2003 Dacia Solenza Clima from Romania

Summary:

Not bad at all, for the money

Faults:

Clutch cable slipped a couple of times.

Leaks water.

Computer compartment full of water - needed a new computer.

Sagging driver seat.

General Comments:

Keep your expectations low with this car. It looks OK, handles OK, is quite fast (183 km/h), and fairly economical. Let down by poor finishing and cheap material - you get what you pay for. Go for the cheapest and most basic model - fewer things to go wrong.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th April, 2005

2003 Dacia Solenza Clima 1.4 petrol from Romania

Summary:

Great value for money!

Faults:

The clutch cable slips off the gearbox every 6 weeks. Extremely easy to fix, takes 1 minute.

Driver seat uncomfortable (starting to sag).

General Comments:

For the money, this is a really excellent car. Any problems I have had (apart from the clutch cable and driver seat) have been my fault. Cheap to run and in Romania spare parts are extremely affordable. Keep your expectations at a low/medium level and you will love this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st February, 2005

2003 Dacia Solenza Rapsodie 1.4 MPI from Romania

Summary:

An affordable car that must be worked on. Ideal for the Romanian roads

Faults:

The front right seat makes noise when a person above 60 kg. sits in it.

The cone of the speaker located in the front left door had been deformed ever since I bought it.

Noises appear when going on poor roads.

The boot cover refuses to lock normally. It has to be pushed down or slammed into position.

General Comments:

The engine is OK for its weight. The car has only 960 kg and the engine has 75 hp. Unfortunately it's a little bit noisy at high revs.

The suspension is too soft thus giving the riders a better comfort. The sad part is that the car is unstable when negotiating bends at high speed and tends to rock back and forth when crossing over bumps.

The interior is OK also for the category of the car. It has a digital display, digital speedometer and tachometer. It comes standard with cassette player and 4 speakers, central locking and engine immobilizer.

My opinion is that for 5450 EUR (+155 for metallic paint) the car is a good deal. Of course there are many things that must be worked on, but the price and the overall running costs make Solenza a good car for the middle-class Romanians.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 27th December, 2003

2003 Dacia Solenza Scala 1.4 - E7J (based on Renault's 1.4 - K7J) from Romania

Summary:

Conclusion: 6507 Euro spent for nothing! I'm not going to buy any other product of Dacia (even if Gr

Faults:

First of all, the idle for the engine is between 600 RPM and 1200 RPM. Went to service, everything works OK, nobody knows where that uneven idling comes from.

Second problem, the engine loses all of its strength when the ambient temperature is high. It doesn't have power at all, becomes very dangerous on the road.

Third problem, A/C compressor very noisy. Changed one under warranty, the new one sounds the very same.

Fourth problem, the moving mechanism of the seats worn out already! When braking, the seat moves forward. When accelerating, the seat goes bacwards... I've ordered these parts back in July, and still not arrived (it's October 25).

Fifth problem, the bumpers (front and rear), the bonnet, and the aileron had to be repainted. The paint just flew away while washing the car.

Sixth problem, the windshield drove me crazy. I was afraid to drive the car anymore, because the windshield appeared that will fall inside or outside of the car. Went to the service and they have tried to do something with some silicone, but the sounds are back and the windshield is moving again (after 1 week only).

I'm not going to talk about all kind of sounds I'm hearing from inside the doors, dashboard, trunk... I'm not going to talk about the water leaking inside the car... I'm not gonna talk about the spare parts that are impossible to be located even with the manufacturer...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th October, 2003

22nd Jan 2004, 23:28

You must be talking about the paint on the plastic parts.

Plus I think you are just a little bit paranoid or someone just sold you a Dacia SuperNova as Solenza.

27th Jan 2004, 03:53

Why are you two guys so offended? It sounds like a sensible comment to me - just that it sounds like it came from someone who until now owned only _real_ cars and have never seen a car manufactured in Romania before, namely Dacia. Everything he said here is true for the average Dacia, the problem is with us, who are so used to this situations, we hardly notice any more these "minor flaws", like water flowing in the back loudspeakers when raining, strange noises and squeaks, different fuel consumption between two new cars, same model, poor finishing and painting. By the way, have you noticed how many of them come in this ugly yellow shade, one I've ONLY seen on Romanian cars? I always wondered why...

11th Feb 2004, 00:30

Hi guys!

I'm the person who wrote this review. If you are interested to know more about the Solenza, and you want to be sure that I'm paranoid for a good reason, you can e-mail me at marty@k.ro or visit www.daciaclub.ro (dedicated to all Dacia models).

Take care!

Marty.

2nd Apr 2004, 04:53

After all, it's important to remember that any sold product on a legally market - Solenza included - has to respect some standards. Leaking water inside can be unpleasant, but not dangerous, while engine problems like the lost of power is not anymore a joke: this is serious. buying a Solenza is a question of taste, money or rather both of them. Take care!

Titus.

2003 Dacia Solenza Confort 1.4 from Romania

Summary:

For 5100 euro (taxes included) it's a great car

Faults:

Nothing wrong yet. The car is still new. The only thing I don't like is the way that the gas indicator works. It stands still for a while then goes down suddenly, making me think I'll run out of gas soon.

Doors are hard to close, but they say that this can be fixed by a good technician.

Strange noise when pressing brakes sometimes.

General Comments:

Comfortable enough.

Car stereo included by default, pretty good quality sound.

Excellent gearbox.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th September, 2003

14th Mar 2007, 08:59

I own a Solenza Confort for 2 years. It already has 60.000 km and I didn't encounter any problem yet.

Too bad it is not produced anymore.

2003 Dacia Solenza Scala 1.6 gasoline from Romania

Summary:

The best car ever built in Romania!

Faults:

Nothing yet. The car is still new and I do not expect to have too big problems.

However, the doors are hard to close without effort and the water comes in quite often.

General Comments:

Good car for this money. Pretty fast, actually more than I need for romanian roads.

The suspension is a bit too soft so the stability in curves is not that good as in the previous model.

The instruments are a big step forward. Everything looks a bit more european, more ergonomic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2003

1st Aug 2003, 08:19

Solenza... ugly, non ergonomical, low performance, cheap low quality materials... very similar to the hidious Nova. Thanks God we can buy a nice second hand import for the same money.

20th Aug 2003, 03:20

It is not so cheap, but cheaper than all other cars imported (including second hand). It is a big step forward for Dacia factory. I hope that future model Dacia X90 to be better than Solenza at the same price.