Test drive UAZ Patriot
Surrounded by glass, concrete and tiles, the SUV looks strange - not at all the same as against the background of endless expanses ...
In the dark courtyard, the Patriot saloon glowed with an unearthly green light and the sounds of the Russian anthem were clearly heard. Some kind of devilry. It turned out that the navigation and radio continue to work even after I locked the car with the button on the key. And they will be active, apparently, until they drop a capacious battery. Here is another feature of the UAZ Patriot that will take some getting used to.
Together with the restyling, Patriot finally gained recognition - the domestic SUV is now selling well. The reason is not so much in the beautiful headlights with LEDs, neat bumpers fixed on the body, but in the action of the recycling program and the increased prices for imported SUVs. The point is also in a spacious cabin with a high ceiling and a huge trunk, which can accommodate even a light boat motor. And the expensive service is compensated by the low price of the car and the relatively simple design.
Remained with the Patriot and off-road capabilities. But it is one thing to climb the Crimean plateaus or tinker in the sandbox with a Mitsubishi Pajero, and another thing is the daily routine: trips to work, to get food, to the dacha. No romance, but the UAZ ad says the Patriot is updated for the city. To test the peculiarities of patriotic driving, I had a whole summer and the first half of autumn in stock. And these nuances have accumulated enough.
The Patriot we had on the test was non-standard - what is the spoiler on the back door worth. It, along with blacked-out pillars, a fancy spare wheel cover and 18-inch wheels, are hallmarks of the limited edition Unlimited. Plus leather seats, with the logo embroidered on them and bright red initial letters UN - the same nameplate is on the front door.
Such limited series are produced by the Special Purpose Atelier, the UAZ court tuning bureau. Unlimited is the most expensive of all, costing almost $13. Steering rods are not protected, and there are not even rails on the roof - this is also the most urban modification.
Surrounded by glass, concrete and paving slabs, a tall SUV looks strange - it would look more harmonious against the background of the vast Russian expanses. But after restyling, there is no feeling that the Patriot ended up in the city by accident, paving the route using a compass and a paper map. The appearance of a trunk curtain in a restyled car also speaks about where the Patriot is heading. Because of its supports, the back of the rear sofa can no longer be folded back. But things are hidden from prying eyes, although the rear windows of the test Patriot are not only located at an impressive height, but also pretty tinted. There is no longer a footrest on the bumper, which made digging in the engine much easier - UAZ believes that the updated SUV should be serviced not by the owners, but by service center specialists.
However, the cosmetic changes did not affect the character of the SUV: it is still rude and unfriendly. The Patriot's poor maneuverability is partly saved by a good overview: the landing is high, the struts are thin, and the mirrors are large. In addition, there is a rear view camera. In a difficult situation, you can lean out of the window up to your chest and see where the front wheel is going and how many centimeters are left to the next car. In the city, you practically don't use all-wheel drive, we only needed it for a test once - during a serious snowfall. But on the off-road, the Patriot easily climbs the slope on the first lowered one without adding gas and will go wherever the clearance and suspension travel allow - the stock UAZ cannot cope with diagonal hanging, it will require the installation of cross-wheel locks.
The suspension is stiff, but allows you to race without dismantling the road and without fear of breakdowns. And on asphalt, it is surprisingly demanding on the quality of the coating. Once in a rolled track, the SUV frighteningly shies away to the side. The counterattack has to be done at random: the SUV reacts to steering deviations with delays, and there is not enough feedback in the near-zero zone. Later you get used to this feature, you learn to correct the course with light wiggles of the steering wheel and gradually increase the speed. Fast, by the standards of the "Patriot", it is 100-110 km / h - a larger SUV is already given with difficulty. In general, the Patriot picks up speed reluctantly, but as soon as you let off the gas, it slows down noticeably.
The gasoline engine ZMZ-40905 has an amazing and unique character. It pulls well almost from idle: turned on the first, released the clutch pedal, and the SUV will go without stalling. Of course, provided that he stands on a flat surface. There is enough moment to get under way from the second - the first is too short, but when starting up the hill it is better to use it. After three thousand revolutions, the engine, roaring strainedly, gives up.
By the end of the summer, the test Patriot went to zero maintenance, and instead we received an updated SUV. There are not many changes in it: new 18-inch wheels, frameless brushes and an armrest in the rear sofa. The door upholstery is new, with a more angular design. She lost the soft inserts, but covered the rubber glass seal. This Patriot turned out to be less shaky and less abruptly dodged to the side. The reason, in all likelihood, lies in the softer winter tires. So, with the help of rubber, you can slightly improve the driving character of the car.
The problems with the alarm system were also gone. On the previous car, it worked often, loudly and for no reason. UAZ experts advised to move the lighting button on the ceiling lamp to the "Polite light" position - this is when the backlight goes out a little later after the car is locked. After that, the response rate decreased. In the updated car, the door handles have ceased to wedge. Previously, they had to be opened carefully, resting your thumb on its base.
This is another update of the SUV, and a little less than a year has passed since the previous restyling. UAZ plans to include airbags, a turbo engine, and a revision of the front suspension.
Patriot, like a jungle, is alarming with unusual noises - the clutch pedal creaks, door locks rumble, shifted gears click, a fan whines. With the air conditioner running, the velvety vibrating idle engine begins to shake and growl, as if it were not gasoline, but diesel. The UAZ explained that there is nothing wrong with that. If not, you will have to get used to this feature. It accelerates to 100 km / h in about 17-18 seconds. You have to measure the dynamics using GPS: the speedometer overestimates the speed: you drive more than 80 km / h, and the navigator shows exactly 70.
It seems that the signs of this special version are not so striking, but, nevertheless, the exclusive Patriot is distinguished from many others. At the gas station, they look at me as if I threw out a lot of money on exotic things, bought not a UAZ with a leather interior, but a Lotus Elise with scanty ground clearance and a rag instead of a roof.
The Patriot has two tanks with a total volume of 72 liters, but each has a separate neck - on the left and on the right. In theory, this is even convenient: it doesn’t matter which side you drive up to the column from. But in practice, you can’t refuel through one neck to the eyeballs. Fuel, although it is pumped from the left tank to the right, but slowly and with the car running. And it is consumed quite intensively: the figures shown by the on-board computer fluctuate between 13-14 liters of AI-92.
The clutch pedal is a bit heavy to push through traffic jams. I would like to know a detour, but a good navigation system, even being connected to the Internet via a smartphone, does not show traffic jams. The instruction for the multimedia, released, by the way, in Kaluga, does not give an answer. But on the Internet you can find a simple video instruction on the firmware of the UAZ navigation so that it finally begins to show congestion. However, official dealers are unlikely to like such an amateur performance.
Neighbors look at you as the owner of, for example, a Porsche sports car, which requires courage and passion to drive. Patriot wins over with its severity, massive iron and manly noise. However, as it turned out, driving the car is not so difficult. With everyday use, you get used to the Patriot's character and begin to enjoy its imperfection.
