The Renault Sandero has been with us since production started in 2009, at Renault’s local production facility in Rosslyn, Pretoria. Apart from the Ambiance, Dynamique and Stepway models, the only ‘spicey’ version of the budget-friendly car that we’ve seen was the limited edition Sandero 1.4 Play Ltd, of which 100 units were produced back in May 2010.
Renault’s Brazilian division, however, has launched what they say is a ‘motorsport-inspired’ version of the Sandero. We think ‘Renault Sport-inspired’ may be more apt. The news is of particular interest to us in SA, as a Sandero GT-Line could prove a popular addition to the range and a logical follow-on to the GT-Line specification that was introduced to Mégane range around 12 months ago.
The Sandero GT-Line is characterised by a more aggressively styled front bumper, which incorporates two over sized fog lights, smoked headlamps and GT Line-specific decals on either side. At the rear, the Sandero GT Line features a boot-mounted spoiler, smoked tail-lights and a diffuser-like insert in the bumper. Black, 15-inch, alloy wheels, together with a few black graphics on the sides, finish off the look.
The interior has also been given a few sporty highlights. These include seats upholstered in black cloth with red stitching and red seatbelts. The instrument cluster features imitation carbon fibre trim, track-inspired gauges and the GT Line logo prominently written in red.
Although details have not been made available, the 1.6-litre engine has been tuned to produce 85 kW and 154 Nm of torque; up 21 kW and 26 Nm respectively over the standard car. No performance figures have been announced, but expect the Sandero GT-Line to better the Sandero Dynamique’s 0 – 100 km/h time of 11.5 seconds and possibly reach a top speed of around 190 km/h compared to the standard car’s 175 km/h.
Now on sale in Brazil, the Sandero GT-Line offers customers a dash of excitement to the otherwise ‘discreet’ model line-up. There has been no word yet as to whether the GT-Line model will make it to South Africa.
