2020 Renault Sandero R.S. 2.0
Country of Origin: Romania/Brazil
Design Info: A front-engine, front-wheel drive five-door hatchback, the Sandero was largely a modern, no-frills economy subcompact. The R.S. model, however, did feature a short-ratio 6-speed manual transmission, a Renault Sport tuned suspension, and the RS Drive system (featuring three driving modes).
Engine Info: The Renault F4R, a 16-valve, dual-overhead cam 2.0 liter inline four. Used in various tunes in various Renault models, including the early Clio RS, in the Sandero the F4R makes 150 hp when running on ethanol, which is common in Brazil. This power plant can propel the Sandero to 60 mph in just under 8 seconds, and a top speed of 126 mph.
Type: The Sandero R.S. is a subcompact hot hatch, somewhat in line with cars like its Clio RS cousin, or the Ford Fiesta ST, although it is both cheaper and less powerful than these models.
History: Great news! In 2015, Dacia put a hot hatch version of the Sandero into production, with about 50% more horsepower than its pedestrian siblings. Bad news? They discontinued it after 2021, it was only ever available in South America (and a couple years in Mexico), and it was branded as a Renault—even though “Dacia Sandero” rolls off the tongue better.
The first Dacias were license built Renault 8s, called the Dacia 1100, built out of a World-War II era aircraft engine factory in 1968. For 1970, the Dacia 1300 was introduced. The 1300 was still Renault-based, but became an iconic car for Romania, produced all the way through 2006, albeit updated and improved several times, and built in several variants including estates and pickups. Over 2½ million 1300s across all variants were produced by the end of its run.
Meanwhile, financial woes led to Renault, which had been nationalized in 1945, being privatized in 1996 with the French government selling the bulk of the company to public investors. This allowed expansion into previously unavailable markets, including Eastern Europe and South America. To assist with streamlining production costs, Renault then began seeking an alliance with another manufacturer to share costs and technology. Enter Nissan who, facing their own difficulties, had attempted to make a similar deal with DaimlerChrysler. When negotiations with Daimler fell through, a deal was struck between Renault and Nissan in March of 1999 which would assist both companies in improving their production methods and cutting the cost of research.
Several months later, Renault purchased the majority share of Dacia, planning to use it as a beachhead for Eastern European market expansion. Dacia had already been quite successfully building and selling Renault-based models for 30 years, which suggested a solid foundation for future success. Dacia, meanwhile, would benefit from an influx of Western technology and the alliance with Nissan.
The first generation Sandero would come about in 2008 as a replacement for the outgoing Solenza, which was simultaneously the last car developed on a bespoke Dacia platform and the first Dacia to benefit developmentally from the Renault takeover. Much of the development work for the Sandero was done in Renault R&D Technocentre in Paris, though these engineers worked in conjunction with engineers in Romania and Brazil. The Dacia Sandero was launched to the European market in early 2008, but had actually first been launched several months earlier in Brazil—as a Renault.
The first gen Sandero was replaced in Europe in 2012 by the second, though not until 2015 in South America. Generally similar in performance and options to the original Sandero, the new version did benefit from improved safety and revised, modern bodywork.
It was in August of 2014, coinciding with the introduction of the second generation to Brazil, that Renaultsport CEO Patrice Ratti announced a Renaultsport version of the Sandero, the R.S. 2.0. Previous to the R.S., the most powerful engine available in a second gen Sandero was a 90hp diesel. The R.S. would feature 50% more horsepower for about 50% more money, about R$59,000 (Brazilian Real), equivalent to about €15,000.
The Sandero R.S. was lauded in the automotive press for its adherence to traditional “hot hatch” virtues, including its low cost (compare to about €20,000 for the admittedly more powerful Fiesta ST) and especially its naturally-aspirated motor, as the bulk of modern hot hatches had largely become dependent on turbocharged engines for efficiency purposes. It was also widely lamented by the same members of the press, because of its restriction to South American markets.
The Sandero R.S. would eventually make it out of South America in 2020, but only as far as Mexico. For its launch, the week of the Mexico Grand Prix, 34 of these were signed by Renault F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. This release coincided with a slight update to the model, with new taillights, wheels, decals, and red-painted brake calipers inherited from a special edition called the Sandero Racing Spirit.
Unfortunately, the Sandero R.S. in Mexico (or anywhere, for that matter) would be short-lived, as new emissions laws in Brazil, along with a slow but steady phasing out of the Renaultsport brand in favor of Alpine, led to the discontinuation of the Sandero R.S. at the end of 2021. The Sandero itself has continued onward, into a third generation (which began in Europe in 2020, but has yet to commence in Brazil). Perhaps when production of this new model picks up globally, a new Brazilian hot hatch will be born (Sandero Alpine, anyone?).
Why it’s cool/unique/significant: In much of the Western world, this car is known as the punchline of a joke in Top Gear. Presenter James May’s enthusiastic declarations of “Great news!” about the car, and co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s immediate dismissal of said information, became an occasional but persistent running gag across 9 seasons of the show. May has always professed a genuine admiration of the car, and there were even rumors that the second generation car could be featured in the show’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, though this never came to pass (possibly because of delays in bringing the car to the UK market).
Top Gear references and jokes aside, the Sandero received many favorable reviews as a quality car, especially given its exceedingly low price (the lowest priced car available in several markets, including the UK). Of course, simply being a solid economy car may not be enough to be featured in a racing video game. But the R.S. 2.0, with its aspiration to fun and hearkening to what is more and more a bygone era of affordable, simple enthusiast cars, may be a moment in time worthy for recognition. It’s certainly more than a joke.
