• Turbo petrol or diesel on offer
• Modest performance, limited enjoyment
• Turbo petrol is our recommendation

Dacia offers a choice of two engines in the Logan MCV Stepway. While non-Stepway models get a basic, non-turbocharged 1.0-litre engine with just 75hp, the brand obviously thinks this isn’t up to the job of pulling along all that plastic cladding.

The 90hp turbocharged petrol would be our recommended choice of the two available engines – though it’s far from perfect. It’s a fairly old engine, with sister brand Renault upgrading to a new 1.0-litre turbo, and the 0.9-litre suffers from an unpleasant noise and plenty of turbo lag (unresponsiveness at low rpm).

It’s also not really very powerful, and needs to be worked hard to make much progress – especially if you’re using the Logan MCV Stepway to its full carrying potential.

Thankfully the diesel doesn’t suffer the same issue, because despite having an identical power output to the petrol it has much more low-end torque, making for more relaxed progress.

It’s possible to drive the diesel very carefully and efficiently without labouring the engine thanks to this old-school slug of low-down shove, which means better refinement and far greater fuel economy. It would be our pick of the range, were it not a whopping £2,000 more than the petrol – money not worth spending, in our eyes, on such a cheap car in the first place.

Handling

It will probably come as no surprise that the Dacia Logan MCV Stepway doesn’t handle particularly well. The regular Logan MCV isn’t exactly a hot hatchback, and though the raised suspension improves comfort it does nothing for the car’s cornering prowess.

The steering is both over-light at speed and heavy when you’re trying to manoeuvre or park, and it doesn’t inspire confidence when you’re travelling along at a fair clip. It’s especially irritating on the motorway, where you’ll need to make constant small corrections to keep the Logan MCV Stepway on the straight and true.

There’s plenty of body lean in corners, and your bravery’s likely to run out before the grip does – which is quite a good thing in a car such as this. Drive the Logan MCV Stepway in an unhurried and gentle fashion and you’ll enjoy its good attributes, like comfort.