Test drive UAZ Patriot
Ten years ago, the UAZ Patriot became the first Russian car with ABS, but it received airbags and a stabilization system only now - with the latest update.
Not Noah's ark or dinosaur skeleton. At the next mountain peak, another ancient artifact was waiting for us - a frame from an UAZ that had grown into the ground. The higher the village in Armenia, the worse the road there, the more Ulyanovsk SUVs are found. Even the ancient GAZ-69 from the time of the Flood is still on the move. UAZ is considered here a simple and very hardy rural transport, something between a donkey and a self-propelled chassis. However, in Ulyanovsk, they think differently: the front bumper of the updated Patriot is decorated with parking sensors, and the front panel is decorated with Airbag inscriptions. Heated steering wheel, climate control, genuine leather on the seats - has an SUV really decided to settle in the city?
Just as the smooth, smooth hills outside the window turn into rocky faults, the design of the Patriot is also changing: with the restyling of 2014, the SUV received many sharp-angled details. The current update has not actually affected the exterior of the SUV. The return to the former fine-mesh radiator grille instead of the avant-garde broken slats can generally be regarded as a step back. But such a lattice can be circled with chrome and a giant bird nameplate can be placed in the center.
Last year, Patriot got new angular door strips, and now the front panel of the car is made in the same rough industrial style. In the past, big drivers used their knuckles to push their knuckles against the center console when shifting gears. The new panel does not protrude so much into the cabin, but the pre-styling one had a soft top, and here the plastic is harder than basalt in the Garni Gorge.
UAZ representatives argue that hard trim is a modern trend, but many mass manufacturers tend to add stitching, leather and soft linings. On the limited edition Patriot World of Tanks Edition, the tidy visor and the central compartment lid are just sheathed in leather, and it's good if such a finish appears on production vehicles. She alone is able to add more points to the interior than soft plastic and will be in harmony with the upholstery of the seats of the top versions. Now the central part of the seats is covered with natural leather, pleasant to the touch. It is especially emphasized that the skins are domestic - from Ryazan cows.
The front panel is more logical. The infotainment screen is flush with the dashboard and distracts less from the road. The control unit for the new climate control was also raised higher, and at the base of the console there was a pocket for the phone. With milky white backlighting, devices and symbols are better read in the dark, but some of the buttons have retained their corporate green color. The keys have become short-travel, and the knobs rotate with a pleasant firm effort.
But even in the updated salon, there is still something to work on. For example, new, more efficient air ducts blowing on the side windows do not work synchronously with the windshield blowing, but only in the “face-to-face” position. Helps out the electric heated windshield. The new glove compartment is made refrigerated, but due to the shape of the front panel and the location of the climate control, it turned out to be very tiny and a bottle of water can hardly fit inside. It would be much more logical to make the compartment between the seats cooled. And also place the USB connector on the center console, but in the meantime, it protrudes on a long wire from the glove compartment.
The all-new steering wheel is more Chevrolet styled, but looks organic in the restyled interior. It is adjustable in reach, trimmed with leather and has buttons for operating the audio system and cruise control. The steering column is made injury-free and should be folded in the event of an accident. And this is only part of a serious program to improve the security of the Patriot.
Previously, the Patriot could be used as a visual aid to car noise: to communicate with the rear passengers, you had to strain your voice and hearing. The engine roared, the wind whistled at speed, the auxiliary heater howled, the locks in the doors rattled. At times, something unknown buzzed, creaked and clinked. In order to effectively isolate the interior from noise, UAZ decided to attract a foreign specialist. In addition to mats on the floor and the wall of the engine compartment, additional seals were laid along the top of the doors. The cabin became an order of magnitude quieter. The rods of the "mechanics" still clatter when shifting, but the sound of the engine turned into a low-frequency rumble. The fan of the climate system began to work quieter, and when it is turned on, the power unit does not convulse. The additional heater, which has become an option, also calmed down.
Patriot after the upgrade became only gasoline, because the share of cars with a Zavolzhsky diesel engine was too small, and it was easier for the plant to completely abandon it than to bring the engine in accordance with Euro-5 standards. If a different, more powerful and less problematic engine like the Gazelle's Cummins or Ford's diesel for the Land Rover Defender was under the Patriot's hood, customers might have overpaid $ 1 to $ 311 for this option. In the meantime, the impression is that the representatives of UAZ are rather skeptical about the diesel engine.
The traction on the bottom is enough to drive the serpentine at 1500-2000 rpm. The ZMZ-409 engine, which remained alone, in preparation for Euro-5, built up its muscles: the power increased from 128 to 134 hp, and the torque increased from 209 to 217 Newton-meters. To feel the increase, the motor needs to be turned, and he still does not like it. Plus, in the thin mountain air, as we climb higher and higher, the 409 suffocates and loses horsepower. The UAZ will go quickly only if it is launched down the slope of Aragats. Acceleration of an SUV to "hundreds" is still equated to a state secret.
Patriot was finally demobilized: two tanks, the legacy of a military off-road vehicle, were replaced with one plastic one. The filler neck is now also one - on the right. The new tank is slightly inferior to the old two in volume: 68 versus 72 liters, but otherwise it seems to consist of some advantages. You no longer need to practice the art of wielding two refueling guns. It would seem that here it is - a reason for joy, but something like the Stockholm syndrome happened to the Patriot fans. A petition to the general director of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant Vadim Shvetsov appeared on the change.org website, demanding that everything be returned as it was. Like, the new tank hangs too low under the frame and worsens such an important indicator for an SUV as the ramp angle. “Now, even after moving down to the usual forest primer, there is a risk of demolishing the gas tank when moving the next small bump,” the authors of the petition complained.
The bulge of the new tank is clearly visible under the bottom of the Patriot, only it is located at a height of more than 32 centimeters from the ground. The exhaust system passes at about the same level, and the clearance under the gearboxes is 210 millimeters. We still have to look for a "bump" or a stone capable of creating a threat to it - we, for example, did not find it. The multilayer plastic has good impact resistance, as demonstrated by factory tests. To finally convince the skeptics, the tank was closed at the bottom with thick steel armor, as if they were going to transport gold bars in it. In any case, the risk of fire due to fuel leaks is now minimal. For this, says Evgeny Galkin, director of the Scientific and Technical Center of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, the bottom of the car is divided into two zones. On the right is a cold one with a fuel system, on the left - a hot one with an exhaust system. It sounds convincing, but the new tank cost UAZ so much energy and nerves that the next time the plant will think twice before changing something.
How much fuel is splashing in the tank now is impossible to determine. The float still dances on the gasoline waves like a fragile boat in a storm. While we were climbing the serpentine road to another mountain monastery, the arrow froze at a quarter. On the way down, she already sways in the red zone, now and then lighting an alarm light. A recalibrated flight computer is as accurate in its predictions as analysts predicting a rise in oil prices. Ten kilometers suddenly turns into a hundred, and after a few minutes the remainder is reduced to forty kilometers. The fact is that the computer calculates the average consumption in a short period of time, so the numbers on the small screen between the dials change each other at a terrifying speed.
Surprisingly, the Patriot has improved to keep the straight, although the UAZ swear that nothing has changed in the suspension. Perhaps the handling was affected by the increased rigidity of the body, maybe it's the winter tires with soft sidewalls, or, perhaps, the build quality affected. However, on uneven asphalt, the SUV prowls much less and does not have to be caught by constant swaying of the steering wheel. In slippery corners, the stabilization system from Bosch chirps unusually, fighting against the skid of the rear axle, and does it quite confidently.
The course has stabilized, but its final point is off-road with good coverage. It still needs continuous axles to provide constant ground clearance and a powerful suspension with leaf springs at the rear. Off-road, the stabilization system can do even more: you just need to turn on a special off-road algorithm with a button, in which the electronics do not choke the engine. The suspension moves of the Patriot are impressive and it is extremely difficult to catch the "diagonal" on an SUV. If this happened, the car got up, skidding the suspended wheels.
Now, with the help of electronics that simulate wheel locks, he effortlessly gets out of captivity. With stock road tires, the electronics are more effective than the mechanical locking rear differential, which is now available as a factory option. Moreover, when it is turned on, all electronics are deactivated, even ABS is turned off. With the "lower" all off-road functions are available by default, and the Off-Road button activates only a special mode of the anti-lock system, which allows you to effectively brake on soft soils, raking the ground in front of the wheels. The hill hold system helps out a lot on off-road - wielding long-stroke and tight pedals is much easier with it.
And the lowered row, and the Off-Road mode, and blocking must be turned on in advance. Switch on and wait for the reaction. And it's better not on the go, without haste. The developers deliberately made protection against accidental activation, but it seems they overdid it. So a colleague confidently clicked the transmission control washer all the way, pressed the off-road mode button and climbed the hill, being sure that everything turned on. The SUV drove to the top of the hill, lost traction, and slid down like a large iron sled. I looked longingly through the rear window and imagined how we would finish: we would brake against one of the rare trees in the highlands or lie down on the roof. There was nothing: at the foot of the hill, Patriot crossed its powerful axles in a rut and froze with a strong roll to the right.
After the entire off-road arsenal was activated, the car drove up the same mountain without even noticing that the climb was steep and slippery. Then he took a run full of snow with a run, climbed a clay rise, descended on a rolled snow crust. Moreover, the electronics that brake the wheels are also effective when driving downhill. On the last day of the test, heavy snow fell on Armenia, but it did not make any adjustments to the off-road program. The Patriot is one of the few vehicles that can turn onto a barely noticeable mountain path and drive almost without reconnaissance, storming difficult places from acceleration.
The updated Patriot has risen in price by $ 393-$ 524. Now the most affordable configuration without air conditioning on steel wheels, but with two airbags, costs from $ 10. The SUV is equipped with a stabilization system, starting from the Privilege level, for $ 623. The top version now costs $ 12. The "Winter" package ($ 970) is already included in it, but you will have to pay extra for an additional heater, pre-heater and rear interwheel lock.
For this money, there is nothing comparable in cross-country ability and roominess. Great Wall Hover, SsangYong Rexton, TagAZ Tager left the market, so you will have to pay much more for any other new SUV. On the one hand, the absence of competitors plays into the hands of UAZ, on the other hand, buyers are eyeing crossovers: albeit less passable and roomy, but more modern and much better equipped.
Armenians are ready to emphasize their antiquity at any opportunity. But the archaic design, the lack of the benefits of the automotive civilization and elementary security systems are not a reason for pride. A harsh character involuntarily evokes respect, but in everyday life, when the soul does not ask for adventure, it is hard with him. And UAZ is doing the right thing, striving to bring the Patriot closer to the modern level, to make it easier for an inexperienced driver with him. The experience of Gelendvagen shows that rugged SUVs are quite capable of surviving in the city. And the next logical step in this direction will be "automatic" and a new independent front suspension. The path to the city turned out to be long.
How the updated Patriot passed the crash test
Security measures have already been tested in an independent crash test organized by Autoreview magazine and RESO-Garantia insurance company. ARCAP tests involved a 40% overlap impact on a deformable barrier at a speed of 64 km / h. At the moment of impact, the Patriot's speed was 1 km / h higher, the airbags worked, but the steering wheel went deep into the passenger compartment, and the front axle greatly deformed the floor and the engine compartment. Detailed test results and points earned by the SUV will only be released in 2017.
| UAZ Patriot | ||
| Body type | SUV | |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4785 / 1900 / 2005 | |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2760 | |
| Ground clearance, mm | 210 | |
| Cargo space | 1130-2415 | |
| Curb weight, kg | 2125 | |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | 2650 | |
| engine's type | Four-cylinder, petrol | |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm. | 2693 | |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | 134 / 4600 | |
| Max. cool. moment, nm (at rpm) | 217 / 3900 | |
| Drive type, transmission | Full, MKP5 | |
| Max. speed km / h | No data | |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | No data | |
| Average fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 11,5 | |
| Price from, $. | 10 609 |
One comment
Stefan
Thank you for the article, fun read!