About 5-7 years ago, comparison of these budget-level cars was very popular, because they were in the same price group. At the same time, “Samara” was a time-tested car, and Granta was a newcomer who had just begun to roll off the assembly line, being a “dark horse”. Interest in the new product was also high because the VAZ 2114 could be purchased at almost any car dealership, but the Lada Granta had to wait, and wait a considerable amount of time.
But since the “Four”, as the 14th model was lovingly nicknamed, was discontinued in 2013, interest in it shifted to the secondary market. But it hasn’t died out, so today we will try to compare these two products of the domestic automobile industry, despite the skepticism of many readers.
Technical features of the models
The Samara is a typical hatchback, while the prevailing body type of the Granta is a sedan. So we are deliberately comparing these two bodies, although Grants also have hatches. The models do not have the same engines, so we took cars with approximately the same engines.
| Characteristics | 2114 Samara | Granta |
| Power unit volume, l. | 1,599 | 1,596 |
| Power, l. With. | 89 | 87 |
| Max cr. torque, Nm at rpm | 131/3700 | 140/3800 |
| Luggage compartment volume, l. | 427 | 520 |
| Weight in running order, i.e. | 0,985 | 1,16 |
| Length, cm | 412 | 427 |
| Height, cm. | 140 | 150 |
| Wheelbase, see | 246 | 248 |
| Clearance, see | 16,5 | 18,0 |
| Tire size | 175/70R13 | 175/65R14 |
Exterior
Although the Lada 2014 is a direct and immediate descendant of the Nine, when viewed from the front, it is quite difficult even for a specialist to find something in common. What is not surprising is that it is the front that has undergone the greatest changes. The main visual difference is the bumper in body color. This combination on the classic “nine” was considered a model of tuning. Of course, the radiator grille, head optics unit, fenders and hood have radically changed their appearance - the latter have become more streamlined.
But the designers decided not to bother with the stern - it remained practically unchanged, even the lights remained the same shape. Among the changes, we can mention the appearance of a spoiler and, again, painting the bumper in body color.
Of course, even by the standards of that time, such a design could hardly be called modern. Especially today. But when you buy a budget car, the issue of appearance usually fades into the background.
The Lada Granda looks like a princess compared to its opponent, but we understand the relativity of such a comparison. In fact, after the last restyling, the car really became more modern and fresh. Among the main innovations, it is worth noting the chrome inserts along the edges of the false radiator and air intake grilles, which extend far onto the wings and form halves of the letter X.
The new head optics unit has shifted significantly to the sides, which also required changes to the shape of the wings and hood. Turn signals were installed in the rear-view mirrors, as required by the standards of current automotive fashion. Factory wheels look very fresh and interesting.
There are also changes at the rear: the trunk lid received a protrusion that strongly resembles a spoiler, a large LADA inscription appeared, and a plastic insert appeared at the bottom of the bumper. Now you can no longer open the trunk with a key due to the absence of a cylinder - this can be done either through an electromechanical drive from the passenger compartment, or with a key fob.
We consider the question of which is better, the appearance of the VAZ 2114 or the Lada Granta, to be incorrect. For some it does not matter, for others there is nothing to compare, and so everything is clear.
Safety
Safety has become practically the main task of the automotive industry in Russia relatively recently, needless to say that the VAZ 2114 was designed in the USSR, where such a car as the Oka was produced, that is, they practically did not think about safety, read as at all.
These are not only airbags and good seat belts, the very molding of the body of the Lada Granta is designed to contain an impact, watch the crash tests of both cars and see for yourself. Good rear-view mirrors, ABS and acceptable front light - this is again about the grant.
Salon and trunk
Another thing is the interior, where beauty is also not the main thing, but convenience and comfort take first place.
In this regard, the differences are also significant. But not everything is so bad for the VAZ 2114 - for example, an adjustable steering column with a very convenient location of the steering wheel, which absolutely does not interfere with the view of the instrument panel.
If the designers had thought to diversify the interior with wood-look inserts, it would have looked quite good. It's nice to have electric windows, even if only the front ones - for budget cars and this is a luxury. The standard heater is completely new; this was not the case on any predecessor.
Salon VAZ 2114
The car began to look a little more stylish after adding door sill trims, but in this case the solution turned out to be a double-edged sword - this is where the paint peels off first. The dashboard of the “four” has become more rigid, thanks to which it was possible to get rid of a significant part of the noise and squeaks in the cabin.
The backrest of the rear bench folds down to form a single cargo area, like a typical station wagon.
Compared to Samara, Granta's interior looks much more modern. The center console acquired complete features, the instrumentation was made similar to West's - the digital scales received an orange border, and the digitization itself acquired a radial orientation. An X-shaped edging also appeared on the deflectors.
Salon Lada Granta
The driver's seat has become even more comfortable thanks to increased lateral support; in top-end configurations it is possible to adjust it in height. Vesta’s interior is much more spacious than its competitor’s, and the trunk volume is one of the largest for budget-class cars.
Salon
What a car looks like from the outside does not always bother the average car user; comfort inside is much more important. Here, too, the Lada Granta is clearly ahead. Modern materials, non-creaky plastic, comfortable seats - all this is about the grant. The interior design of the VAZ 2114 itself is as angular as the outer part of the car, huge buttons and circular stove control levers look very depressing and poor these days.
Although the Samara also has some advantages in terms of functionality, for example, it has engine and outside air temperature sensors on the instrument panel, the grant decided to save money on this. The low seating position of the seat itself in the 14 may also appeal to many people.
Engines and transmissions
If the body of the Lada 2114 was practically not modernized throughout the entire period of production of the car, then the line of engines evolved quite intensively. At first, a 77-horsepower injection engine from a VAZ 2111 with a volume of 1.55 liters was installed on the hatchback, which had good efficiency, but was rather weak. Strictly speaking, it was a copy of a VAZ carburetor engine equipped with an injection system. Soon it was replaced with a more powerful 1.6-liter analogue, developing 5 more “horses”. Its main feature was compliance with Euro 3 standards (due to the presence of a catalytic converter).
A year later, this engine also became history, and it was replaced by an 89-horsepower sixteen-valve engine. The latest modification of the “four” was equipped with a Priora 98-horsepower engine, so powerful that they began to install it on classics.
Of course, the gearbox was only mechanical - no robots, much less automatic machines, were dreamed of on such cars - this was the prerogative of much higher-class cars.
But then Granta came and the situation changed. Here we can already talk about a full line of engines.
The base engine is a 1.6-liter 87-horsepower eight-valve engine, which is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
It is complemented by a sixteen-valve analogue, developing 98 horsepower, which is paired with a four-speed Japanese Jatco automatic transmission.
The top-of-the-range Granta power unit is considered to be a 106-speed 1.6-liter engine, which is installed in cars with a manual or robotic gearbox. The latter, by the way, performed very well, which was facilitated by a change in the gear ratio of the main gearbox to 3.9:1 - acceleration to hundreds became a little faster, and gear shifts became clearer. AMT now has a “creeping” mode, which comes in very handy when driving in city traffic jams. A “Start” button has appeared, allowing you to switch much faster.
In general, a comparison of the engines of the VAZ 2114 and Grant allows us to determine a clear winner - the Lada Granta is ahead by a large margin.
Dynamics, fuel consumption
We talked about the evolution of the 2114 Samara engines, but it would be interesting to trace changes in fuel consumption and acceleration dynamics (the car was only fueled with AI-95):
- 1.6 l. — 98 l. With. – 7.2 l/100 km/11.2 seconds;
- 1.6 l., 89 l. With. – 7.4 l/100 km/11.2 sec;
- 1.6 l., 82 l. With. – 7.6 l/100 km/13.0 sec;
- 1.6 l., 81 l. With. – 7.8 l/100 km/13.0 sec;
- 5 l., 77 l. With. – 7.3 l/100 km/13.2 sec,
Here are the Grants' indicators for comparison:
| MT/106 hp | AMT/106 | Manual transmission/87 | AT/98 | |
| Acceleration, sec. | 10,9 | 12,3 | 12,2 | 13,3 |
| Max speed, km/h | 183 | 180 | 167 | 173 |
| Consumption (city/highway/average), l. per 100 km. | 8,6/5,6/6,7 | 9,0/5,2/6,6 | 9,0/5,8/7,0 | 9,9/6,1/7,6 |
Controllability and safety
The VAZ 2114 holds the road surprisingly well. Even when entering a sharp turn, the car does not leave the trajectory, unlike the same “ten”, and generally behaves more or less adequately.
When driving at high speeds, the behavior of the car is easily predictable; the moderately stiff suspension allows you to absorb any unevenness in the road surface. Considering that Porsche specialists once had a hand in refining the Samara’s chassis, it is not surprising that the hatchback easily overcomes roads on which foreign cars are strictly not recommended to drive.
Of course, the price to pay for excessive rigidity is the car’s noise, but if desired, this disadvantage can be reduced by installing a high-quality “noise.”
VAZ 2114
Granta's suspension was initially designed to be energy-intensive, since the developers had a good idea of what the car would have to face. The Kalina platform was taken as a basis, which was improved taking into account the other dimensions and weight of the car. It turned out well - the car behaves confidently both on asphalt and on primer, swallowing any defects. It copes with speed bumps in the same way, but when the wheel falls into a large hole, the rebound struts can manifest themselves with a characteristic knock.
Car Lada Granta
There is another significant drawback of the Granta - we are talking about the absence of power steering in the “Standard” configuration - it is difficult to drive the car at low speeds, especially if the driver represents the fair half of humanity. But already in the “Norma” modification, an electric amplifier appears, which completely solves the above problem.
In general, the steering of the Granta is noticeably better compared to the Samara. But if you like to drive at high speeds, don’t forget about four full turns of the steering wheel. This is a lot for active high-speed maneuvering. But the negative camber of the rear wheels of the Grant, on the contrary, will add confidence to you, increasing the stability of the car when cornering. Of course, the service life of the tires is reduced, which is the price to pay for driving safety.
Design
The external design of the VAZ 2114 is infinitely outdated; angular body shapes have not been used in the foreign automotive industry since the 90s, although this greatly reduces the cost of production. Against its background, the Lada Granta looks like a much more recent, modern car, although the design itself does not shine with originality and beauty, it will definitely not be looked back at, which can sometimes be a huge plus.
But let’s not forget about repairs; body repairs on a VAZ 2114 will cost much less due to the simplicity of the shapes and lines; craftsmen will not have to create the complex rounded shapes inherent in modern cars and the Lada Granta, in particular.
Options and prices
Regarding the VAZ 2114, the choice is frankly small - all cars of the Samara family were offered only in two possible equipment options: Standard and Luxury.
The cost of a VAZ 2114 in the minimum configuration started at 297 thousand rubles, Samara Lux cost 300 thousand. Since it is now almost impossible to find unsold copies of the Four, these prices can be safely reduced by one and a half to two times, so that you can forget about being in the same price category in the past - especially since inflation makes a significant contribution to the rise in price of cars, regardless of their category.
Now let’s list the Grants’ configurations, indicating the cost and approximate equipment:
- Standard, 440 thousand rubles, includes a driver's airbag, 14-inch steel wheels, Isofix type mount, audio preparation, ERA-GLONASS system;
- Classic, 476 thousand, added electric power steering, front electric windows, tilt steering wheel, BC with an indicator signaling the right moment to change gears, central locking;
- Comfort, 521 thousand rubles, added car radio, second airbag;
- heated front seats, electric exterior mirrors with integrated turn signals;
- Luxe, 560 thousand, added foglights, alloy wheels, full power accessories, climate control, alarm, immobilizer, remote central locking, heated windshield, folding back of the sofa in a 6/4 ratio, height adjustment of the driver's seat.
Options
Lada Granta has such modern, pleasant options as:
- Air conditioner.
- Daylight.
- Spacious trunk.
- Electric power steering.
- Anti-lock braking system with emergency brake assist.
- Automatic transmission.
- Immobilizer.
- Electronic brake force distribution system.
- Height-adjustable steering column.
- Cabin air filter.
- Light window tinting.
The options of the VAZ 2114 pale in comparison and do not seem like something useful, because what difference does it make - what is the temperature if there is a stove and air conditioning.
Of course, everyone chooses their own, Lada Granta or VAZ 2114, but in all respects the Granta is a much more correct choice these days.
What to choose: VAZ 2114 or Grant
In fact, the question only depends on your budget: if you have enough money to purchase a Granta in a minimal configuration, the choice is clear. And the point is not only that in almost all indicators Grant is ahead, and significantly so - in any case, you are buying a new car. This means that in the coming years you won’t have to think about where to get money for unscheduled repairs.
In the case of a used Lada Samara, this option is most likely. But if the main thing for you is that the car just drives, then the VAZ 2114 will be a good alternative to its competitor - in terms of efficiency it is quite a bit inferior, and in terms of maintainability it is a cut above, and the cost of spare parts is about two or three times lower.
Reliability
In terms of reliability, these cars are approximately equal. The cost of spare parts will also not be much higher or lower for either model. But you can buy a grant from a newer year, with less mileage, the wear and tear on such a car will be much less, therefore, it will last longer without breakdowns.
But if it does come to repairs, our craftsmen at service stations and garages will disassemble and reassemble the VAZ 2114 with their eyes closed, and the cost of maintenance will probably be less.
