In just a couple of years, we will most likely no longer see either the classic square Niva or the successor to the Chevy Niva. The Romanian brand Dacia and the Russian Lada will be united into a single structural division under the wing of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The name Niva will be singled out as a separate sub-brand, and the restyled Lada Niva Travel will be the last purely domestic development of AvtoVAZ. Yuzhny Avtomobil went to Tolyatti for a test drive of the updated Lada Niva Travel.
Appearance
Only the lazy did not joke that the Lada Niva Travel looks like the current generation Toyota RAV4 crossover. There is a resemblance, but it is very distant. In real life, the updated Niva does not look like the Japanese car at all. The design was not stolen from Toyota, but was shown at the International Moscow Motor Show in 2014. Then AvtoVAZ presented the Lada Niva-2 concept car, which became a partial embodiment of today’s Lada Niva Travel.
The concept did not materialize in serial form completely. Only the design of the front part was borrowed from it. In fact, new bumpers, hood, radiator grille, headlights and fenders were screwed onto the well-known Chevrolet Niva. Lada Niva was quickly and inexpensively transformed and received a fresh model on the old technical base. The body of the Lada Niva Travel remained the same, it was refreshed with the help of new elements and it turned out much better than before.
Towing loops now appeared in the front and rear bumpers, to make it easier to pull the car out of harsh off-road conditions with a cable, or to pull someone else. The Lada Niva Travel also has a new plastic body kit with square wheel arch trims. By default, the door body kit will be painted in the body color, and the Off-Road version will remain black so as not to peel off the paint when driving through gullies, forests and swamps. The off-road version will also have a snorkel for crossing water obstacles.
The changes at the rear are minor. The main thing here is the new LED lights, which are assembled by OSVAR. The new lights are installed in the same factory mounts as before. The cost of one light is about 8 thousand rubles. The presence of old mounts for the headlight can be considered a definite plus. If such a light suddenly breaks, it can be replaced with a regular light, which costs about one and a half thousand rubles. And another innovation that appeared on the Lada Niva Travel is a rear view camera with a washer.
The Lada Niva is offered in 8 paint colors: mainly white, gray, black, and silver. Of the bright ones, only red. The signature dark green color is called “Amazonia.” In general, the names of colors sound much more expressive than they look. How do you like these names? – “Iceberg”, “Snow Queen”, “Borneo”, “Feerie”, “Quartz”, “Black Mirror” and “Techno”. The body of the Niva Travel is galvanized, but not all of it, only some elements. The doors and fenders are made of metal with galvanization on one side, part of the bottom and sills are galvanized on both sides. There is no galvanizing only on the roof and on the hood.
Interior
Nothing has changed in the interior since 1998, when the Chevrolet Niva was first introduced. The touch screen, which is stuck in the center, was also on the pre-restyling version, such a screen will only be available in the top-end Luxe trim. The image on it is clear, the graphical interface is clear. The image from the rear view camera is also displayed here, but without dynamic markings. But the controls for the multimedia system are at the very bottom of the dashboard, you need to get used to them. There is also one USB slot for charging a phone or other gadgets. The only innovation in the interior is the white instrument lighting and a black ceiling for the Off-Road version. Perhaps someone was expecting a multi-wheel to appear, but no. Although the same steering wheel, but with control buttons was installed on the Opel Corsa.
A matter of technology
In technical terms, the Lada Niva Travel has not undergone any changes. Under the hood is installed the already familiar gasoline engine with a working volume of 1.7 liters and a power of 80 horsepower. Paired with it are a five-speed manual, permanent all-wheel drive with a downshift and a locking center differential. Many people wonder why they did not install a new engine and gearbox? The answer to this question lies on the surface. Firstly, the car is not particularly widespread. It is bought mainly by hunting and fishing enthusiasts, as well as farmers for driving through the fields. Installing a new engine would lead to a significant increase in the cost of the car itself. Secondly, the old engine was left because in 2024 a new Lada Niva will be presented, built on a different platform and with completely new power units. Therefore, the Niva was refreshed only visually to give it a more modern look.
As for driving characteristics, the Lada Niva Travel remained the same car for trips to fields and forests. Here it reveals its full off-road potential. You can drive on snowy roads and broken dirt roads in the Lada Niva Travel quite confidently, without experiencing significant shaking in the cabin. Lada Niva Travel can be an alternative to an ATV. Moreover, you can comfortably drive it off-road in rain, snow, frost, and heat.
Under normal road conditions, the Lada Niva is suitable for moving from point “A” to point “B”. It is rather silly to expect the behavior of a sports car from it. Acceleration from zero to a hundred in the Lada Niva Travel is 19 seconds. There is a little lack of traction when overtaking, but over time you can get the hang of it. So, the updated Lada Niva is more suitable for traveling in the village than in the city.
About the equipment and prices
There are three equipment levels – “classic”, “comfort” and “luxury”. The last two can be in the Off-road version. In the very first configuration there will be practically nothing, even the bumpers and mirrors will not be painted in the body color, and ordinary stamped wheel rims are installed. But there will be heated mirrors, an airbag only for the driver and front electric windows. Air conditioning will appear in the “comfort” version, there will also be heated front seats and 15-inch alloy wheels will appear. The basic version of the Lada Niva Travel costs 747,900 rubles, almost 10 thousand more expensive than the pre-restyling model. The maximum configuration will cost 905,900 rubles. Almost 26 thousand rubles more expensive than the previous version. Today, taking into account the excellent cross-country performance, the Lada Niva Travel is the most affordable full-fledged new SUV on the Russian market. In fact, this is the best offer in terms of price and capabilities. The Lada Niva Travel is a passable, utilitarian and inexpensive to maintain car. It will always have a buyer, even if it were produced for several more decades.
