As before, the Stepway is styled to look a bit more rugged without actually offering any four wheel-drive underpinnings. Think Ford Fiesta Active or Audi A1 Citycarver and you're not far off the mark. The extra 41mm of stepped up ground clearance gives it a nicely chunky look and might well prove useful when bumping up and down big kerbs in town. This fresh generation version gets a redesigned front end and body features such as proper metal front and rear skid plates, fog lamps, pronounced flared wheel arches, larger 16-inch alloy wheels, longitudinal roof bars that can be turned into a functional roof rack and some smart paint colours.
Otherwise, it's exactly like a standard Sandero, which means that this new generation version rides on the same CMF-B platform as a far pricier (and smaller) Renault Clio. That's allowed it to be a touch bigger than before, noticeably wider (1,848mm without mirrors) and 19mm longer. The look's less anonymous too, thanks to a Y-shaped LED front lighting signature. Inside, it's much nicer than before, with a more modern dashboard, embellished on this Stepway variant with fabric finishes. Infotainment's taken step forward too, with an 8-inch centre monitor featuring smartphone mirroring. Access to the rear is easy, with wide-opening doors and reasonable knee room; you could seat a couple of adults there more comfortably than in most other superminis. The boot's a bit bigger too, rated at 328-litres, which is 18-litres more than the old car could offer.