• One engine, two power outputs to choose from
• Petrol or petrol with LPG – no diesels, no hybrids
• Automatic only available on mid- and top-range cars

Sandero Stepway engines come in three flavours – the 90hp petrol model, the 90hp petrol with automatic transmission, and the 100hp with LPG fuelling. They’re all effectively the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with different power outputs. 

The LPG Bi-fuel TCe 100 model offers the longest overall driving range of any comparable car, with 800 miles available when driven gently and with both fuel tanks full and used in parallel.

We’ve sampled the TCe 100 Bi-fuel and have driven it extensively in both LPG and petrol models, with little performance difference noticeable. The buzzy little engine delivers its power eagerly, and you need to be active with the gears if you want to keep it spinning along at a decent pace. It’s easy to switch between fuels with the digital display showing the range on the fuel you’ve selected.

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This 100hp turbocharged petrol is quite good fun to drive, and never sounds or feels too harsh, no matter how hard you drive it. But if you relax and take it easy, it recedes into a background hum and cruises very nicely indeed. It’s in this environment that the Stepway comes into its own as its respectable mid-range pull and comfortable suspension set-up combine to make it a very relaxing car to drive gently. 

It’s not perfect though, as on the motorway, you need to work it hard, especially if it’s loaded. And it can get loud. Pulling away from low-speed roadworks, for instance, you need to drop two gears to quickly get back up to speed. It’s rather peaky – meaning the power comes in surges rather than smoothly, which can take time to get used to.

What’s it like to drive?

• Plenty of grip, lots of bodyroll
• Built for comfort, not speed
• Nice gearchange, slow steering

The best way of describing the Sandero Stepway is that it’s at its happiest on straight roads and away from bends. It’s not that it isn’t good at cornering, but for your passengers’ equilibrium, you’ll probably prefer to take things more slowly.

The main issue is that the Stepway likes to roll in corners. And for those who enjoy the sparkle of a small car, this is a bit disappointing. Don’t get us wrong – there’s plenty of grip, it’s good to have a car that rides rough roads smoothly and this comfort bias suits the car perfectly well.

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The main reason for this is the Stepway’s raised ride height, which makes it feel a bit podgy and unwieldy. Although it’s styled as an SUV, it’s a front-wheel drive car, with no traction-enhancing electronic aids. So, don’t expect it to off-road, but do enjoy its ability to shrug off rutted tracks with ease.

The Sandero Stepway has been conceived to deal well with rough and unmade roads as well as the worst potholes that typical cities have to offer. And on that, it succeeds – these conditions are shrugged off with real ease.

However, on the motorway, it starts to struggle more, with an unsettled ride and rather too much wind noise from the front screen and door mirrors leaving the driver tired after a day behind the wheel.