Test drive Lada 4 × 4. Updated exactly?
LED lighting, electric windows and mirrors, new seats and other changes that did not fix the main problems, but definitely did not make the legendary car worse
The iron clang of the door lock and the bright LED light of the interior lamp. Familiar from childhood, the sound of a starter and the gentle hum of electric mirrors, the slightly muffled sound of a Zhiguli engine and the rustle of an air conditioner compressor. From the inside, the Lada 4 × 4 looks, though cheap, but quite modern, and the first meters behind the wheel are returned, if not in 1977, then exactly in the late 1990s. However, the archaic ergonomics and the eerie howl of the transmission instantly fade into the background - for 40 years of production, this car has not lost a single drop of its charisma.
The last time the exterior of an SUV was noticeably changed in 1994, when the production of a deeply modernized model VAZ-21213 began in Togliatti. The next changes had to wait almost 15 years, and even then they came out cosmetic. In the period from 2009 to 2011, the car's lighting equipment and interior upholstery were changed - mainly for the sake of unification with the Chevrolet Niva and for the installation of the now mandatory navigation lights.
You can distinguish the 2020 SUV by the new radiator grille with three large crossbars and a large chrome emblem, an antenna on the roof, two-tone mirrors and the absence of chrome - door handles, roof gutters and rubber glass seals are no longer decorated with chrome inserts, as if it were some kind of modification like Black Edition. However, these changes even suit the SUV, especially since the capricious chrome does not tolerate winter reagents very well.
And if you want to buy something really noticeable, you need to look at the Urban version. She herself looks quite bright - as if an old 4 × 4 lady was tuned in a good studio, but avoided the "collective farm". After the modernization, Urban received standard fog lights, neatly inscribed into the plastic bumper.
The new panel is just a breakthrough: soft, cozy shapes, modest and pleasant devices with an onboard computer and unobtrusive lighting, convenient ventilation deflectors and a normal arrangement of controls. The "stove" is now regulated by clear rotating washers, next to it are the buttons for turning on the air conditioner and the recirculation mode. True, not everything is perfect - the panels seem to fit well, but the air in the deflectors makes an abnormally loud noise. At the bottom there are two 12-volt sockets, but AvtoVAZ has not mastered USB charging.
Unpretentious door cards remained the same, but there is emptiness in the rounds of stampings for the window handles: Lada 4 × 4 is now equipped with uncontested electric drives, and the "oars" remained only on the rear windows of the five-door. Finally, the tunnel lining was changed - the cup holders were turned 90 degrees, and the glass and mirrors control unit, as well as the seat heating keys, were installed in their original place.
Instead of a useless shelf at the passenger's feet, there is now a large glove box with two compartments and a pocket. The emergency gang button moved to the center of the panel, and a plug appeared in the steering cover. Alas, the old "seven" steering wheel of a huge size has not gone anywhere, and dreams of an airbag have remained just dreams.
In fact, Lada 4 × 4 has an airbag, but a side one, sewn into the driver's seat. The presence of a pillow is required by the regulations of the ERA-GLONASS system, which is mandatory for all new cars (activation of the airbag forces the system to send a distress signal), but it does not specify which one should be installed in the car.
AvtoVAZ already had experience in installing a frontal cushion on an SUV in the 90s, but mass production would have required too high costs - it would have had to redo the entire steering column and part of the body panels, install sensors. Therefore, so far in Togliatti, they have managed with the simplest and cheapest solution: they integrated an inexpensive side cushion into the driver's seat and installed a shock sensor on the B-pillar. Rumors that the plant is still looking for a supplier of frontal cushions have not been officially confirmed.
The new seats are another attempt to correct the family inconvenience of landing, but the design features do not allow changing it radically. Compared to the small armchairs of the seventies, the seats of the "Samara" family installed in the nineties already seemed more comfortable, but did not change the position of the pedals, levers and steering wheel in any way.
The SUV categorically lacked at least some steering wheel adjustment, and this fact will have to be tolerated further. But in the updated car, new seats appeared again - denser, slightly different in shape and with good padding. The pillow was lengthened by 4 cm, and now it became more comfortable for the legs, but even with an almost vertical installation of the backrest, it is difficult to find an acceptable landing option: the knees almost rest against the steering column, the steering wheel is at arm's length, and you have to reach for odd gears, especially the fifth ...
Always near.
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It is also surprising that the right seat is still set at a slight angle in order for the folding mechanism to work for access to the back row. By the way, there also appeared a bonus - two headrests that can be pushed into the bowels of the seat so as not to interfere with the view.
AvtoVAZ has no other options for a transversely located engine, and it is clear that an aspirated volume of 1,7 liters of Zhiguli construction will remain with Lada 4 × 4 until the end of its days. But objectively speaking, everything is fine on the go. In conjunction with an extremely clear five-speed "mechanics" and an understandable clutch, this unit works well, and the SUV starts from a place very decently. And the passport 17 from acceleration to "hundreds" is not a catastrophe, especially given the fact that this car is gaining 100 km / h extremely rarely.
The fifth gear can be turned on already at 80 km / h, but you should be prepared for the fact that on it the Lada 4 × 4 will pretty much howl with a transmission. Even the improved sound insulation does not help - a thick layer of mats on the hood in the panels of the engine compartment at the very least insulates the engine itself, but there is absolutely nowhere to get away from the howling of the gearbox and the transfer case.
All this has absolutely no meaning when Lada 4 × 4 gets into its native element. If on normal roads it seems harsh and dances a little on bumps, then on dirt it goes as easily as Renault Duster, while it has a distinct steering effort and very understandable reactions. 83 engine power is no longer a problem with the powerful crawler gear. And on serious off-road with suitable tires, Lada is afraid of only one thing - diagonal hanging, which the interaxle differential lock cannot cope with.
After modernization, Lada 4 × 4 has only two configurations left. The base Classic costs $ 7 and doesn't have heated seats, power mirrors, or even rear headrests. But in addition to the mandatory navigation lights and ERA-GLONASS, such cars have an ABS with an emergency braking assistant, Isofix mounts, power windows, power steering, factory-tinted glass and steel rims. The five-door variant in the same configuration costs at least $ 334, but the electric drives will only be on the front windows.
The older version of the Luxe is priced at $ 7. includes heated seat and power mirrors, alloy wheels and a 557-volt socket in the trunk in addition to the two saloon. The air-conditioned version requires a surcharge of $ 12. Out of the factory options, there is only the Comfort package, which costs $ 510. with central locking and radio with USB-connector. Also, $ 260. you will have to pay extra for the metallic color - there are 78 options to choose from against the three basic ones. And the coolest option is the special combo camouflage paint, which costs a whopping $ 7. The most expensive is the Lada 379 × 4 Urban with a full set, but you will have to shell out $ 4 for it.
Apparently, this SUV upgrade will be the last one. For some time, the current Lada 4 × 4 will be produced on the AvtoVAZ conveyor in parallel with the Chevrolet Niva, which will also soon receive the Lada brand. And in a couple of years the plant will present a completely new car, which is being built on the modernized French B0 platform.
Most likely, the car of a completely new generation will have a banal electronically controlled clutch instead of a hard lock and a downshift, but nothing prevents the VAZ employees from maintaining excellent geometry and high ground clearance. On the other hand, the transition to a new platform promises a complete set of modern safety systems, including front airbags.
| Body type | Universal |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 3740/1680/1640 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2200 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 200 |
| Cargo space, l | 265 – 585 Feet |
| Curb weight, kg | 1285 |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | 1610 |
| engine's type | Petrol, R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1690 |
| Power, hp with. at rpm | 83 at 5000 |
| Max. torque, Nm at rpm | 129 at 4000 |
| Transmission, drive | Full, 5-st. ITUC |
| Maximum speed km / h | 142 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, from | 17 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 12,1/8,3/9,9 |
| Price from, $. | 7 334 |
