The Dacia Sandero, a medium-sized hatchback, is the first vehicle introduced by Renault in any place other than Europe. First country to see it was Brazil, under the Renault brand.

Dacia Sandero is a five door hatch based on the Logan.  It has a shorter wheelbase, if compared to the 4-door saloon version. It was first produced in Brazil and then exported to European markets too. The European version has most of the Brazilian characteristics, apart from the engines and front part. The European version is being produced in Romania at the Mioveni factory, in Pitesti. At the Euro NCAP tests, Dacia Sandero scored 4 out of 5 stars. The scores for the safety pack were 31 for adults and 38 for children occupants.

The engine versions for the European versions are a bit different but still three: a 1.4-engine delivering 75 cv, a 1.6-litre engine, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The Brazilian versions don’t have diesel engines because that is not allowed in their country.

The size of both cars, European and Brazilian, are: 4.02 m in length, 2.59 m in wheelbase, 2 m in width. The height is 1, 53 m in both cases. The boot holds 320 l. The Brazilian roads and streets are as demanding as the European ones so European cars have to be higher to be safe and durable.

The Dacia Sandero is sold allover Turkey, Turkey and Maghreb and started in June 2008. In 2009, it will also be sold in South Africa. The prices will almost remain the same, just like other Logans. Ans speaking about price, in Brazil, an entry level Dacia Sandero costs R$ 29,900. This sum is about 11,700 euros. But don’t worry. The price is just in Brazil. On European grounds the price is less than that.

Produced at Pitesti factory in Romania, the Dacia Logan Van is the first model launched within Renault Commitment 2009’s commercial vehicle range renewal plan.  It is also the third vehicle of the X90 Program and it goes under the Dacia brand in Romania and Bulgaria.

The program for developing and producing Logan MCV has a total outlay of €154 million and the new model is a mix of commercial vehicle robustness with passenger car equipment levels.

The Dacia Logan Van, Dacia brand’s first ever small van represents the modernization of Dacia’s commercial vehicle portfolio and its expansion to bigger and more competitive international markets. It will be on sale in Romania and Bulgaria in February 2007 and the primary market is the traders, small business owners, and medium-sized fleets.

The factory in Pitesti, Romania, also produces Logan MCV and Logan Saloon and the capacity is for 200 Dacia Logan Van each day. Because the Dacia Logan Van is derived from Logan MCV, the costs for producing it will be much lower and just like other car from the Logan family, it’s been designed for use in varied and extreme conditions. It is a robust, simple and powerful car.

The available engines are two petrol engines – the 1.4 MPI 55kW and the 1.6 MPI 64kW – and a diesel engine – the 1.5 dCi 50kW diesel engine. They have, of course, the Renault brand and technology.

About the car’s design, we can say that its lines and volume is similar to Logan MCV. The rear doors provide easy and wide access to the cargo area from the left- and right-hand sides. Other cars from the same segment don’t offer this. In the back of the car there are also 1/3-2/3 split asymmetric upright doors.

The standard payload is 800kg and this shoots the Dacia Logan Van at the top of the of the small van category.