Test drive Lada 4 × 4. Updated exactly?
LED backlighting, power windows and mirrors, new seats and other changes that did not fix the main problems, but certainly did not make the legendary car worse. The iron clang of the door lock and the bright LED light of the saloon lamp. The starter sound familiar from childhood and the gentle buzzing of electric mirrors, the slightly muffled sound of the Zhiguli engine and the rustle of the air conditioning compressor. From the inside, Lada 4 × 4 looks, although cheap, but quite modern, and the first meters behind the wheel return, if not to 1977, then exactly to the end of the 1990s. However, archaic ergonomics and a terrible howl of transmission instantly fade into the background - for 40 years of production, this machine has not lost a drop of its charisma. Why does she still look the same? The last time the appearance of an SUV ...
Test drive of the legendary Lada from the USSR VFTS
These Zhiguli were a super hit in the West and an unattainable dream in the USSR, and today they inspire new generations of racers. We tell the story of VFTS and test the car, recognized by Stasis Brundza himself. Contrary to all logic, the Togliatti “classic” does not rot its age in the vastness of its cruel homeland, but is experiencing a renaissance. Every year more and more cars appear on the roads with cured and reinforced bodies, boosted engines, modified chassis, war paint and terribly satisfied people behind the wheel. Around the model, which has always been the antonym of speed and handling, a real sports cult is being formed. In fact, there are enough objective reasons for this. Genetically incorporated driftability, familiar by heart simple design - and, of course, penny prices of both the machines themselves and most of the spare parts. The current enthusiasts of the "combat ...
Test drive Lada Niva Travel: first impressions behind the wheel
The debut of the updated Lada Niva is another fact confirming the final victory of marketing over design ideas. After all, she received the prefix Travel to the name for a reason. The good old “shniva” will forever remain a warm and bright (or not so) memory. The nickname that the second generation of the Niva with the factory index VAZ-2123 once received became truly popular when the car came under the wing of the GM-AvtoVAZ joint venture and began to be sold under the Chevrolet brand. At the same time, the cross of the American manufacturer took its place on the radiator grille of the VAZ SUV without any facelift. And the car was produced for almost 18 years with the face of Lada, but under the Chevrolet brand. In the summer, Niva returned "to the family", once again becoming a full-fledged model in the AvtoVAZ lineup. However, now the game seems to be reversed.…
Test drive Lada Vesta with CVT
Why did Tolyatti decide to change their “robot” to a Japanese CVT, how does the updated car drive and how much more expensive is it now sold “Aliens? - An employee of the world's largest radio telescope RATAN-600 in Karachay-Cherkessia only smiled. - They say it was in Soviet times. The duty officer noticed something unusual, made a fuss, so they almost got fired. Having laughed off about the planet Shelezyak from the worlds of Kira Bulychev and its robot inhabitants in distress, we moved on. RATAN with a diameter of 600 m helps to explore very distant regions of space, but alien robots have not yet reached here. It sounds ironic, but the “robot” did not work out in Tolyatti either, so we drive past the telescope in a Lada Vesta with a 113-horsepower gasoline engine and a CVT. The work is not as difficult as that of astronomers, ...
Test drive the best home-made car in the USSR
Work on this car began half a century ago, it left on the roads of the Union two years before the appearance of the VAZ-2108 and since then it has covered more than a million kilometers JNA - the creation of the whole life of Yuri Ivanovich Algebraistov, and we managed to ride on this unique coupe, assembled with golden hands literally in the garage. “Yes, they invited me to work in US, I went, looked - and did not agree. I'm not a designer, so I can do something with my hands, and that's it. The modesty of Yuri Ivanovich does not fit in the mind when you look at this very “something”. In terms of workmanship, the JNA is not inferior to the factory machines of the Union, if not superior to them, but what is most striking is the level of elaboration of small details. Ventilation deflectors, decorative overlays, nameplates, mirror housings - all this ...
Test drive Lada off-road
Features of appearance and finish, different types of gearboxes, problems with geometric cross-country ability and other points that you need to be aware of when choosing a model with the Cross prefix and more expensive cars got a continuously variable transmission. We drove all possible options and tried to understand whether these machines are really better prepared for off-road and how much you have to pay for additional features. They are more attractive external All models with the prefix Cross rely on increased ground clearance and a more off-road appearance with a protective plastic body kit around the perimeter, door protection, original bumpers and roof rails. Especially bright look cars painted with branded ...
