Dacia Sandero Midnight Special Edition now available

October 01, 2014 by

Dacia adds a flash of class to the Sandero hatch with this dark-themed Midnight special edition.

So what’s this then?

One of Britain’s most recognisable cars already, this is the Midnight special edition of Dacia‘s bargain hatchback, the Sandero.

And what’s new?

In effect this is a trim boost. Add up everything you get on the top-spec Laureate and add a few more goodies on top.

Specifically, the Midnight adds 15-inch alloy wheels, an exclusive Slate Grey metallic paint finish and a gloss black exterior trim on the door mirrors and B-pillar, while on the inside there’s gloss black trim on the door handles, central console surround and steering wheel.

The Laureate trim level already has air conditioning, electric front windows, cruise control, speed limiter, a trip computer, Bluetooth connectivity, a four-speaker radio/CD player and ESC with traction control as standard, so it’s fairly well-specified for what’s supposedly a no-frills motor.

What powers it?

The Sandero engine range is unchanged, so you get to pick from the 90hp, 0.9-litre TCe petrol engine or a 90hp dCi diesel. The petrol is a mite quicker to 60mph, but the diesel cracks under the 100g/km threshold to grant you free VED (road tax). That said, the petrol model isn’t exactly pricey to tax, at £30 a year…

Anything else?

You can still specify extra gizmos and trinkets from the Dacia range if you wish. Rear parking sensors, ‘Dark Carbon’ leather seats and a seven-inch touchscreen are all optional extras should you really want to deck your Sandero’s interior out.

How much will it cost me?

The petrol-powered Sandero Midnight will set you back £9,354, while the diesel is £10,345. Even at a 18mpg difference between the two – 56.5mpg to 74.3mpg – it’s going to take a while for the diesel to pay you back its extra purchase price.

Any alternatives?

There’s nothing short of a mob of hatchbacks in this segment that start at around the Sandero’s price – the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 208, Kia Rio, Hyundai – but to describe them as alternatives does the Sandero a disservice. Sure, you can buy them at the same price, but they’re nowhere near as generously kitted-out.

Just about the most reasonable like-for-like car available is the MG3.

In a line…

A pricey option for the bargain car – but it’s well kitted out.