I've recently started to accept that I'm morphing into what the 10-year-old version of me would have called a proper adult. For example, I'm getting increasingly grumpy about unnecessarily loud exhaust systems on small-engined hatchbacks. I’ve started to peel the fat away from my bacon rashers because (and I quote) 'it's just harder to shift the weight these days', and my Sunday evenings are proudly dominated by ensuring I'm home in time to watch The Antiques Roadshow on BBC1. Nobody tells you when these lifestyle changes happen, they seemingly just start to occur, and some are easier to deal with than others. 

Let's take the Antiques Roadshow as an example. As a child, I hated the theme tune's cheery string-over-horn ensemble. For 10-year-old me, that theme tune was a siren declaring the end of the weekend. My sombre mood would then be further enhanced by approximately 60 minutes of pensioners with terrible teeth talking about how they randomly found a pocket watch in the 16th bedroom of their 4th home six summers ago, which of course, turns out to be a bespoke piece, made for the Lord Admiral Horacio Nelson with an auction value of "somewhere between eight and nine million pounds (on the right day)" - and what on earth does that even mean? The segment would usually end with one of the pensioners spraying saliva at the camera lens whilst explaining how they'd actually been using the pocket watch as a dog lead for the past two years and even used it once as a hammer to shuck oysters at a recent garden party.

Now though, I sit and watch with near-glee as Fiona Bruce nonchalantly glides through the grounds of a national trust estate each weekend, and I find myself nudging my partner beside me to say, "Oh, look a pocket watch. I wonder where they found that."

Ms Bruce also fronts a segment with a bit of audience interaction; it's called something like Basic Better Best, and the audience, who seemingly have about as much knowledge on antique values as my neighbour's cat does, shout out which of three presented pieces of potential tat are worth 'some money', 'some more money' and 'some even more money'. It's wild. The Best Better Best segment recently got me thinking; I wonder what a motoring equivalent would be. If we gathered a small crowd of National Trust members and stood them around a Dacia Sandero, a BMW M135i, and a 1933 Mulliner ParkWard Rolls-Royce Phantom V... which would they likely pick as the best car?

Based on a style choice, the audience will probably opt for the Rolls-Royce, and, for performance, it would likely be the BMW. But I'd expect there would also be a considerable draw towards the little Dacia, too - and not because the audience are more likely to be 70+, oh no... In recent years, the products from the Renault group's subsidiary brand (which, as it turns out, we've all been pronouncing incorrectly) have done what Skoda products did in the late 1990s. They have suddenly become rather excellent. Dacia (pronounced Da-Cha and not Day-Sia) has evolved from a brand building cheap cars from spare Renault parts to a brand building affordable cars built with quality components. I feel like the modern-day Dacia, might just get the resounding vote from the audience, regardless of age.

Aside from the occasional holiday rental car, I rarely get the opportunity to drive new cars on the cheaper end of the buyers' market. I frequently test the fast, the occasionally loud and the almost always more expensive products, but upon seeing more and more Dacia models on the road - and following a recent invite to Dacia's 10th Birthday party, I was keen to see what the third cheapest car on the UK buyers market is like. After all, there is no such thing as a bad car anymore, right?

The Dacia Sandero is available to UK buyers for as little as £13,795.00, placing it third in line for value with only the Kia Picanto (£13,665.00) and the Citroen Ami (£8,095.00) beating it in terms of retail price. However, I'm willing to disregard the Citroen as it's less of a car and more of a quadricycle with an electric (only) range of under 50 miles. 

2023 Dacia Sandero - Vital Statistics:
The engine is a petrol-powered 0999cc turbocharged three-cylinder paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The drive train produces 90HP and 160nM of torque at peak revs. 0-62mph acceleration happens in 11.7 seconds, and the Sandero has a top speed of 111mph. The car weighs just 1072 kg and is priced from £13,795.00 - Price as tested: £15,545.00

Historically, an extra-basic model of Sandero has been available with black plastic trim in place of body-coloured panels and manually operated window winders; however, the extra-basic specification is no longer an option for UK buyers. Still, for less than £13,800, buyers can enjoy a reasonably basic trim level with a single option paint colour of white. For an additional £650, you can choose blue, black or two varieties of grey as an alternative.

The list of standard equipment is where things start to get impressive. Assuming you're okay with a white car, for the price of £13,795, you're rewarded with; an infotainment system offering DAB radio, Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity (apple/android car play), anti-lock brakes, stability control, cruise control, front and side airbags, split folding rear seats, electric front windows, air conditioning, body coloured bumpers, LED headlamps, tinted windows (25%), ISOFIX rear seats, a tyre inflation kit, an advanced emergency braking system, automatic door locking with additional deadlocking, and a heated rear screen.

If, for whatever reason, you're hoping to spend more money, that becomes a bit of a fun challenge. I ticked every box available on the Dacia website, from the first aid kit to a roof rack, and the highest figure I could achieve was £16,289. The monthly figures at my 'dream spec Sandero' are equally economical at just £392 per month at 8.9% APR for 24 months with a £500 deposit.

It's difficult to argue with Dacia's proud slogan of 'Fantastically Affordable' because that's precisely what it is. The term 'affordable motoring' has a vastly different meaning today in comparison to just ten years ago. Thanks to advancements in technology, efficient engineering, and comprehensive platform and parts sharing, it would appear that making a terrible car is now more challenging than ever. 

The Sandero drives and feels like a quality product. The switch gear is pleasant yet durable. The interface of the entertainment system is on par with a high-end Renault system - because that's what it is, and the driving experience feels - dare I say it - surprisingly dynamic. The Dacia Sandero is a car that's likely to be purchased by drivers with very little care or concern for driver engagement, kerb side appeal or bragging rights on the golf course, and yet it offers all of the above unwittingly. 

The little 999cc three-cyinder engine feels peppy and energetic thanks to it's turbocharger. The car weighs just 1072kilos too meaning the power to weight ratio is actually surprisingly rewarding. The gearbox feels good, as does the clutch and the brakes too. Perhaps unsurprisingly, thanks to the engine size and the weight, the Sandero is very frugal. In my seven days with the car I struggled to acheive anything less than 42mpg - and beleive me I tried! There is even an ECO button which grants a slightly more relaxed throttle responce rewarding even more fuel efficiancy. 

Despite its size, the Sandero still feels spacious inside with ample legroom in the back and a sizable boot at 328 litres or 1108 litres with the rear seats folded flat. At 6'1/185cm, I had plenty of space with enough room for an equally long adult to sit behind me. The interior has many functional elements, too, with a hook for a bag in the passenger footwell and even a mobile phone cradle built into the infotainment system. 

From a styling point of view, it looks like a quality product too. Ten years ago, a Dacia would stand out in a car park full of entry-level VWs, Fiats and Hondas as quite obviously the cheaper car, but Dacia's new design language represents exceptional value.

In my week with the UK's third (but let's say second) cheapest car, I was left feeling suitably impressed by it. Thinking back to the Antiques Roadshow game, it's a suitable title for my review; it's still basic, it's gotten a lot better, and I'd say it's probably the best in terms of affordable cars. 

If you, like me want to figure out why you're seeing so many Sanderos and other Dacia models on the road, don't just take my word for it. Go and have a test drive - I bet you'll be pleasently surprised. 

Unless, this is another one of these factors to do with my ever increasing age? 

words: John Marcar
pictures: Henry Faulkner-Smith