Summarize

Our second Gumtree Pre-Owned Car Award winner review for 2020 covers the best two-year old Hatchback this side of R170K — the Renault Sandero.

Gumtree's Pre-Owned Awards saw the five two year old cars that best retained their new value across twelve categories presented to the Pre Owned Jury, which voted to determine the winner of each category through an exhaustive process that considered a broad variety of parameters including those regular Car of the Year parameters, but this time with particular attention paid to the used car attraction in each case.

The Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Grand i10, Mazda 2, Renault Sandero and Toyota Etios  are the five cars that best maintain their value among all two-year old hatchbacks that cost less than R170K in South Africa right now and the Jury decided that the Sandero was the one that represented the best buy of the lot.

As with nine of the 12 winners, Auto Bakkie Race predicted that the Renault would take this one — we see it as interesting choice in a niche dominated by traditional hatchbacks. This boxy Frenchman has a few surprising advantages, not least of all that it’s a bit of an MPV in hiding – far more spacious than the norm, it brings a more versatile demeanour.

Then it’s powered by a splendid little nine-hundred three-pot that totally sets it apart from its old fashioned rivals that it may not quite match in a drag race, but it’s far nicer to drive and thriftier too, with a three-cylinder thrum and a great little character. Even if it’s not that little after all.

This Hatchback  quintet was admittedly a closely matched field and, but we were not surprised by the Sandero taking it - not only is it bigger, more contemporary in most respects, but it also its retains its value very well.  So there you go — the Jury fully concurs with our take that the Renault Sandero 0.9T Stepway is Gumtree’s best two-year old pre-owned hatchback this side of R170K! — Michele Lupini.