The crew over at the km77 YouTube channel got their hands on the new generation Dacia Sandero Stepway and subjected it to the moose test, with surprising results.
The challenging maneuver proved too much for the jacked-up hatchback, which couldn’t completed it at 77 km/h (48 mph). The highest speed at which the driver managed to swerve to avoid the imaginary obstacle in the middle of the road and then got back in the initial lane was 73 km/h (45 mph).
Other attempts at higher speeds resulted in significant understeer, but km77 noted that the driver didn’t feel unsafe and that the new Sandero has improved over its predecessor. The slalom posed no threat for the car, but due to the increased ground clearance over the regular Sandero and its soft suspension, it didn’t feel nimble. Even so, no cones were hit.
When compared to small crossovers and SUVs, the result is actually decent. And surprisingly, the 2021 Sandero Stepway managed to outperform some big names. One of them is the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, which completed the course at 69 km/h (43 mph).
The second-gen Mercedes-Benz CLA did even worse, as the driver had to lower the speed to 66 km/h (41 mph) in order for the car to stay within the lines. The plug-in hybrid versions of the VW Passat and Skoda Superb performed poorly too, and so did the BMW M235i Gran Coupe, a premium subcompact sports saloon with 301 HP that does the 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.6 seconds.