Lighter: the SUV from Tolyatti received a new engine and suspension
Over its almost half-century history (production of the Niva began in 1977), this car has gone through many stages of modernization. The engines of the car changed, the appearance changed slightly. But the most radical, and in some ways even revolutionary change, the classic "Niva" received only this year. On the day of its 48th anniversary, the Togliatti SUV received a Sport version with a powerful 122-horsepower engine and a completely new rear suspension. The Izvestia correspondent found out what these changes did to the car.
Organ transplantation
The most important metamorphosis that has happened to the car is the completely new engine that appeared under its hood. However, it is new only for Niva. Having rightly decided that boosting the 1.7-liter eight-valve engine with a capacity of 83 hp, which is equipped with conventional Togliatti SUVs, will not give a significant "surge of strength", the engineers immediately decided on a "heart transplant". It didn't take long to find the Honorian "organ" — it was a 1.6-liter 16-valve power unit with a capacity of 122 "horses", familiar from the "charged" version of Lada Granta Sport. As a result, the car received a one-and-a-half increase in power.
The Niva Sport sports a red and black interior trim. All the cup holders have disappeared in the car interior, but the SUV from Tolyatti received steering wheel adjustment for the first time. However, only by the angle of inclination
Despite the fact that the new engine has a similar "genetic code", the off-road "patient" was still likely to reject it. His "transplant" was complicated by the fact that if the engine was located transversely on the front-wheel drive "donor", then it had to be inserted longitudinally under the hood of the Niva, turning it 90 degrees. In general, the operation was successful — a much larger "sixteen-valve" was successfully squeezed into the cramped engine compartment of the Niva. However, there were complications: the spare wheel, which was attached to the cup of the left front shock absorber under the hood, had to be "amputated", putting a "prosthesis" in the form of a can of sealant in the trunk instead. But the jack, as before, is fixed under the hood on the left wing.
The wolf in sheep's clothing
An increase in power by one and a half times at once could not but affect the dynamics. If the usual "Niva" accelerated to 100 km/ h in 17 seconds, then the Sport version exchanges the first "hundred" in 11.8 seconds. Of course, this is also not a sports car, but many of the neighbors in the stream, accustomed to the slowness of the SUV from Togliatti, the unexpected agility of the Niva Sport still surprises. Moreover, the "charged" version from the outside is not much different from the classic one.
However, in order to achieve dynamic acceleration, the engine has to be constantly kept "in good shape". He's not a fighter at low revs. When starting from a place, there are no special problems even for people who have got behind the wheel of a car with "mechanics" for the first time. But until the tachometer needle overshoots the mark of 3-3.5 revolutions per minute, it seems that the SUV is not "driving" at all. But after that, the car will accelerate very briskly — the main thing is not to be lazy to change gears on time.
Moreover, it has become much more convenient to do this: the Niva Sport has received a new gearshift mechanism. If the gearbox lever sticks out of the box on the regular Niva, then the Sport version has a backstage with additional thrust. This made it possible to move the lever of the five—speed mechanics closer to the driver - you no longer need to stretch to turn on the fifth speed. And the lever itself has become longer, it has a massive knob that fits comfortably in your hand. The only negative is that there are no bumps, and the second gear will jump out ...
The energy intensity of the Niva Sport suspension allows you to race over decent potholes without fear of a breakdown
By the way, all—wheel drive control — activating the downshift and locking the center differential - on the Niva Sport is carried out with one lever. In the usual "Field", this is managed by two separate "crutches".
The driving revolution
The undercarriage has also changed significantly — in particular, the rear suspension. On a conventional "Field" there is a "Panar thrust" that insures the rear axle from moving laterally relative to the car body. On the Sport version, it rests on two lower longitudinal levers, and two more upper ones act as an alternative to the very "Panar thrust". Plus, there is a stabilizer bar to reduce the roll in turns.
The clearance of the Niva Sport is 22 cm — 2 cm more than on a regular Niva
These changes had a positive effect on the "asphalt" habits of the car. The Niva has become much more stable on the road, without jumping into a rut or jumping off the trajectory if there is an unevenness in the turn. There is less steel and rolls in bends.
At the same time, the sports version feels like it has become more "arrogant" — when there is an excess of traction, the car "sweeps its tail" more actively. The reason is not only the upgraded rear suspension, but also the significantly increased power. However, the skidding that has begun is easily corrected by the steering wheel and reduced traction on the wheels, even for an inexperienced driver this will not be a frightening surprise. With a certain level of training for a "pilot", Niva Sport is quite capable of bullying in a "rally" style. The behavior of the car on a broken primer deserves special praise: the energy intensity of the suspension allows you to race over decent potholes without fear of a "breakdown".
The Niva Sport behaves much more stable on the road, without jumping into a rut. The dynamics have noticeably improved: the Sport version accelerates to 100 km/h in 11.8 seconds – five seconds faster than the usual Niva
But off-road driving on Niva Sport is worth being more careful than on a regular Niva. Firstly, the upgraded rear suspension has slightly reduced travel. Because of this, the risk of diagonal hanging occurs earlier. In addition, the levers in the rear suspension, when overcoming large irregularities, work at large fracture angles — how long the silent blocks will last in such conditions is anyone's guess. And the lower levers themselves in the rear suspension on the first batches of cars bent over relatively harmless obstacles, later the engineers had to strengthen them with additional welded "scarves" made of thick metal. Another nuisance is the risk of tearing off the plastic linings on the rear arches. At high suspension speeds, 17-inch wheels rest against them.
"Sport" in the price
At the moment, Lada Niva Sport is the most expensive version of Niva. They are asking for almost 1.7 million rubles for it, while the usual Niva Legend, depending on the level of equipment, will cost 1.06–1.21 million rubles. The difference is certainly significant. But the Sport version has a more modern and significantly more powerful engine, rear disc brakes (they are drum brakes on conventional Nivas), and an improved rear suspension. At the same time, Oleg Grunenkov, AVTOVAZ's director of products and programs, told Izvestia that Niva Sport "has a slightly lower warranty mileage because there is more load on high gears"...
Lada Niva Sport is the most expensive version of the Niva. They are asking for almost 1.7 million rubles for it.
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