SEAT CORDOBA 1996 test drive - 1999 sedan

Variation on the topic of the station wagon

Seat-Kordova Vario has been produced since the fall of 1997. It is equipped with gasoline motors 1.4 and 1.6 liters (the latter in two versions) or a 1.9 -liter diesel engine (with a turbocharged and without). It is produced in the SE and SXE trim levels - only the most powerful gasoline and diesel modifications. The gearbox is a five -speed mechanical.
 

The station wagon is a late child in the Cordov family. He was born only four years after the sedan (ZR, 1997, No. 2). The acceleration did not touch him - the car did not grow by a millimeter, remaining just as compact, not turning into a barn. Low -profile fourteen -inch wheels with elegant caps similar to an all -melting disc add not only respectability, but even a little sports.
 
We press the remote control button - doors are unlocked with a soft sigh. The usual dry click is not heard - the castles drive are not electric, but pneumatic. The electrical compressor lies in the foam case under the label of the trunk, next to the narrow finish.
 
The passenger salon of the station wagon and previously tested sedan is almost the same. The seats are convenient, but the three of the back is close. The average passenger sits on the bulges of the pillow and rests his head against the ceiling, even if he is of medium height. The heads of the extreme almost touch the hard plastic edging of the ceiling. No wonder the designers provided behind only two head restraints, unequivocally hinting at optimal passenger capacity. The backs of the front seats are curved and as if enveloping the knees of the rear passengers. The inner door handles are inconvenient and make the hand very turn. The ergonomics of the driver’s place does not cause comments - everything is familiar and convenient, even if you first sat in Cordoba. Perhaps only steering wheel switches look a little rustic.
 
A more serious drawback, already related to safety, is the lack of inflatable pillows in standard configuration. But on our test there is a stushing top version of SXE. The car from the car is not bad, and its small size facilitate maneuvers in urban crowding. To make the rear head restraints with seats with seats and external mirrors slightly larger - there will be completely beauty.
 
Now let's look at the trunk. It opens outside and covered on top of the extending soft shelf-stamp. Incidentally, the minimum luggage volume (with a curtain extended) at the station wagon is even a little less than that of the sedan - 390 liters against 455 liters. Find out who is who, helps the competition in the maximum capacity with the folded rear seats - 1250 liters of Vario versus 762 liters of the sedan. However, between the smallest and largest volume values, at least two intermediate ones are possible, since the rear seat folds in parts, in a proportion of about 2: 3. The spring racks are pretty fissured by the rear wheel arches: the distance between them is only 880 mm. Vario transport capabilities are somewhat cut off with a high step of the rear bumper - it rises in a good two tens of centimeters above the trunk floor. As a result, at the internal height of the luggage compartment of 900 mm, the height of the opening of the fifth door is only 600. For the transportation of a bulky luggage, the roof is reinforced with plastic racks -layers forming a cargo site and equipped with transverse arches.
 
In the test of the sixtieth cordovas, we noted the subjective sensation of a more powerful motor. What can we say about the stubborn vario, who, as it should be universal, the main program is even shorter. However, 10.9 seconds of acceleration to hundreds speak for themselves. At high speeds, a noise occurs in the area of \u200b\u200bthe front racks of the body and a low -frequency noise somewhere on top - perhaps the arcs vibrate. The speedometer is slightly flattered by the driver: on the highway, the shooter reached the 195 mark at a passport maximum speed of 186 km/h.
 
At idle in the cabin, the sound of the motor does not annoy, but outside it seems too loud. With dynamic acceleration, the voice of the exhaust system is cut through. The box I liked last time now tried to slip a third gear instead of the first. The suspension and steering are good and conscientiously do their job. The brakes are also in order, it is only annoying that even in the top version there is no ABS.
 
Official sales of the Seat Kordov Vario will begin in June-July of this year. He has few competitors in Russia: on the go, you recall the Skoda -Felicia Combi (cheaper), the corporate double - Volkswagen Polo Option (more expensive). It is very close in parameters (and, apparently, at a price) Fiat Palio Wykend - the future object of production of Nizhny Novgorod Motors. Spanish cars will come to Russia in the Scandinavian performance: with a more powerful generator, battery and heater. In addition, they will protect the motor compartment, increase the road clearance (up to 145 mm) and the rigidity of the suspension springs. Warranty: General - a year without limiting a run, for a body - six years. It is expected that the station wagon will cost $ 500 more than a sedan in a similar configuration: from $ 14500 for a 75-horsepower SE to $ 17650 for a 100-horsepower SXE. Another $ 3930 will cost air conditioning, ABS and two airbags.
 

+ Excellent dynamic qualities, good coloring and body assembly, rich equipment, the short-term use of 91st gasoline is permissible.
- lack of airbags and ABS in standard configuration, small height of the opening of the fifth door, a spare wheel-docat, noisy engine and exhaust system, uncomfortable door handles.
 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
General data: number of places - 5; Equipped mass - 1075 kg; full weight - 1535 kg; maximum speed - 186 km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 10.9 s; fuel consumption in conditional suburban and city cycles - 6.1; 10.9 l/100 km; fuel supply - 45 liters; Fuel is unhealthy gasoline AI -95. Dimensions, mm: length - 4141; width - 1640; height - 1427 (1495 - with arcs); base - 2444; The track in front/back - 1429/1394; Road clearance - 130; trunk volume - 390/1250 l; The radius of rotation is 5.2 m. The engine: with distributed injection, four -cylinder in a row, located in front transversely; working volume - 1595 cm3; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 81.0x77.4 mm; compression degree - 10.3; Power - 74 kW/100 hp at 5800 rpm; The maximum torque is 140 N.M at 3500 rpm. Transmission: front wheel drive; gearbox - five -speed mechanical; Transporting numbers: I - 3.45; II - 1.94; III - 1.37; IV - 1.03; V - 0.85; Z.Kh. - 3.17; The main program is 3.94. Suspension: front - independent type of mcesson with a reptile stability stabilizer, collected on a subframe; The back is a semi -dependent, with an elastic transverse beam, longitudinal levers and spring racks. Brakes: hydraulic with a vacuum amplifier; Front - ventilated disk, rear - drum. Steering: rheck with a hydraulic wrap. Tire size: 185/60 R14.
 

Six Six
Immobilizer, remote alarm, central lock, a stop -signal repeater, two external mirrors with an electrical regulatory (left - panoramic), tinted glass, steering wheel, spine, front electric windows, cutting rear seat, adjustable driver's seat, driven seat, and driver's heights. Fighting headlights, a cleaner and heater of the rear window.
 

SUMMARY
You are not satisfied with the sedan, and the hatchback does not always fit everything that I would like? On the other hand, to park, and in general, traveling around the city in a big universal is a doubt pleasure. Then buy a short station wagon, like Cordova Vario. Just do not forget to order airbags and ABS. So, just in case ...
 
Yuri Nechetov.
Photo by Sergey Ivanov
 
 
 
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"