production capacity of the six-speed manual transmission in question. Dacia thus prefers to reserve it only for Stepway, which makes the vast majority of sales in France. But there is also, if not above all, a desire to reduce costs in these times of rising commodity prices. A way to avoid the price increases that have been increasing for several months among car manufacturers.
Performance drops, CO2 Also
The five-speed manual transmission did not come out of nowhere. It was already found on the access engine, the placid three-cylinder atmospheric SCe 65. Already effective for all orders since 1er February, this transmission change will be passed on to production in April. Then a little later in the year, it will be the turn of the LPG Eco-G 100 variant to go there. In other markets, the Logan four-door sedan will also be affected. On paper, however, there are not necessarily only bad sides. For the Sandero TCe 90, CO emissions2 on the WLTP cycle are even down, dropping from 120 to 119 g/km. On the other hand, performance would be in decline, with a 0 to 100 km / h announced in 12.2 s instead of 11.7 s previously. This suggests a longer gearbox staging, which could help contain the increase in engine noise on the highway. But we will obviously try to test this modified Sandero as soon as possible to check the impact of this change behind the wheel.
TO READ. Shopping guide: all the Sanderos on trial, which one to choose?
Dacia Sandero price (February 2022)
| Price in euros | Essential | Comfort |
| Gasoline | ||
| SCe 65 BVM5 | 9,990 | 11,990 |
| TCe 90 BVM5 | – | 13,490 |
| TCe 90 CVT | – | 15,090 |
| Gasoline-LPG | ||
| Eco-G 100 BVM6 | 12,190 | 13,690 |
Dacia Sandero Stepway price (February 2022)
| Price in euros | Essential | Comfort |
| Gasoline | ||
| TCe 90 BVM6 | 13,690 | 14,990 |
| TCe 90 CVT | – | 16,590 |
| Gasoline-LPG | ||
| Eco-G 100 BVM6 | 13,890 | 15,190 |
