Lada: reviews and tests Lada Granta June 04, 2014
In 2011, AvtoVAZ presented the world with its next brainchild - the Lada Granta sedan. His appearance was accompanied by many hopes and expectations. In the end, some things worked out and some didn’t.
The most important disappointment was the price of the new car. Long before the start of sales, the manufacturer assured that the car in the maximum configuration, with full power accessories, air conditioning and automatic transmission, would be available at a price of 220 thousand rubles. In reality, however, it turned out completely differently...
However, the article will not be about why suddenly the price tag for the “most budget” car of the VAZ family is the two-year budget of the average Russian (provided that he is powered by the Holy Spirit), for whom the new product was aimed.
Finally, three years after the first production Granta rolled off the production line, the collection of AvtoVAZ models was replenished with a Granta in a liftback body. This car was supposed to go on sale in the fall of 2013, but for various reasons this event was repeatedly postponed.
Lada Granta liftback: outside and inside
The five-door liftback is based on the platform on which the sedan is built, so there is a lot in common between these cars. The main difference lies in appearance.
While the sedan looks frankly cheap and uninteresting, the appearance of the liftback has noticeably changed, becoming more harmonious and dynamic. The bumpers have changed, they have inserts made of black unpainted plastic, and at the bottom of the rear bumper, exactly in the center, there is also a red fog lamp.
In general, the rear part of the liftback body is the main distinguishing feature of the new car. And the point is not only, and maybe not so much, in the presence of a fifth door, but in its design. It is designed according to all the rules of the modern automotive industry: the license plate is logically placed, and quite attractive optics are installed.
Perhaps this will attract many buyers who, previously, frightened by the sight of a trunk lid with meaningless and pretentious stampings, shaped like the rear block lights, have forgotten why they came to the car dealership. In addition, the liftback received new side mirrors, and in the maximum version, 14-inch alloy wheels of a new design.
If we talk about the characteristics of the Granta in the liftback body, then it is only 13 mm shorter than the sedan (4247 mm), the height, width and wheelbase have not changed - 1700, 1500 and 2476 mm, respectively. The weight of the equipped car in the basic version is 1150 kg.
You won’t be able to find any significant changes in the interior of the new Granta compared to the sedan. The decoration is still simple, without pretensions to sophistication, the materials used are cheap.
The rear door panels were slightly changed and improved, the gear lever was modified, and in the maximum configuration, the air intakes on the front panel and door handles are decorated with silver edging.
The seats, despite the fact that they are stitched in a new way, have been completely transferred to the liftback from the sedan, so the seating comfort of the driver and passengers has remained at the same level. Sitting in the driver's seat is quite comfortable; all controls can be reached without much difficulty if desired, although the ergonomics are clearly not up to par with foreign competitors.
Among the incomprehensible decisions of the designers, it should be noted that there is no coolant temperature sensor, as in the sedan. In other words, the driver will only know that the engine is overheating when steam starts pouring out from under the hood. However, it is possible that the engineers carefully calculated all possible operating conditions of the motor and are absolutely sure that this will not happen.
It is worth noting that the interior of the car has not become any more cramped; there is as much space in the front and rear as in a sedan. True, the trunk capacity has decreased significantly - from 520 liters to 440. If you fold the rear sofa, the luggage compartment volume will increase to a maximum of 760 liters. The refrigerator, of course, will not fit, but to take the plasma panel home from the store, this is quite enough.
Car appearance
Currently, there are quite a few photos on the Internet (Fig. 1) that depict Grant’s hatchback car. When you first look at the photo, you understand that the designers and constructors did a pretty good job. All lines and shapes have an aesthetic and slightly aggressive appearance. Due to this, it seems that the Lada Granta 2014 car has sporting roots. Of course, many may dispute this kind of conclusion, but this is true.
The automaker's engineers did not install an overly powerful power unit, but more on that a little later. Now we are talking about appearance. On the front of the model you can find a split radiator grille, which is very interesting. This solution increases cooling capacity and prevents engine overheating. In the photo you can see an unusual partition made using high-quality materials. It plays an important role: the car manufacturer’s emblem is installed on the partition.
As for the head optics, the engineers decided to use LED technology. Due to this, not only the range of action increases, but also the quality of the glow. This allows the driver to see the road not only at night, but also during a snowstorm. The headlights of the Lada Granta hatchback are small in size and flattened in shape. This creates a sporty look. At the bottom of the bumper there are round fog lights made using LED technology.
They allow you to move safely even during morning fog and snowfall. There are rear view mirrors on the side of the car. The photo clearly shows that they are small in size and slightly elongated in shape. Due to this, the driver will be able to monitor the situation that is happening in the rear of the car. Ordinary plastic was used as the main material.
The wheels are made using cast alloy. They are small in size, ranging from 14 inches. This is enough to get good dynamic characteristics. A small feature of the Lada Granta hatchback is its rather large dimensions.
From the photo (Fig. 2) of the rear of the car you can see a rather interesting design decision. The headlights are small in size and use conventional technology, which allows for a medium range of action. Some fusion of the brake and reverse lights was used here as well. It is very convenient and practical.
Many drivers may encounter a small problem. The designers did not provide a special protrusion for opening the luggage compartment. The lower part of the bumper is slightly raised. This allows you to increase ground clearance and help the driver overcome various kinds of obstacles and speed bumps. The 2014 hatchback has the automaker's emblem, which is installed on the top of the tailgate. That's all for the appearance of the car. Now we can move on to the technical potential.
Specifications
Three power units are available for the VAZ liftback, all with a volume of 1.6 liters. The base engine is eight-valve, the maximum it is capable of is producing 87 hp. at a crankshaft speed of 5100 rpm. Its maximum torque is 140 Nm at 3800 rpm.
The next available engine differs from the first only in the gas distribution mechanism - it is 16-valve. Thanks to this improvement, the engine output increased to 98 hp. at 5600 rpm, and torque increased to 145 Nm at 4000 rpm.
The role of flagship was given to a new 106-horsepower 16-valve engine with a maximum torque of 148 Nm at 4000 rpm.
As usual, AvtoVAZ went its own way and instead of offering the buyer different engines, differing not only in power and torque (and to a large extent), but also in volume, the engineers offered essentially one power unit of varying degrees of boost. And everything would be fine, but the characteristics of the two older engines are too close, so it is unlikely that any noticeable difference between them will be noticeable.
All three engines meet the requirements of the Euro-4 environmental standard. The manufacturer strongly recommends refueling the car with gasoline of a grade not lower than AI-95.
Transmissions for the liftback are the same as for the sedan - a five-speed manual and a four-speed Jatco automatic. Moreover, cars with 87- and 106-horsepower engines are equipped with a manual transmission, and an automatic transmission is only available in tandem with a 98-horsepower engine.
As for the dynamic characteristics of the Grant, they can hardly be called impressive. All three engine-gearbox combinations allow you to move from point A to point B, but, alas, you won’t be able to get the pleasure of dynamic acceleration. From zero to 100 km/h the car accelerates in 11 seconds with a 106-horsepower engine, an 87-horsepower engine takes 12.5 seconds, and the Grant with an automatic transmission spends the most time on acceleration, almost 14 seconds.
Since the sedan and liftback have a common platform, the chassis is the same. The suspension of the new product has only slightly changed some settings. Its design has long been familiar to VAZ cars - MacPherson strut in front, semi-independent torsion beam in the rear.
The car holds the road quite well, although when cornering at high speeds it tends to skid. It should also be noted that the rolliness is inherent in almost all cars with a small wheelbase and a fairly high ground clearance. The brakes are also nothing new - ventilated discs on the front wheels and archaic drums on the rear.
Characteristics of Lada Granta 2014-2015.
Dynamic characteristics also practically do not distinguish the car from the VAZ family. The car's acceleration time from zero to 100 km/h varies depending on engine power from 14 to 11 seconds. The suspension also has not undergone virtually any significant changes : the front is still the same MacPherson strut and a semi-independent torsion beam at the rear.
The braking system was also inherited entirely from the “ten” family: discs in the front and, alas, the same drums in the rear. However, it was hardly worth expecting any engineering miracles for a budget car designed for leisurely driving on city roads and country roads.
Prices and options
The Lada Granta in the liftback body is offered in three trim levels, the names of which have long been familiar to everyone: “Standard”, “Norma” and “Lux”.
The cheapest car in the “Standard” configuration will cost 314 thousand rubles. For this money, the buyer will receive the weakest engine paired with a manual transmission. Among the additional equipment, the car has audio preparation and a driver's airbag.
The “Norma” package also includes an ABS system combined with an emergency braking assistance system, electric power steering, an on-board computer, an antenna, rear seat headrests, heat-absorbing glass and black door pillar trims. For this you will have to pay 346 thousand rubles. If, in addition, the buyer wants a 106-horsepower power unit, the price will rise to 367 thousand.
The price tag for “Lux” starts from 419 thousand rubles. For this amount, the car will be equipped with a 106-horsepower engine and a manual transmission. The list of additional equipment will be supplemented by such options as a front passenger airbag, air conditioning, fog lights, electrically adjustable and heated mirrors, heated front seats, rear electric windows, a CD player, an alarm system and 15-inch alloy wheels.
The most expensive version of the Grant is equipped with a 98-horsepower engine and automatic transmission. Among other things, it is equipped with a directional stabilization system, rear parking sensors, as well as rain and light sensors. Such a car will cost a little less than half a million - 477,500 rubles.
Lada Granta competitors: Lifan Smily, Chery Very, FAW V2, Lada Kalina 2, ZAZ Chance
Reviews
Reviews and tests
Salon at Granta Liftback.
As for the interior decoration, there are no noticeable major changes - all the same “French” shapes of the blowers, simplicity of finishing and cheap materials, all with the same familiar plastics and the same familiar smell. However, Lada Granta is, first of all, a budget car of the middle class .
In the maximum configuration, silver plastic inserts are installed on the door handles, blowers and front console, designed to somehow dilute the boring and monotonous appearance of the front console.
The seats were taken from the sedan practically without any changes. Although they are quite comfortable, they cannot be called ultra-modern in terms of the number of adjustments and ergonomics.
And on the dashboard there is also no coolant temperature indicator, which in turn raises not only questions, but even complaints to the developers. It turns out that the driver will be able to find out about the engine overheating only when the red light comes on or when steam starts pouring out from under the hood.
The interior dimensions also remained unchanged. Only the volume of the luggage compartment has decreased. Now it is only 440 hp.
Although, with the rear seats folded down, the volume of cargo space will already be 760 liters. This is quite enough for transporting small luggage.
