I have a TCe 90 Stepway, from new in October 2014.
I traded in my diesel Panda for it and my other transport is a 200TDi Land Rover, and had not had a petrol car since 2006.
I have stalled every petrol courtesy car for the last ten years so I was a bit wary of a 900cc petrol car. I even agreed to the salesman driving to a country lane first, rather than try it in stop-start Ipswich traffic. It is actually very hard to stall. I think newer cars come with ‘stop-start’ as standard.
I am now used to the lack of torque, but it still seems unnatural to change down to third to accelerate from fifty and to keep in fourth in a thirty zone.
When starting from cold, with headlights, fan, heated rear screen and A/C on, the acceleration is minimal until warm. This would be problem if I had to join a motorway via a slip road early on in my journey.
I have the ‘Laureate’ version with cruise control, I was not bothered about getting it, but I now love it. I find it particularly useful in long thirty zones and it is probably responsible for my continuing clean license. However, the lack of torque shows again when on an undulating road, it speeds up momentarily when going down hill, then feels like the brakes have been (gently) tapped when the speed has been corrected, then slowing when going up hill, over compensating and quickly slowing again. OK in Suffolk and Essex but I think it might be annoying in hilly areas.
46 mpg at an average of 34 mph according to the trip computer, mainly country roads. I do make a point of thrashing it when warm on the occasional dual carriage way as I think driving gently was the reason for the waste-gate seizing on the Panda.
Trail Rat mentions a 1.2 Tce, the only 1.2 in the Dacia range when I looked at them was the old 75 PS non-turbo, which was bad enough in my colleague‘s Proton.
Other non-engine points which may be relevant to the Logan:-
I like the fact that it has steel wheels, but not the fact that all new cars now come with tyre pressure sensors which are MOT tested and will be expensive to replace in a few years time.
I bought two new standard rims with the car to put winter tyres on (front only), and keep one as a spare in summer (summer tyre as spare in winter), they fit perfectly in the spare wheel well. I did not pay the £90 extra for a space saver and jack, but it came with one anyway.
Offside (not inside) front pads and disc where badly worn after 30,000, very strange.
I still occasionally miss a gear with the very ‘notchy’ gear change.
The 12v power supply will power a dash cam or sat nav, but not both.
The ‘Laureate’ trim comes with A/C, climate control was not an option.
The built in sat nav is dreadful, too slow to warn of turning ahead, very strange routing options, changes route when driving in a different dierectrion, but only does it correctly when set to ‘shortest’ route. I had to turn it off completely when stationary on the M25 as the speeding alarm went off continually. It is mounted too low to be safe to look at whilst driving.
All electric windows, but no auto up/down.
Central locking, but not on rear door, have to use key or lever on floor near driver’s door, it is only a matter of time before I shut the rear door with my keys inside.
The hand hold inside the rear door is in line with the catch, I have drawn blood several times when closing and catching my wrist on the catch.
Door corners are very sharp and at eye level for smaller people.
I love the USB MP3 player but cannot find what max size stick it will take (more than 32gb, less than 64gb). DAB was a £250 option with screen mounted aerial (FM aerial being made redundant), if I need DAB I will use the Aux socket.
It took several attempts before the dealer would put in writing that the extended warranty covered the turbo.
I waited for six weeks to get a white one, as all the other colours were £500 options.
Dashboard is unlit unless sidelights are turned on which makes the speedo difficult to see if driving in to a low sun.
The rear boot on the Stepway is shallower than the Panda’s, which could take a case of wine with the parcel shelf still in place.
Rear seats do not fold flat.
