During the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, AvtoVAZ attracted attention with the premiere of its deeply modernized Niva Legend SUV. The icon of Soviet automobile manufacturing, which has refused to come off the assembly line for decades, finally receives the engineering improvements that buyers have been crying out for for years.
The big news under the short hood is the new 1.8-liter eight-valve gasoline engine. The unit borrowed from the Niva Travel injects fresh blood into the veins of the classic machine, providing a slight jump in torque by 24 Nm. The sweetest thing about this case is that the lion's share of this thrust (about 80%) is available to the driver even at the minimum 1000 rpm. This technical trick will not only make it easier to drive through heavy mud and deep snow, but according to the manufacturer's promises, it will reduce fuel consumption by between 3 and 30 percent, depending on how much weight the driver's right leg weighs.
However, the engineers did not stop there and cured one of the model's chronic pains - road handling. The front suspension has been completely redesigned, with the stabilizer bar moved forward. This new geometry aims to tame the car's capricious behavior at higher speeds on asphalt, turning the feeling behind the wheel from a struggle for survival into a pleasant journey. To complete the picture, for the first time in history, the Niva Legend body receives double-sided galvanizing of the most vulnerable panels, including the roof, hood and tailgate, which is a sure insurance against rust.
The interior has also undergone a total evolution in the name of human ergonomics. Forget about Spartan torture: the driver will now turn the modern steering wheel from the Lada Granta, and the ignition key has finally been moved to the right side of the steering column. Even better, the doors and ignition are now controlled by a single key, and the gear lever is positioned closer to the driver's body. The transfer case has also been tamed and is controlled with just one lever, and the air conditioning is equipped with a high-quality cabin filter.
The list of innovations, numbering over 100 completely new components, also highlights the front airbag (which required reinforcement of the supporting structure), ventilated front brake discs and original 16-inch two-tone wheels. Currently, assembly lines in Russia are being set up for mass production of this technologically reborn Lada Niva. Price lists are still being kept secret, but one thing is certain – the market had not seen such a radical leap in the evolution of this eternal 4x4 dinosaur for a long time.