Britain's cheapest new car to go on sale for under £6,000 (that's the same price as the go-faster stripes on a Ferrari)

Britain’s cheapest car goes on sale next year, for the same price as go-faster stripes on a Ferrari.
The new Dacia Sandero will cost from just £5,995 when it arrives in the UK in January, a similar amount to some luxury options on the world’s priciest cars.
A similar sum will pay for racing stripes on a Ferrari 599 (£5,250), pearlescent white paint on a Maserati Quattroporte (£5,400) or carbon-ceramic brakes on a Porsche 911 (£5,464).
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Bargain: The new Dacia Sandero will be retail from under £6,000 when it arrives in the UK in January

No frills: The basic 'Access' model doesn't even come with a radio or air conditioning, although motorists can upgrade

The car will be in showrooms from  January 2013 with customer deliveries expected to begin later the same month.
Selling right hand drive cars in the UK is the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’, the company said.
The five door  car will be capable of transporting five people and their luggage, ‘in comfort’, says the firm.
The entry level Access model at  £5,995 is far from spartan and includes 15” steel wheels, power assisted steering, a 60/40 split folding rear seat and even daytime running lights.
There’s also pre-wiring for an radio and speaker system, which will be available to buy through official Dacia Retailers.

 

Safety features include anti-lock ABS brakes with Emergency Brake Assist, traction control, Electronic Stability Control, driver, passenger and front side airbags and ISOFIX points in both outer rear seats.
Available in white, its chunky five-door bodystyle is complemented well by its contrasting black bumpers, door mirrors and handles.

Dacia says the interior is a ‘clear step forward’  with  cloth ‘Element’ upholstery, combined with a smart, modern interior.

It has one of the biggest boots in its class, at 320 litres or a ‘cavernous’ 1,200 litres with the rear seats down.

While the new car comes with power-steering, a radio and CD player will cost £110 extra

The budget model will be brought to the UK in January. The company says it is an 'enemy of the unnecessary'

The mid-level Ambiance costing £600 more offers a radio CD player with fingertip remote controls, USB and AUX input, Bluetooth, remote central locking, electric front windows, body coloured bumpers and 15” ‘Colorado’ wheel trims.
There are also ‘plush interior touches’ such as chrome surrounds for the air vents, instrument dials and steering wheel logo.
The top-of-the-range Sandero is called the Lauréate which Dacia expects up to two thirds of buyers to choose and costs from £7,995.
It comes ‘fully loaded’ with equipment including air conditioning, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, cruise control and electric rear windows as standard.
There is also a  height adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel, leather steering wheel and gear knob and an upgraded radio CD player with MP3 CD reader and fingertip remote controls and four speakers, a trip computer and a speed limiter.
The interior is also more ‘upmarket’ with a graphite look finish for the centre console surround, front door handles and steering wheel lower insert.
Its modern looks are also made even sharper with 15” ‘Kalahari’ wheel trims, chrome front grille, front fog lights and body-coloured door handles and door mirrors.
There’s also an optional fully-integrated 7-inch touchscreen navigation and multimedia system for just £250.

Budget: The basic Sandero model costs less than some optional extras on luxury cars, including go-faster stripes on a Ferrari 599 (pictured)

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY?

15-inch steel wheels, power assisted steering, a 60/40 split folding rear seat and a 320 litre boot and daytime running lights.
Safety wise, you get ABS with Emergency Brake Assist, ASR traction control, Electronic Stability Control, driver, passenger and front side airbags and ISOFIX points for child's car seats in the rear seats.
Pre-wiring for a radio (radio not included)

To power the car is a choice of  three frugal engines. The 1.2 litre 16V 75 petrol is on offer with every trim level.
The even more frugal, yet powerful, petrol TCe 90 and diesel dCi 90 versions are available for both the Ambiance and Lauréate.
The four-cylinder 1.2 petrol delivers 47.9 mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 137g/km, enough for road tax band E.
That means road tax of only £10 per month.
It has a top speed of around 98mph and accelerates from rest to 62mph in around 13.5 seconds.
The second engine is the 0.9 litre three cylinder TCe 90 with Stop&Start technology capable of 109 mph, with fuel economy of 54.3 mpg and CO2 emissions of just 120 g/km. That adds up to just £30 in road tax every year, with absolutely zero to pay in the first.
It will accelerate from rest to 60mph in about 12 seconds.
The third is the new 1.5-litre diesel dCi 90 which delivers 74.3 mpg and sub-100 grams of CO2 per kilometre emissions, which makes it exempt from road tax and the London Congestion Charge. It has a top speed of around 106mph with 0–62mph in roughly 12.5 seconds.

A top-of-the range Dacia Sandero with the full suite of extras will still only cost a little over £10,000

Dacia was bought by Renault in 1999 and has gone from 5,000 sales in 2004 to 350,000 last year

The two top engines also boast gearshift indicators and an ‘ECO’ to reduce fuel consumption by 10% and save valuable pennies at the pumps.
According to Autoblog,Dacia will introduce a liquid propane gas variant to the mix later this year.
Access models are available exclusively in white, with the other two trim levels able to be specified in one of five metallic shades: Cinder Red, Mercury, Pearl Black, Sargasso Blue and Stone.
Two packs are also available: The Protection Pack, which costs £395, including an alarm, boot liner and rear parking sensors, and the Touring Pack, which includes a front centre armrest, boot luggage net and transversal roof bars, for £850.