CHEVROLET NIVA test drive since 2002 SUV

Deceptive similarity

Two all -terrain vehicles lived in the editorial office - VAZ 2123 and KIA Sportage. It is time to summarize our impressions (see ZR, 2002, No. 2, 9; 2001, No. 10, 12)

We say goodbye to kia-sportj and pre-production near
This year, Sportij’s body began to be welded and painted in Russia, and the production of Niva, it seems, nevertheless began at the enterprise jointly with General Motors. It’s time for us to return the cars to the owners. However, we will return to comparisons when we acquire a real Shevi-Niva.
Probably, we will be not far from the truth, if we say that the Niva is the first, or maybe the only domestic car, which, according to the majority, looks like a foreign car. In a word, beautiful. This immediately raises interest in the car of those who accumulate money for an inexpensive imported car, perhaps for Sportij. And with the advent of the export version of Shevi -Niva with their power unit, no one will probably argue that these cars are competitive. Which one to prefer?
Already at the first meeting with this couple, the sophisticated motorist will note an important feature. Kia seems powerful thanks to an impressive frame, thick protection of the motor compartment and developed bumpers. However, the low thresholds and a 165 mm gap between the road and the same protection make you think that extreme off -road is not its element. This is what we checked the whole last year. Sportage can move on bad roads, but ... does not like to ride them. Therefore, the main thing that you need to keep in mind to a potential buyer: cars will better reveal their capabilities in different operating modes: Niva - when you need to often drive bad roads, Kia - when you want to go faster on good ones.
Let us recall everything
During his life in the editorial office, the cars had a chance to climb together in mud, sand, snowdrifts, muddy clay, freeze in winter (up to minus 27C) and get fry in the summer (up to 30-32C). However, it is easy to guess that they spent the main part of their life on the streets of Moscow.
Enough for the drivers both pleasant emotions, and not very much. It often happened - the better you feel in one car, the worse in another. Say, with a sultry summer in the capital's traffic jams it was more pleasant in the precortje with its hydraulic power control and air conditioning, but in the winter and in the north (see ZR, 2002, No. 2) it was better than a field with a more powerful stove and adequate behavior on the road.
About the same can be said about the transmission schemes. A variant of the Niva with a permanent all -wheel drive and a free center differential is preferable in the winter or on bad roads. Full -wheel drive from KIA with a constant drive of the rear axle and a rigidly connected front, on the contrary, more profitable in the summer or on good roads.
Sportij is better with repair - they are less often. But with payment of individual works is preferable to the Niva - it is cheaper.
So the appearance of two cars is formed by bit - very similar from the side, but very different in details.
It would be incorrect to talk about the interior, citing an experimental field assembled using temporary technologies in experimental and industrial production. But you can evaluate the size of the salon, objectively wider than that of Sportij. Kia advantage is a powerful engine and the best dynamic qualities; Extra 300 cubes and 8 valves.
Smoothness? There were many copies around this. Is it possible for her to sacrifice the capabilities of the car on broken roads? Here, the traditions of the design school and national features are best manifested.
On a flat road, Sportja behaves softer and more comfortable, only we have few of them. With the increase in speed on the usual KIA coatings, it requires an increasing tension from the driver, at least in order to hold the correct trajectory. Fast and informative, despite the hydraulic wrap, the steering wheel is now felt as excessively nervous. The weak energy intensity of the suspension is also found - even with partial load, compression buffers are too early.
Niva looks like the exact opposite. On a good highway with leisurely movement, it seems unnecessarily stiff, and only with an increase in speed does a positive perception of the car come. The steering wheel without an amplifier is uneven to uneven, and in alliance with a solid supply of springs, it allows you to not pay attention to small flaws of coating and ruts.
Operation Overkil
It’s nice to sit in a high car - a good review, the road is far visible ... But the height affects stability. We decided to measure the corners of overturning Niva and Sportij. The result was predictable, but the data obtained pleasantly surprised: the Niva hung on safety chains with an angle of 4931 ', and Sportige at 4824'. Those who did not immediately realize, we remind you that on road signs they write a bias in percent, and 48-49 degrees are more than 100%!
The difference between machines was less than expected, and the absolute values \u200b\u200bof the corners are greater. True, the VAZ 2123 was shod in tires in size 205/65R15, instead of the standard 205/70R15, which somewhat corrects the results in its favor. In general, the advantages and disadvantages in this competition depend rather not on the frame or bearing structure, but on its specific embodiment.
What is we worth it ...
Full -wheel drive cars require large expenses. Tangible expenses on gasoline. Having passed 38 500 km on Sportij and 37,500 km in the field, we received almost the same average operating costs - about 11.5 liters per hundred. Simple arithmetic suggests that at the price of 92nd gasoline 9 rubles. 50 kopecks. per liter for each run 40 thousand rubles. In other words, in one year, a couple of our all -wheel drives ate an amount comparable to the cost of the Lada. If not new, then two -year -olds for sure. And this is far from all expenses.
Only on planned Sportij after 1, 10, 20 and 30 thousand km, 16,480 rubles were spent. (work plus materials). There were also unscheduled. It was required to replace the shock absorbers after 34 thousand (the rear ended completely, the front ones were partially) - they laid out 9980 rubles. (Only the rear would cost 3900).
Changed the hub bearings and the seal of the right front wheel - 2700 rubles. (Actually, they live longer, we are not lucky). The dustproof of the Upper Sharova broke - about 6,000. Muchnate? But what to do: on the upper levers of the supports are non -removable, so you had to change the entire lever, and then adjust the angles of installation of the wheels.
How much did Niva eaten? Oh, this is a separate story. We will take a handle from the tester of the VAZ car for a while not to write excess, and we will explain something.
We got the car experimental and, importantly, a vase collected in the OPP is a sort of running layout. The experience of communicating with conceptual, let’s say, from Togliatti, convinced us: they make them out of the fact that God will send. On the day when they collected our field, he sent what did not fit on the main conveyor ... no better the quality of the original details of the experimental car.
We have no doubt - the Chevrolet Niva will be assembled better, and constructively it will differ from today's car. Therefore, retroactively, we allow only a couple of comments addressed to the Vazovites, primarily designers and technologists. They are extremely concerned about the work in the field of a five -speed classic gearbox, even if it is normally collected. The three -insurance intermediate shaft is especially alarming, and specifically - the accuracy of the mutual arrangement of holes for bearings: after all, they are made in different corps details. And another question to those who make a decision on the sale of pre -production, in fact, cars on the AvtoVAZ, everyone who wants to: maybe not worth it? Okay, journalists and other testers - they understand what they are dealing with. And the people who bought the car for their blood?
Russian exclusive
You can talk a lot about the features of the machines, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, but the market interest in our two wards is largely determined not so much by their characteristics as ... price.
Sportij, although they are collected only in Russia, are perceived as a foreign car. And this is largely true. So, among such foreign cars, it is the most affordable in price - less than $ 16,000. The next is Vitara Suzuki in a five -door version will cost almost $ 23,000! And how much will Chevrolet Niva cost?
According to our data, the car is planned to be released in two modifications: for us and for them. They discuss the possibility of installing an imported power unit, they speak of a foreign decoration of the cabin or at least the steering wheel and the instrument panels. So far, officials have not abandoned the once -indicated price - about $ 8000 per car in cheap configuration.
If the forecast is still true, the difference in the price between the Niva and the Sportij will be impressive. But even if the GM-Autsovaz joint venture will grow appetite, the car still promises to become the cheapest in the classroom. Therefore, the only thing that can ruin his career is low quality.
It remains for us to wait. In general, not for long.

Our certificate
To answer the question why cars behave differently on good and bad roads, easier, knowing the ratio of suspensions. Sportij of the spring is soft, under its own weight they have already been served 60%. The Niva has a different ratio of the moves and compression - approximately 40:60, which is better for bad roads, but does not contribute to the honed controllability of an all -terrain vehicle for good ones.
Text / Alexander Budkin, Anatoly Fomin
Photo / Alexander Budkin, Yuri Nechetov, George Sadkov

Source: The magazine "Driving"