It is not yet entirely clear whether AvtoVAZ’s new project should be called a success. Lada XRAY is planned for 2021 with a circulation of 16,000 copies, and this plan will be fulfilled. The only question is whether this can be called a success for the legendary car, the first Russian modern SUV, an amazing bearer of the corporation’s new style. It’s hardly worth talking about a breakthrough and growth in popularity. So what is the problem with the car? The vehicle received incredible reviews in the press and became one of the best bearers of the glory of domestic design in the automotive industry. Experts unanimously speak about the advantages of the model and declare that the transport fully complies with the qualities and features of European and Japanese technology. Let's figure out why Russians don't line up at AvtoVAZ showrooms and buy Lada X-RAY like hot cakes. The issue is quite delicate, and we ask you to take everything said below as journalistic reflections.
Every model produced by VAZ to this day has had a whole bunch of problems. The latest generation of cars in the form of Vesta and XRAY has become somewhat more interesting. But the question is that the plant needs a real breakthrough to save the situation. If we are talking about ending government subsidies, then the company will simply cease to exist in a competitive and very difficult market. Subsidies cannot continue for long, so we are talking about a real danger to the domestic production of cars. And today we can safely say that the Lada X-RAY did not become the saving grace for the company. It's just another generation that doesn't sell very well and just fulfills a modest plan. Let's figure out what the main problems of this unusual Russian-made crossover lie.
Is it a Russian machine? This is a rhetorical question
The donor for the production of the first Russian crossover was the Renault Sandero Stepway, and the owners of this car claim that it would be better for VAZ not to copy Renault. The Russian plant failed to improve Sandero's performance, and the Russian company did not offer much benefit at the price. So the parent car remained the main competitor. There is only a little bit of engineering in the car, but there is quite a lot of foreign stuff:
- the design and platform came from France, the main owner of the company's shares, the Renault-Nissan alliance, today determines all the development and operation paths of the AvtoVAZ concern;
- you can also recognize Renault in the interior, everything here is ascetic and simple, the materials are quite cheap, and the comfort is overshadowed by minor interior flaws that are immediately visible;
- many parts for a car are produced outside of Russia, so the localization of a Russian car is far from 100%, and this significantly affects the selling price of the car;
- the engine was developed by European engineers, the 1.8-liter unit with 122 horsepower works more or less normally, but the old 1.6-liter engine is too small;
- the box for the older version is a Russian robot, also developed in collaboration with foreign companies; its work is still quite skeptical.
Cooperation with Renault, Nissan, Datsun, as well as other corporations from Europe and Japan clearly does not bring much success to the Russian company. Many conservative-minded patriots believe that it would be better to develop the existing model range and completely stop dependence on foreign investors. This significantly increases the cost of machines and reduces the company’s autonomy in the market. And indeed it is.
Brake system
On the Lada XRay, depending on the configuration, wheels are installed on R-15 or R-16 rims. Regardless of the size of the wheels, the brakes are disc in front and drum in the rear, the efficiency of which is much lower.
The list of shortcomings will probably be added to by car enthusiasts over time. Some of them will be taken into account by the manufacturer and eliminated, while others will be considered consistent with the declared class of the car. However, we can say with confidence that the list of advantages of this car is many times greater than the number of disadvantages, and after improvement it will become an even more desirable acquisition for a wide range of car enthusiasts.
Let's talk about the technical features of the Lada X-RAY
As mentioned above, two engines are available for the Lada. The first is a 1.6-liter power unit for the base model, which produces 106 horsepower and is equipped exclusively with a standard 5-speed manual transmission. This is an acceptable equipment option, which is not so expensive and does not bring any special problems. Next comes the 1.8 liter engine, which was first introduced on the Lada X-RAY in December 2015. The unit is equipped with mechanics, and this tandem works more or less normally. But the new Russian robot is worthy of a whole list of criticisms:
- Even an expert with good driving experience cannot understand the operating rules of this box; you have to get used to the car, and it is better to do this at a training ground where there are no other cars;
- the robot’s behavior is unpredictable, sometimes it pulls like crazy, sometimes it doesn’t move at all with the accelerator pedal to the floor, it all depends on the selected moment of pressing the pedal;
- breakdowns of the robotic gearbox are not uncommon, this proves that the unit is quite crude, and in combination with the new engine it works very unsuccessfully and extremely uncertainly;
- in a traffic jam it is virtually impossible to drive automatically; it is extremely difficult to start slowly and control every movement, this makes the driver very tired;
- It should also be noted that it performs completely inadequately on the highway; the engine can spin up to unrealistic speeds; despite all its advantages, it shows a minimum of qualities.
With such a box, all the charms of a rather interesting 122 horsepower engine simply go away. It seems that you are driving a car with a 60-horsepower unit, and in volume you have a maximum reserve of 1.2 liters. There is no traction, the car is extremely uncertain and unpredictable. All this makes the most expensive versions of the Lada X-RAY unpleasant for buyers. However, these may be impressions after the first test. Perhaps you can get used to the behavior of the AMT box.
Operating sensations are the main impressions
First of all, it is worth saying that many experts today recommend buying the X-RAY version with an older engine and mechanics. This is a completely adequate combination of qualities. But even in such a car you will feel several important inconveniences. It seems that the car was developed very quickly and did not have time to test all the shortcomings of the technology. For comparison, it would be nice to drive the same Sandero and get a full impression of the car’s qualities. So, the impressions from XRAY are as follows:
- the suspension is not happy, it collects all the small irregularities and diligently transfers them to the cabin, the rattling of everything around begins to bother you from the first minutes of driving the car;
- The car does not swallow larger potholes at all, bouncing on any bumps and unevenness, it seems that the wheels are overinflated (during the test they were checked several times);
- the feedback from the driver is simply excellent - you feel everything that is happening on the road on the steering wheel, but it is so tiring that it is better not to go on a long journey;
- in turns, especially sharp ones, the Lada gets up extremely reluctantly and with persuasion, so there is no need to drive quickly and dynamically; the body roll on turns simply surprises with its amplitudes;
- Something is constantly creaking and crackling in the cabin; there is an impression that the car was simply assembled poorly, but this is not confirmed by a detailed inspection of the interior.
There is no fault in the assembly, it is of quite high quality, but the reliability of operation remains quite doubtful. Not the most expensive materials were used in production; the technical sophistication of the machine suffers quite a lot. In comparison with its main competitors, of which there are not many, the machine clearly does not stand above everyone else. All that remains is to talk about the configuration and remember those very few competitors that are selling more actively than Russian cars.
Chassis Lada X Ray
The walker is not X Ray's trump card. The engineers borrowed everything that was possible from Sandero, “seasoning” the arsenal of capabilities with increased ground clearance.
Before plunging into the world of suspension malfunctions, it should be noted that in front it is represented by the expected MacPherson strut, and in the rear by its semi-independent brother. This solution has some advantages, namely:
- significantly reduces the cost of repairs;
- creates the possibility of availability of spare parts.
Roughly speaking, the chassis is made in such a way that you don’t mind driving on not very good roads. Now to the “diseases”. It is necessary to mention that all the data given below are, rather, the norm, since the operating mode of most models leaves much to be desired.
Excessive wear of CV joints
“Changing grenades for our brother is the same as going out for bread,” one respected compatriot once said, and it’s quite difficult to disagree with him! The hinges, which ensure the transmission of equal angular velocities, work in conjunction with the entire suspension, and it, in turn, has a “habit” of finding itself in “indecent” conditions.
Some owners claim that thanks to the selection, they found other options from foreign manufacturers that show better results. However, it is stupid to recommend this action, since if a foreign body “wedges” into Lada’s “organism”, it may respond with failure of other systems.
Noisiness
It is what it is. The walker works mercilessly, absorbing the blows of fate from our roads. Naturally, the sounds of its “struggle” with the road can be heard in the cabin (apparently, the designers decided that this was a kind of piece of boasting - they say, listen to how great the chassis works). This feature is not easy to treat - the owner will have to deal with sound insulation, which involves ripping out the interior, followed by installing everything back.
Options, prices and competition of X-RAY in the market
In general, the base price of 589,000 rubles is not at all encouraging and is the main reason for poor sales. The machine simply cannot be operated normally if we are talking about such serious troubles as high cost. But we have to admit, Lada constantly offers certain promotions and discounts. The price of top versions reaches an exorbitant 780,000 rubles, and this is not at all serious. But competitors also don’t indulge in cheap solutions:
- Renault Sandero Stepway is the main competitor and technical brother of the Russian model, sells from 629,000 rubles and attracts much more attention from buyers, a very confident and thoughtful car with an excellent resource and classic design;
- Renault Daster is another crossover from the French for 629,000 rubles with huge advantages in operation, the car is worthy of excellent reviews and has become a bestseller in its segment more than once;
- Datsun mi-DO - although it is not a crossover, it is also a fairly tall hatchback with good settings and an excellent type of operation, the car costs only 492,000 rubles in the basic configuration (but is inferior to Lada in all respects);
- Brilliance V5 and a number of other Chinese crossovers in the price range of about 650-680 thousand rubles, all these solutions can become full-fledged SUVs in your garage with excellent characteristics and configurations.
As for the basic configuration of the XRAY itself, we can talk at length and with compliments. Two airbags, child seat mounts, ABS and EBD, a switchable ESP system, hill start assist, central locking - all this increases safety. 16-inch alloy wheels fit perfectly into the design, there is an on-board computer and even a navigation system with very good parameters. So, even in the base, the equipment offers interesting features. We invite you to watch an independent test drive of a Lada car:
Let's sum it up
It’s impossible to say that the Lada X-RAY is a completely unworthy car. This is a rather interesting vehicle with a very good idea, but not the best implementation. The company tried to save where it was not necessary, but in places where savings were possible, on the contrary, it received a number of unpleasant costs. In general, everything happens approximately as it always happens with domestic cars. It should be noted that XRAY has so far become the last high-profile presentation of the company; for a whole year we have not heard any serious news or announcements about possible additions to the model range.
Soon the world should see several landmark updates and reformations in the company's model line. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, since the fate of the plant’s life is decided every day. We cannot recommend the Lada XRAY for purchase due to a huge number of not entirely clear features that do not allow you to safely operate the vehicle. But let's say in fairness that the machine turned out to be not so bad. The car has great advantages in terms of the quality of some technical components, design and Russian origin, although not entirely. What do you think about the newest car from the Russian company AvtoVAZ?
Suspension
The Lada Xrey suspension is assembled from components from the manufacturer Renault and adapted to operating conditions on Russian roads.
The first impression is that it is a bit harsh, but this assessment becomes an advantage after you are convinced of the stable operation of the suspension, regardless of the profile and type of road surface - it confidently “eats” unevenness and does not break through in potholes.
