Compare Kia Rio X-Line, Renault Sandero Stepway or Lada X-Ray Cross - which car is better?

Cars in a crossover body are in high demand on the Russian market. Indeed, they are comfortable and versatile. But most importantly, these cars help to realize the desire to drive on bad roads, forests and fields.


Russian drivers love to ride wherever possible, and even more where it is impossible. Yes, there is one serious problem - crossovers are not budget cars!

But there are cross-country hatchbacks! Although they cost a little more, they are partly almost crossovers, at least they come close to them.



Today we will look at three popular models on the Russian market - Kia Rio X-Line, Renault Sandero Stepway and Lada X-Ray Cross.

Who is better in cross-country ability?

Turning an ordinary car into a cross is easy.

To do this, you need to perform several points:

• ? Increase ground clearance by installing spacers, new springs and shock absorbers
  
• ? Plastic aggressive body kit on the bottom
  
• ? Bigger tires and off-road tires
  

According to this scheme, Korean and French cars were created. But Lada X-Ray Cross compares favorably with competitors. AvtoVAZ "got confused", and seriously finalized the basic X-Ray.

For example, Lada has a new subframe assembly, plus a power steering of another system. The bumpers have been reshaped. The track of the Lada is also wider than that of the usual X-Ray modification.



By the way, this is the designer's merit, not the engineers'! Steve Martin, who developed the Lada X-Ray Cross, insisted that the car be as wide as possible, and the R17 wheels were installed at his request. The Englishman wanted R18 tires! The Kia Rio X-Line and Renault Sandero Stepway have R16. So the Russian car stands out for the better.

It turns out that the most severe crossover will be Lada - it is better prepared from the factory, with the right approach.

Features Lada X-Ray Cross

It is difficult to say anything about the appearance of cars, they do not shine with their original design. It's up to the future buyer - which car he likes best.


The steering column X-Ray Cross has the ability to adjust both the reach and the angle of inclination. But there are complaints about climate control - its display is small, some complained that it was hard to read.

Lada has a lot of space in front, but not enough in the back, like the base X-Ray.



Lada has Lada Ride Select - rivals have nothing like this even in top trim levels. Of course, this system is not able to replace all-wheel drive, but it really helps off-road - I personally checked it!



AvtoVAZ engineers also worked on improving sound insulation - while driving in the car, it is much quieter.

Features Renault Sandero Stepway

The French hatchback is built on the same platform as the Lada X-Ray Cross. You involuntarily expect the same from him and even more - this is a foreign car! But the "Logan" essence makes itself felt - the car and in the form of Stepway remained budget.

If they tried to ennoble Lada and improve it as much as possible, then they decided with Renault that it would do like this:

• ? Front seats are uncomfortable
  
• ? Steering column is not adjustable
  
• ? Heating of the "steering wheel" and the rear sofa is not provided even in the most expensive modifications
  
• ? Air conditioning instead of climate control
  

But there are significantly more places on the second row than on the Lada - this is a plus, but in the Kia Rio X-Line it will be even more spacious. This is for those who consider the car as a family car.



Otherwise, the Renault Sandero Stepway is no different from the usual Sandero.

Features

The most comfortable car for the driver and all passengers among the contestants is the Kia Rio X-Line. And the ergonomics here are thought out much better than those of competitors. Landing in a passenger car, the driver is noticeably lower than in Lada or Renault.



So far, it turns out that the Kia Rio X-Line is the leader in terms of comfort, and the Lada X-Ray Cross is the best contender in the cross-country category. Renault Sandero Stepway is still a clear outsider. It remains to deal with the technical characteristics!

Engines and gearboxes

Not to say that the choice of engines for cross-country hatchbacks is wide, but it is.

Renault offers three engines, but all with a displacement of 1,6 liters for 82, 102 and 113 hp. With. There are also gearboxes for every taste - mechanics, CVT and automatic transmission.



Kia Rio X-Line can offer an engine with a displacement of 1,4 liters per 100 hp. With. and 1,6 liters. for 123 l. With. The gearbox here is modern, six-speed, manual and automatic.

Lada X-Ray Cross once debuted with only one engine option - 1,8 liters. for 122 l. With. in tandem with manual transmission. Now everything has been fixed, and you can choose 1,6 for both 113 and 106 liters. With. with a CVT (more powerful option) or manual transmission, respectively.

The engine from Nissan proved to be the best at Lada - 1,6 per 113 hp. With. It is balanced and pulls smoothly over a wide rpm range. Works in tandem with the variator flawlessly. The only complaints, if you find fault, are a calm character and fuel consumption is higher than 1,6 per 106 liters. With. with manual transmission.



As for the Renault Sandero Stepway, everything is expected here - the more powerful the engine, the better the return. With a 1,6 engine for 113 liters. With. it rides no worse than the Lada X-Ray Cross. There is nothing surprising in this - cars are co-platformers.



The Korean cross-hatch rides best of all, especially with a 1,6-liter engine. More modern gearboxes and a 123 hp engine. With. doing their thing!

Controllability

No one expects any miracles of handling and sporty behavior on the track from budget "under-crossovers". Renault Sandero Stepway fully justifies this opinion - heavy steering, rolls in corners.



But the Kia Rio X-Line unexpectedly demonstrates almost sports handling. But on bad roads, the Korean car is noticeably inferior to the “Frenchman” and “Russian”, especially the latter. Lada generally goes through pits without breakdowns of the suspension!

Who is better?

Summing up, we can say with confidence that the Lada X-Ray Cross has bypassed the Renault Sandero Stepway co-platform. But when it comes to balance and versatility, then the Kia Rio X-Line pulled ahead.



It turns out that for urban residents, a Korean car would be the best choice, if its cost is not embarrassing, which is higher than that of Renault and Lada.

For those who live in rural areas, which involves frequent trips on bad roads, the Lada X-Ray Cross is the best choice.

Well, for those who do not trust cars from AvtoVAZ, we can recommend Renault Sandero Stepway, although, according to customer reviews and tests, it is inferior to Lada in all respects.