THERE is no mystery about the marketing strategy of the latest new name seeking to break into the British car market.

High-profile advertising campaigns boasting ‘we don't do frivolity' make no bones about the unique selling point of the Dacia brand - price.

The Renault-owned Romanian car maker is hoping to pick up substantial sales by undercutting its rivals with cheap and cheerful models.

Although a new name in Britain, the company has been around in its former Soviet Bloc homeland since the mid-sixties and was bought out by the French in 1999 to provide a gateway into the Central and Eastern European market.

Now, with the alleged economic recovery dragging its feet somewhat in the UK, Renault has seized the opportunity to launch their budget brand over here, aiming to take advantage of severely stretched household budgets.

And if it's cheap motoring you're after then the Sandero Stepway is unlikely to disappoint.

The crossover version of the family-friendly Sandero supermini, it boasts a more rugged look with raised suspension, front and back skid plates, chrome roof bars and chunky black sills and wheel arches.

It also does away with the ultra cheap (£5,995) entry-level Access version of the standard car, offering only Ambience and range-topping Laureate trim levels.

Nevertheless prices still start at £7,995 for the 900cc petrol version which will give you more than fifty miles per gallon on average.

The extra grand you'll have to pay for the 1.5 litre diesel version I drove needs to be weighed against personal preference and the vastly superior fuel efficiency of 70mpg.

Emissions and insurance group are low whichever you choose, though, and those prices are way below any other family hatchback, even undercutting some city cars.

Obviously for that sort of cash you can't expect the same driving experience as you get with the class leaders but, that said, the ride in the Sandero Stepway proved to be perfectly pleasant.

The elevated ride height does result in a little body movement in bends but grip is good and the supple suspension manages to iron out most bumps in the road and keep passengers comfortable.

The diesel power-pack also manages to cope pretty well with most driving conditions. While not the most refined unit on the roads, it stays relaxed for the most part in town traffic and copes admirably at motorway speeds.

The cabin is light and airy, with large windows offering good all round vision, and head and legroom is impressive in the front and rear for a car in this class, as is boot space which, at 320 litres, is more than capable of coping with the weekly family shop. The 60/40 split rear seats also drop down to boost the load space up to 1,200 litres if needed.

The fixtures and fittings inside do, however, bear out the back to basics approach which allows Dacia to knock out their motors at such low prices.

Although everything is well screwed together and seems very tough and durable, the design is spartan and minimal and hard scratchy plastics are the order of the day.

And you'll also be expected to live without some of the creature comforts that you may have become used to.

Some people, for instance, may baulk at the lack of air conditioning and cruise control with the Ambiance trim level as well as having to manually adjust the wing mirrors, while rear passengers also have to wind down their own windows. I couldn't even find a clock anywhere on the dash.

What you do get for your money, though, is remote central locking, ECO mode, front fog lights, electric front windows and a radio/CD with Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

You also only get four rather than the more standard six airbags but anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control are included as standard and helped the Stepway to a respectable four stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests.

While such equipment levels may seem very much ‘no frills' these days, though, it's not so long ago that such a package would have been more than acceptable and driving a Dacia is certainly a stark reminder of just how pampered drivers have become.

For the massive savings the brand offers, such perceived ‘discomforts' are surely a small price to pay.