CHEVROLET NIVA test drive since 2002 SUV

Chevrole-Niva: Two steps forward, one back

Listen, and on that slide is weak? - smiling for a force, I joked. No problem! - the driver answered seriously and pressed the gas. I did not have time to finish the mental calculation of the replacement of bumper and thresholds, as we stood on the hill described above. As if an invisible hand raised the field into the air and put it in the right place ...
 
No one could ever blame me for love for Russian cars. The wretched appearance and interior, the disgusting quality of manufacture are a collective image of any Russian machine. And I don't like him.
 
Dumb engines, too specific handling and increased maintenance costs - this is the collective image of any SUV. And I don't like him either.
 
But now I catch myself in seditious thought: I like the Russian car. SUV! What kind of car is this that was able to change my opinion?
 
Chevy Niva. Hey, who is skeptical there? I was like that too. Until I rolled on this symbol of Russian-American friendship. Friendship, by the way, is forced: if neither the financial problems of the Vase, the CHEVY emblem would never have appeared on this SUV.
 
In Togliatti there was already the birth of a field in 1999. Then they released a trial batch, protruded about success throughout the country ... And they became quiet. The production and refinement of the VAZ-2123 elementary did not have enough money.
 
But American colleagues had money. And they were ready to invest them in the development of the model, demanding in return the soul - the name.
 
There were no other options, so the heiress of the Niva accepted the baptism of the Chevroletov emblem and is now called Chevy Niva.
 
These backstage intrigues are not important to the consumer: the main thing is that the car is good.
 
And he is really good. And by golly, the relationship with Chevrolet was only good for him. I had experience communicating with another VAZ all-wheel drive: VAZ-2120 Hope. And faith in the future of the Russian automobile industry did not add this car to me. Well, you can’t call this semi -finished product a car! It is forbidden! But Chevy Niva is not even a step forward to a normal car. These are two steps.
 
It all starts with the cabin. It feels like a normal Korean of the mid -90s. The main claim to the unwell quality of plastic, and otherwise very much. A pleasant design, a convenient climate control unit, a cool steering wheel. Convenient seats, convenient armrest. Not a single ergonomic mistake! It doesn’t matter that in some places the screws of the screws are noticeable, the whirlwinds of the plastic outline and the glove compartment cover does not close. These are trifles. The main thing is that you are sitting in a normal car.
 
Contrary to expectations, the rear seat turned out to be spacious. Two people will shed without any problems, and you can’t wish more from a compact SUV.
 
The trunk does not affect the volume. To transport goods, you can fold the back of the rear seat. You can do this in parts.
 
Words, words, words ... I remember, standing in place, Nadezhda also made a pleasant impression. And I went terribly.
 
Chevy Niva is capable of shocking fans of the old field. Where is the specific hand of the handout? Where is the grunt of the Zhigulevsky motor? There is not. There is silence in the cabin. Of course, at high speed, the noise of the motor, and the noise of the wind, and the spanking of the tires on the asphalt are heard. But compared to VAZ classics, and even more so the old NII - a clear breakthrough.
 
The Chevy Niva motion is an extremely pleasant and balanced car. All governing bodies work without hesitation. Of course, the clarity of the gear shift is not perfect, but what to wish from a copy with a 64 body number? For all other Chevy parameters, really Chevy. The steering and brake hydraulic booster are remembered. They are remembered by the fact that ... you do not remember about them. Owners of other Russian cars dream of these nodes in nightmares.
 
The power of the 1.7-liter engine is not enough for traffic lights. This must be understood at once and switch to a calm driving style.
 
On the track is the same. 100-110 km/h - normal mode. Quiet, calm. The behavior of the machine on the asphalt is predictable, and in the turns you do not need to look for a trajectory. For a jeep, even a parquet, the Niva is not good.
 
And the suspension of the new car is another example. Any irregularities are worked out perfectly.
 
In the car, only two points give out national roots. The Russians got a trembling of external mirrors, and the Americans gave a nuance in the suspension. On the alternating waves, Niva recalls Chevrolet nameplate and begins to swing completely in American.
 
After the asphalt part of the Chevy Niva test, I just liked it. Deep feelings appeared in the Zaslavsky career.
 
Frankly, at first I am there ... as if it were softer ... In general, I did not flash. I tried gently, gently call on the village, and stalled. Well, I'm used to the foreign jeeps, what can you do! They have one incorrect movement - and you can say goodbye to the bumpers.
 
Therefore, the place at the wheel I lost to the driver of the Minsklad, and he showed the class. The manner of driving on the off -road compared to the old Niva has not changed at all: only gas to the floor and only in a good stroke. Then Niva has no competitors.
 
Turn on the lowered gear, the gas pedal to the floor - let's go! The armor is strong and Chevy is our fast! Only the vertical wall can stop Niva. She copes with other obstacles easily, playfully.
 
I admit honestly: three times I seriously tensed. And once he almost said goodbye to life. Honestly, not a single bourgeois SUV will repeat Chevy on the off -road. Unless Hummer, Defender or Gelandewagen. But they cost completely different money.
 
Another important plus of a Russian SUV is a mass. Che-Vrolet Tahoe, Toyota Land Cruiser are good for everyone, but you can only pull them out of the dirt with a tractor. And then not everyone will pull. It is much easier to rescue Chevy.
 
In his career, we rode in a very strict mode, crawled along all stones and leales, but never (never once!) The car has not caught a bumper or bottom.
 
Of course, for Niva there will be insurmountable obstacles. We will certainly find them during a detailed test. And now, alas, a mini-test, so let's summarize.
 
Chevy Niva made several qualitative jerks forward compared to its predecessor. Chevy can be called cheap, but a car. No other VAZ model leaves such a pleasant impression.
 
A step back occurred in prices. Now Chevy Niva costs almost two old fields. The difference is serious. But believe me, each dollar invested in Chevy justifies himself.
 
In the end, what other new car do you buy to the question: what is your car? - Reply with solidity: the last model Chevrolet ...
 
Help AG:
 
The body of the new model is partially galvanized, the bottom is covered with plastic mastics.
 
The VAZ-2123 engine with a volume of 1.7 liters is designed on the basis of the VAZ-21213 motor. The support of the power unit was finalized, a water supplyman appeared in the chain valve drive, the gas distribution mechanism received a new camshaft and hydraulic compensators. Noise insulation has improved.
 
To get rid of a characteristic howl in a handout, small -modular gears were used and the mount to the body changed. The handout is controlled by one lever instead of two.
 
The schemes of the pendants remained the same.
 
Opinion Ag:
 
This is no longer a Niva, but not yet Chevrolet. The best vase model in recent years. Still to cancel the Mephistophel Treaty with GM ...
 
Dmitry Novitsky and Sergey Mitskevich

Source: "Avtogazeta"