The sixth sense: what did the transmission from China give to AVTOVAZ's flagship
Lada Vesta became the first Russian passenger car to have production versions with a six-speed manual transmission. Previously, domestic passenger cars, if you do not take into account the minibus from the banks of the Volga, had a maximum of five gears in the transmission. To understand what the additional transmission gave to AVTOVAZ's flagship model, Izvestia correspondents traveled from Moscow to St. Petersburg on a Lada Vesta Cross.
Instant business
At the end of 2023, AvtoVAZ launched a new 1,8-liter engine with a capacity of 122 hp with a torque of 170 Nm, which began to be equipped with Lada Vesta, and then Lada Aura. But if the Auras do not have a manual transmission in principle, then it is present in the West line. However, until the beginning of this year, the mechanics on the Vesta were offered only with a 106-horsepower 1.6-liter engine and only a five-speed.
The top version of the Lada Vesta Cross features a two-tone interior finish
The problem is that the maximum torque for which the VAZ five—speed manual transmission is designed, which traces its lineage back to the eight and nine transmissions, is exactly equal to what the new 1.8 Evo 170 Nm engine produces. The appearance of such a power unit (a 1.8-liter engine in tandem with a five-speed "mechanics") would mean that the transmission would operate at the limit of its technical parameters, without the necessary margin of safety.
Therefore, the engineers faced the question of finding a mechanical transmission, the characteristics of which would exceed the maximum thrust provided by the 1.8-liter engine. The unit that meets these conditions was found by a partner from a friendly country. It turned out to be the Chinese company Wan Li Yang, which is already familiar with the new VAZ engine: it is its variators that are equipped with Vesta and Aura.
Of course, before the launch of mass production of models with a new transmission, the gearbox underwent a serious adaptation. In particular, the primary shaft, the clutch housing and the gearbox were changed, the selection mechanism and the cable gearshift drive were improved.
Rudimentary
The first thing you notice when you find yourself behind the wheel of a Vesta Cross with a six—speed is a very light, literally weightless clutch pedal. On the one hand, this is a good thing — the left leg gets tired less in traffic jams. On the other hand, such lightness significantly reduces information content. It is difficult to understand when the clutch starts to "catch". As a colleague who had been driving only two-pedal cars for a long time shamefacedly admitted, he "stalled at traffic lights five times before he reached the editorial office."
In the urban crowd, you have to get used to the tandem features of the 1.8-liter engine and the six-speed mechanics. The first gear is very "short": you seem to be barely rolling, but the engine is already straining. You switch to second gear, but the engine is still "missing": you either have to accelerate (which is not always possible, for example, when maneuvering through cramped yards crowded with other cars), or return to first gear.
In general, in the city, in a car with a new transmission, you have to turn to the gearbox lever more often than on versions with a "five-step": the gears are "cut" more often, and they are "shorter". There are no particular complaints about the moves and efforts when changing speeds. For example, in a sluggish traffic jam, when the pace of movement does not exceed 10-15 km / h, you have to regularly juggle between the second and third steps. You can, of course, just turn on the third and roll, as if on an automatic machine. But if the flow is accelerating, it will be difficult to move at its speed — the motor does not indulge in traction at the "bottom".
Because of this, it's extremely rare to get to an additional higher gear in the city: five gears are enough for the eyes. The sixth one comes to court when the speedometer needle passes the 80 mark. Then the car reacts adequately to pressing the accelerator pedal, and no prompt appears on the instrument panel asking you to switch down. But even in Moscow, there are few streets where the official speed limit has been raised to 80 km/h. Therefore, using an additional transmission on a Lada Vesta in a populated area is fraught with a pack of "letters of happiness" from the cameras.
Let's go to the SPIEF
The Vesta Cross test drive with six-speed mechanics coincided with the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Therefore, for the first acquaintance with the new AvtoVAZ crossover presented at the SPIEF, it was decided to go on a test car. In theory, an additional sixth gear should provide better efficiency, and the M11 Neva toll highway connecting the two capitals is an ideal place to test this assumption.
In a mixed cycle, the Vesta Cross with a six-speed manual consumes 7.5 liters of gasoline per 100 km. Acceleration to "hundreds" takes 10.6 seconds.
Out of town, the six—step shows itself in full glory: you put it in high gear and you drive the whole way like you're driving a car with a gun. At a speed of 90-100 km/h, the tachometer needle stays in the range of 2-2.2 thousand revolutions per minute. There is a need to gain momentum, for example, to get ahead of a truck — just push the accelerator pedal harder and the car accelerates briskly.
At the same time, unlike the modification with a five-speed transmission, in such driving modes the car does not show the slightest hint of the need to switch to a lower gear. The elasticity of the engine at medium speeds deserves only praise. At the same time, a noticeable pick-up will occur when the tachometer needle exceeds the mark of 3 thousand rpm. In sixth gear, this happens at a speed of about 120-125 km/h. Several times, this made it possible to quickly skip the riders who overtook them from behind, confusing the highway with a sports track.
There's no need to rush
On the way to St. Petersburg, due to fears of not being in time for the presentation of AvtoVAZ's new products, I had to balance between speed and the risk of getting a fine for exceeding it. Almost the entire way to the Northern Capital, the speedometer needle was around 130 km/h, and in areas where the posted speed limit was set, it was at 150. As a result, the fuel consumption for the trip was 9.4 liters per 100 km. This is quite a lot, but taking into account the average speed of 118 km/h recorded by the Vesta on-board computer, it is understandable.
Lada Vesta Cross with six-speed mechanics is cheaper than the version with a CVT by only 5 thousand rubles.
The journey back, when there was no need to hurry, took place at a calmer pace. The 120 km/h limit set on cruise control made it possible to achieve an average fuel consumption of 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers. The result, of course, is not the most outstanding, but considering the average speed of 95 km / h, it is quite decent.
For the fans
The version with a six-speed manual and a 122-horsepower engine will cost 2.09 million rubles. A car with the same level of equipment, but with a "five-step" is 130 thousand rubles cheaper. However, it is offered only in combination with a 1.6-liter 106 hp engine. At the same time, a modification with a 1.8-liter engine and a CVT is more expensive than a similar version with a six-speed manual transmission by only 5 thousand rubles. Unsurprisingly, the majority of buyers prefer this particular version of the car. The six—speed modification is the choice of die-hard fans of mechanical transmissions who wish they had a more powerful and modern engine in their arsenal.
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