Inevitable that Dacia prices would have to rise

If there’s a third inevitability after death and taxes, it’s most likely that prices will rise. The cold fingers of inflation seemingly always work their way in, no matter how tightly you shut the metaphorical fiscal draw, so it was inevitable that even Dacia prices would have to rise.

As the new Sandero arrives on these shores (it’s our second-generation, but actually the third Dacia Sandero in a global sense) that inevitability of rising prices has carried out its dread task. Prices for the cheapest Sandero have risen from that original lo-lo tag of €10,000 to a more senior €12,990. Is that just too much to ask for a bargain-basement hatchback?

Well, perhaps not. You have to take that price rise in its context — legislation demands that more and more expensive safety equipment be fitted as standard now, and then there is the need for more sophisticated engine management systems to keep fuel consumption, and emissions, low.

Then you notice that all small hatchbacks have risen, quite dramatically, in price. In 2017, that original Sandero was undercutting the likes of the Fiesta and Yaris and Polo, whose prices usually started between €16,000 and €17,000. Now, €17,000 is the bare minimum for an entry-level supermini, so while the Sandero has become pricier in absolute terms, in context it actually hasn’t really.

It’s also now offering better equipment. Air conditioning now comes as standard, as does a DAB radio, front electric windows, cruise control, and a speed limiter. Such luxuries — the cotton lining to a hair-shirt — would have been unknown wonders to anyone buying that €10,000 original Sandero.

It also comes, as previously noted, with more safety equipment — ABS brakes, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, and a system called Interurban Advanced Emergency Brake Assist System (AEBS).

Slip inside, and there’s a new, rather more stylish, dashboard, that’s still made from simple, cheap plastics. It’s much less rough-edged than before (you won’t need stitches when you go looking for the bonnet release) but still reassuringly affordable.

There’s no touchscreen - well, there is an eight inch unit if you upgrade to the €16,290 Comfort model, but this basic Essential version gets a simple set of fingertip stereo controls, and a clamp that holds your smartphone, with a USB socket to connect it to.

This Essential model gets the most basic engine possible, a 67hp version of Renault’s 1.0 litre three-cylinder petrol engine. With no turbocharger, torque is a pretty tiny 95Nm, but then the Duster in this basic form weighs barely more than one-tonne.

Performance, which looks hopeless on paper, is actually relatively peppy as long as you avoid too many steep hills. Basically, it rocks along quite nicely, but it does get rather too noisy and thrashy above 3,000rpm, so with only five speeds in the gearbox, long motorway journeys might not be such a good idea. It is economical, though, with 50mpg and higher easily achieved.

If that kind of journey is your daily bag, then maybe do consider the Comfort model, with its turbocharged 100hp engine and six-speed gearbox (which feels almost like a hot-hatch when you step into it after the Essential model).

Handling is okay — the steering is light and easy, but divorced entirely from what the front wheels are up to, and the suspension does run out of travel a little too quickly on big bumps.

As with the old Sandero, as long as you go in with your expectations set to a level commensurate with the price, it’s fine.