Something constantly breaks: the owner's review of the 5-door Niva 4x4 2131. Its disadvantages and problems
I’m not belittling its merits, but this car is not for me: something constantly breaks in it, cracks, makes noise, squeaks...
I only had Mercedes and BMW cars (not new), but I always had the feeling that something was missing and I wanted something more for primers, turns, forests... Therefore, I chose a car based on the fact that it would be possible to get there anywhere, and without sparing the technology itself. The cheapest option turned out to be Niva, so I bought it new, only the five-door 2131. The car is a year old, but I think that the 2022 Niva 2131 will be similar. And 2025...
I’m generally happy with the car, I knew what I was getting into, but the Niva 2131 has some disadvantages and problems, which I’ll tell you about in my owner review (I’m not saying, but I think that the long 5-door and 3-door have similar problems).
1. The stove is very noisy, it blows from under the entire panel, but the air does not reach the side windows. As such, a comfortable temperature regime simply does not exist. Although I realized later that comfort and Niva are incompatible things.
2. When accelerating, the coolant temperature arrow inevitably tends deeper into the red zone, but after running the car, the problem went away.
3. It is impossible to accurately determine the fuel level using the sensor - it shows everything except the exact amount of gasoline.
4. The transfer case constantly howls, and the fuel pump squeaks, a typical problem of the Niva 4x4, judging by the reviews of the owners of 2131 and 2121.
5. Including electrical consumers, the voltage drops noticeably.
6. The driver's door does not close well.
Gradually I realized that if you want to drive a Niva, you will have to get used to all this, and in general, the Niva is a completely new world. Something is always noisy here and refuses to work, and fixing the problems that arise and bringing the car to perfection is a completely thankless task: having gotten rid of the squeal of the transfer case, you are faced with noise in the bridge, etc. The main criterion is that if the car drives, then everything is fine with it. You should only pay attention to those faults that cause the car to stop moving. Another interesting point: each Niva is a unique specimen, just like a manual assembly, each has its own problems and shortcomings about which so many reviews have already been written. For example, in one car the transfer case vibrates and squeals, but in another it does not. This applies to all nodes.
It was a slight retreat. The car became the second one in the family and was used for trips into nature. In the first six months I covered about 5 thousand kilometers in the Moscow region. When the odometer showed 800 km and was in the Moscow region, the headlights went out and an error indicator appeared on the panel. This all happened during the day, I have no experience in repairs, I couldn’t find anything about this on the Internet, so I had to go back in search of a service, which was found a hundred kilometers later. Unfortunately, they couldn't help there either. The only option left was to take the car to the dealer and have the problem repaired under warranty. Fortunately, everything was done - the problem was with some wire, but the car caused a ruined vacation. How Niva 4x4 was able to survive until 2022 and still collect admiring reviews from owners with a bunch of minuses and problems and a couple of pluses is a question.
Replacement of the generator at 3 thousand mileage. At first they convinced me that the generator was working normally; apparently, in order for it to be considered faulty, no current should have been produced at all. By the way, I drew the service’s attention to the squealing of the fuel pump, but they said that if it works, then nothing needs to be done. The quality of spare parts is very low, and if you have to change them, it is better to use original ones, which are installed during assembly. Several times I have encountered the fact that even simple parts, such as reinforced rods, break after a few days. This does not apply to all spare parts, but to many.
As a result, I realized that servicing the Niva requires my own garage, repair skills and a lot of free time, which I did not have. There is only one plus - it’s not far from the dealer. It’s convenient to drive your car in the morning and pick it up after work.
I won’t write much about the positive aspects and advantages of the Niva 4x4 and the long 5-door 2131; the owners have already described them all in their reviews. First of all, excellent cross-country ability already in stock. In the city I don’t even pay attention to bumps and hatches, I stupidly drive straight. Of all the all-wheel drives, the Niva is the cheapest, and for peripherals it’s the best! In the event of a breakdown, it is not difficult to repair; any garage can do it for little money. But with my work and constant traffic jams in Moscow, it’s impossible to do this. In principle, the big one plus is cross-country ability, and then there are the disadvantages and problems without which Niva would not be Niva.
By the way, about rust. The other day a friend showed me a photo of rust on the welds of the front struts. His car is the same as mine, with the same mileage (just not a 5-door). I decided to see how things were going with this for me, and sadness came. Although immediately after purchase I treated it with anti-corrosion agent, as well as the struts, but it didn’t help much - the car is a year old and rust has already set in. I also noticed some rust on the chrome trim on the windows.
Rust is not a minus, it’s a mega drawback on the Niva 2131. I can imagine what will happen in 2022. But these are already problems for the new owner
In short, I decided to sell it; instead, I’d rather buy a Solaris on the machine for my wife. The result of my review from the owner of Niva 4x4 2131 is a good and cheap SUV, and even roomy in the 5-door long version (by the way, another plus besides cross-country ability), but not for me, rather for a certain circle of people who have free time and a desire to delve into the car .
Photo and test with editing: media.auto.ru/review/cars/vaz/2131_4x4/20370949/4040618
Suzuki Jimny
Suzuki Jimny is conceptually very close to the Niva and will not be too old in our budget.
Suzuki Jimny is conceptually very close to the Niva and will not be too old in our budget.
The closest foreign analogue of our Niva is the Suzuki Jimny. They have similar dimensions and similar engines. The “Japanese” has a 1.3 naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with a power of 85 horsepower. So the Jimny is also a slow mover on the highway.
Chevrolet Niva/Lada Niva Travel
Chevrolet Niva and Niva Travel are slightly more expensive than the classic Niva. But they have significant superiority only in terms of space in the back seat and trunk volume. Moreover, both are still not gigantic.
Chevrolet Niva and Niva Travel are slightly more expensive than the classic Niva. But they have significant superiority only in terms of space in the back seat and trunk volume. Moreover, both are still not gigantic.
