Lada XRay

Lada XRAY at a glance

The XRAY was AvtoVAZ's first crossover-style car developed together with the Renault–Nissan alliance. Its name reads as "X-ray" and is also explained as an abbreviation: X for the crossover class, followed by Recreation, Activity and Youth. It sits between the Lada Granta and the Lada Vesta in size and shares the design language of the Vesta. The brand's background is covered in the history of AvtoVAZ and Lada, and all models are in the Lada catalogue.

Design and development

The XRAY began as a concept car in August 2012, designed under Steve Mattin, who also led the design of the Vesta. A second concept, the XRAY Concept 2, followed in 2014, and the first production body was assembled for testing in October 2015. Production began in December 2015.

The front is built around the "X" theme that became Lada's signature: the grille and the angled headlights form a large letter X, picked out with polished inserts. Creased side panels with X-shaped stampings, LED daytime running lights and LED indicators in the door mirrors complete the look. According to the old 1cars text, the windscreen is steeply raked and the wheel arches combine convex surfaces with sharp edges.

Cabin, touchscreen and seating

The dashboard is dominated by a large speedometer set in a gloss-dark panel, and higher trims have a 7-inch colour touchscreen with navigation, music and telephone functions. The old 1cars text describes two-tone seats with contrasting stitching, front seats with a wide adjustment range but modest side support, and a storage drawer under the front passenger seat. The glovebox can be cooled by the air conditioning.

Rear space is best for two adults; three fit, but the rear bench is narrow. The boot holds 361 litres with the rear seats up and 1,207 litres with them folded, with a full-size spare wheel under the floor.

Engines, gearboxes and performance

According to the old 1cars text, the VAZ-21129 is a 16-valve engine with a cast-iron block, a timing belt and a variable-length intake manifold that improves torque across the rev range, while the HR16, developed by the Renault–Nissan alliance, has an aluminium block and a timing chain. The HR16 was dropped from the regular XRAY in July 2016 but returned in the XRAY Cross with a CVT. The 1.8-litre VAZ-21179 is based on the 1.6 with a longer stroke, and the automated manual gearbox was first offered with this engine.

All versions meet the Euro 5 emissions standard. No all-wheel-drive version was produced.

XRAY and XRAY Cross dimensions

XRAY Cross

The updated XRAY Cross, launched in July 2019 with an automatic gearbox, has a raised suspension with 215 mm of ground clearance, wider plastic wheel-arch cladding, a 1,810 mm body width and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. The 1.6 HR16 engine with a CVT made it the first XRAY with a conventional automatic-style gearbox. The Cross Instinct special version followed in April 2020 with an updated multimedia system.

Airbags, stability control and trims

The XRAY was not tested by Euro NCAP or any other European crash-test programme. According to the old 1cars text, all versions have front airbags, ABS with brake-force distribution, brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control and an automatic emergency call system, and higher trims add side airbags. Seat belts have pretensioners and load limiters, and ISOFIX child-seat mounts are fitted.

Standard equipment included 16-inch wheels, central locking and an audio system with six speakers. Options included electrically adjustable driver's seat height, heated front seats, a heated windscreen and heated mirrors. The XRAY was offered in seven trim levels.

Rivals: how the XRAY compares

The XRAY competed with raised hatchbacks and small crossovers such as the Renault Sandero Stepway, the Renault Kaptur and the Kia Rio X-Line. Its strengths are high ground clearance, a modern design and a choice of three engines. Its weaknesses are the lack of all-wheel drive, a narrow rear bench, and a modest boot. Buyers who needed more space looked at the Lada Largus.