Which is better Kalina or Chevrolet Niva – Property protection

Niva and Lada Kalina are cars of a completely different class. If the Niva is a small-class SUV equipped with all-wheel drive, then the Lada Kalina is a representative of the second group of passenger cars with front-wheel drive. The Niva is more suitable for people who often go off-road, since on asphalt the car is inferior in dynamics to passenger cars. For everyday use in the city, it is better to buy the Lada Kalina model.

New Niva: car characteristics

“Niva” is a car with a long history, which began in 1977. This SUV body style was expected to cease production in 2006, but the car continued to be in demand and celebrated its 35th anniversary on the assembly line. In 2009, the model received a modernized design and began to be produced under the name 4x4.

An even newer version of the Niva is being released with the Urban prefix. The car differs from previous models in the appearance of plastic bumpers, an original radiator grille and alloy wheels in the design. In the “urban” version, not only the appearance has changed, but also modern options have been added, including air conditioning. Indeed, the new Niva is practically no different from the old VAZ 2121.

Although the appearance of the Niva has changed, the interior of the car remains the same. In the new interior, only a compact and comfortable steering wheel, a lid with cup holders on the central tunnel and soft seats are visible. Even in terms of driving performance, the new product has changed little.

If you notice driving defects on a flat road and hear a sound from the transfer case, when driving off-road all negative sensations disappear. The Niva confidently takes turns and demonstrates excellent handling. The car's suspension allows you to overcome bumps and shocks without much effort, even without the need to brake.

On asphalt, the Niva loses its dynamics and becomes a normal, average car. If we consider the new model, there are few differences from the good old Niva. As before, there is not enough room for five passengers in the cabin, the small trunk remains unchanged, the interior and exterior are virtually unchanged, as is the ride quality.

Lada Kalina, which received less than flattering reviews from its owners, has changed and went on sale in an updated form and with new technical equipment. Lada Kalina 2 is practically a foreign car that has much in common with the Grant model. Externally, the new product looks better than the old version. The control system in the car has improved thanks to the advent of electric power steering. Kalina 2 handles bumps more easily thanks to stiffer front shock absorbers and a redesigned suspension.

The interior uses hard plastics, but it feels solid and durable. The creaking characteristic of the old Kalina disappeared when driving. The car goes through deep holes without causing any discomfort to passengers. Small bumps will be felt more, but using soft tires will help eliminate body tremors.

Lada Kalina 2 received a new gearbox, which has become clearer and more convenient to drive. The cars are equipped with 1.6-liter engines with eight and sixteen valves, which produce 87 and 106 horsepower, respectively. Engine noise is no longer audible in the cabin thanks to effective sound insulation and flooring specially designed for Lada Kalina. The car is sold with a full range of additional options.

Each of these machines has its own undeniable advantages and disadvantages. In this regard, it is impossible to say unequivocally that one of the above machines is better, unfortunately.

Sale of Niva

We ourselves had absolutely no idea how much we could sell our car for, considering that it is 18 years old, there are all sorts of irregularities in the body and, here and there it barely works, here and there)))

At most, we thought that it could be handed over under the recycling program in order to be added to the purchase of some other car. Those. In terms of cost, we estimated it to be quite inexpensive.

Yura found advantages for our car: the only owners, no rust on the body, in its original paint, and without any serious breakdowns: the car drove and drove, and very cheerfully!

Having completely trusted him, we gave him the keys and began to wait) We didn’t have to wait long, after washing it, putting it in order and eliminating minor faults, after the photo shoot the car was put up for sale, much more expensive than we expected, and buyers were found on the same day!

From Niva to Lada Kalina Cross. Pros and cons, comparison.

Wonderful ordinary people, the whole family came to see the car, they just wanted a cheap Niva to drive to their dacha. We sold them our swallow)

The car is sold, money is burning in my pocket :))

Which is better Lada Kalina or Renault Sandero

Most buyers, when purchasing a vehicle, opt for 2-3 alternative options that have approximately the same parameters. For fans of the latest modifications of Renault Sandero, you should compare its performance with the data of the domestic Lada, as well as its upgraded variation (basic version and Cross). Despite the fact that the cars of the Renault automaker are presented in a hatchback version, it is more rational to make a comparison for the layout of the Kalina station wagon, which is more similar in size. It’s hardly possible to compare these cars, but it’s worth a try to figure out which is better.

Interior

If we compare the internal contents of all the cars in question, it indicates that the Renault interior has remained virtually unchanged since the start of production. An identical horn on a lever under the steering wheel and not very ergonomic switches for the power windows located on the instrument console.

At the same time, it has become more comfortable to be in the cabin due to an increase in its width. But the 320-liter trunk is inferior to the first version of the Lada Kalina by 35 units, the second by 41 liters.

An addition was the improvement of the interior of AvtoVAZ representatives, which occurred recently - the car received a new “multimedia” and a split-system interior. That is, with the conservatism of Renault Sandero in this aspect, the Lada Kalina has been modernized. But when comparing luxury layouts, preference is given to a French car - however, the costs become more distinguishable: 100,000–150,000 rubles in favor of Kalina 2 and 70,000–120,000 rubles for Cross. Again, it's hard to know which is better.

Description, parameters, qualities

Let's look at what the tested cars are like. What advantages and disadvantages do they have? How they behave in different situations and on different tracks.

Specifications

Off-road properties

Both cars belong to the SUV class. Let's try to figure out how true this is. To do this, we will highlight several qualities that every “everywhere” must have.

The first is the presence of all-wheel drive, the participation of all four wheels in working with the track. And here there is a correspondence between both. The center differential is locked. There is a range multiplier, whether it is a Lada Niva or a Chevrolet Niva.

The second is high ground clearance, the distance between the road and the bottom of the car. Well, the ground clearance of the tested cars is at least 200 mm for each – it coincides with the requirement. The Lada has 28 mm more than the Chevy, and this is a plus.

The third is the geometric cross-country ability or the ramp angle; the smaller it is, the harder the roads can be conquered. This value depends on the length of the body - the shorter the better. Therefore, the VAZ-2131, popularly known as the “long” Niva, with its 4.24 m, is not at its best here. Chevrolet is 34 cm shorter than its opponent, and accordingly, the required cross-country ability is much higher.

If the road has asphalt

The smooth ride on a flat road is better for the Niva-2131 than for the Chevrolet. Here the length of the car can be appreciated. We won’t feel any jumps or bouncing when driving like this. It feels like sailing through a quiet harbor.

But in the urban cycle, with a turning radius of almost six and a half meters, the “long” Niva gives in to the Chevrolet. Here the length is no longer at hand. When it comes to maneuvering around corners, you'll never regret spending the extra money on power steering. At 2131 you have to pay extra for it. And the basic equipment of the Niva-2123 already includes power steering.

What is there, what is missing

The lack of power is undeniably felt in both cars. Cars with such mass would do well to increase the engine capacity.

The thirty-first has worse visibility of the exterior mirrors, much higher fuel consumption, and a poorer interior than the Chevy. The trunk, on the contrary, is more spacious.

Real driver reviews

On Internet forums, drivers leave reviews about the two main iron competitors. Only in a dispute is the truth born, Lada Kalina and the Lada Cross model are again fighting for primacy, which is better is up to you to decide. Here's how car enthusiasts mention the crossover:

1. The orange notes of the Cross are annoying; this color does not refresh the interior, but “cheapens” it.
2. Good engine power, excellent M gearing on bumpy roads.
3. Comfortable seats. And the lack of lumbar support can be corrected by ordering anatomical covers.
4. It overtakes other cars on the highway terribly. The best thing for avid racers is that the car will teach you how to drive while following the rules of the road.
5. I'm pleased with the climate control, although we had to worry about setting the optimal temperature, everything comes with experience.
6. I was unpleasantly surprised by the lack of foglights - there are very few of them in a snowstorm.
7. I don’t share the enthusiasm associated with the suspension – nothing good. The struts located in the front part squeal on uneven roads.
8. The windshield is extremely thin, a couple of stones flying from under the wheels - and a crack is right there.
9. I've driven 7,000 km, no breakdowns so far, I'm happy.

Drivers' reviews of the Lada Kalina:

1. Gasoline consumption is very economical - only 6.5 liters within the city, on the highway it is enough to fill up with 5 liters.
2. Even if it breaks, it’s easy to fix - there are plenty of spare parts, you don’t have to wait weeks for the ordered part to arrive.
3. I used to drive a Lanos, but the Lada Kalina is warmer and heats up faster in winter.
4. The suspension handles the road surface too noisily.
5. The car may seem small from the outside, but there's plenty of space inside. The electric power steering requires improvement; the plastic in the interior smacks of cheapness and poor quality, and is unreliable.
6. Maneuverable car. But the front windows are very poorly ventilated. There is not enough power for 4th gear and when the car is loaded, it barely crawls. Sometimes it seemed that you could get to your final destination in the same way by screwing the wheels to an ordinary bathtub.
7. 50,000 km went without a hitch, and after that it went on and on, creaks, grunts. Although I think that this is normal mileage for this class of car.

Possible defects and damage

After painting, various defects may remain on the surface. They are divided into the following types:

• shagreen - indentations that resemble specially treated leather;
• drips - wavy thickenings formed as a result of paint running off;
• wrinkling - frequent folds;
• risks - scratches from abrasive;
• inclusions - foreign particles in the paint;
• multi-hue - different shades of paint;
• pores are pinpoint depressions.

It is almost impossible to keep a car's paintwork in perfect condition for a long time. Various factors can disrupt its integrity. It is difficult to find a car older than two years without damage to the paintwork.

The following factors can affect the paint layer:

• environmental influences (rain, hail, sun, sudden temperature changes, birds, etc.);
• chemicals (road reagents, caustic liquids);
• mechanical damage (scratches, stone impacts, chips, consequences of an accident).

Also interesting: Design of the injection engine Niva 2121, Niva 2131

Damage to paintwork

The driver must follow the rules for caring for paintwork. Even wiping with a dry and hard cloth leaves small scratches on the body. Aggressive and frequent washing also does not go unnoticed.

Cons of the car

Flaws:

• A small amount of space in the front seat (you can move out without harming distant passengers).
• Slow acceleration.
• Overtake large vehicles with caution.
• Low engine power.
• A thin layer of paintwork reduces the vehicle's resistance to the environment.
• Poor body corrosion resistance . It often begins to rot after the first year of use. The reason is the low quality of the metal, treatment with cheap anti-corrosion agents.
• Vibration from transfer case. For some car owners, the problem begins very quickly. A temporary solution to the problem is a major overhaul of the mechanism.
• Problems with the cooling system , consisting of antifreeze leaks. It is important to constantly monitor the coolant level. Regularly eliminating leaks is the key to long-lasting car operation.
• The use of low quality oil seals leads to oil leakage from the engine, gearbox and other elements. Constant monitoring and prompt elimination of defects is important.
• The need to spill all technological holes with oil . It is also important to change the oil in the gearbox and axles to a semi-synthetic type.
• Clutch replacement usually occurs every 40-45 thousand kilometers .
• At high speeds, the cabin is noisy.
• After driving in the rain, a breakdown often occurs - lack of spark.
• Problems with carburetor settings , despite the presence of an injector. In addition, malfunctions in the operation of the fuel system and fuel lines are common.
• Some owners note shortcomings in the lighting system. The solution to the problem is to install additional lighting.
• Not exactly an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
• Outdated design.
• Under heavy loads the drive can break . You should not drive over large ravines at high speed.
• Small steering angle of the front wheels.
• For every 50 thousand kilometers, you have to change the shock absorber struts , as well as ball joints. In general, it is necessary to sort out almost the entire suspension.
• Unreliable electrics (instrument panel).
• Howling in the gearbox . The reason is the designers' miscalculations when developing the car.
• Low stove performance (especially noticeable in the winter months).
• The hub bearings are of low quality, some of them have to be replaced after a mileage of 10 thousand kilometers .
• The driveshaft crosspiece is not designed for high loads. It can easily fail, and this will entail expensive repairs.

Dimensions

When comparing which of the vehicles is larger, a representative of the Russian automobile industry or a Western analogue (assembled in Moscow) Renault Sandero, it should be noted that:

• in terms of width, and therefore capacity, Renault looks like a priority (1750 mm versus 1700 mm for two VAZ models);
• in terms of longitudinal dimensions, LADA is the leader (4.04 m for Kalina of the first version, 4.084 m for the second version and Cross version, 4.020 m for Renault);
• the Renault is more promising in height (1534 mm versus 1500 mm for the Lada Kalina and 1510 mm for the Cross). The comparison here is obvious.

In terms of ground clearance, comparisons must be made taking into account the different configurations of the Lada Kalina, based on the type of transmission installed: for an automatic, the ground clearance is within 14.5 cm, for a manual – 18.5 and 21 cm, respectively, for the Cross version and station wagon. Sandero has 15.5 cm for any version, including the Stepway version.

Our readers recommend Renault Duster 2022 in a new body

Characteristics of gearboxes

Both cars have identical transmissions.
Both models have an AMT-type robotic gearbox and a pair of five-speed manual ones. The only difference here is that Vesta can be equipped with either a domestic or French transmission. X-Ray only has French ones. In general, the gearboxes operate smoothly, without gear slippage or unpleasant noise. What’s typical is that you won’t find a classic automated gearbox on any model. In order to save money, a robotic gearbox was installed, which affects the ride - more jolts and jerks, a delayed reaction to reverse gear. However, you can get used to it.

What to buy?

• New Niva: in the 18 years since we bought it and until today, nothing has even really changed in Niva! The same poor interior, outdated engine - it was a waste in our case.
• Chevrolet Niva: yes, there is much more comfort in the cabin, it drives better on the highway and the cross-country ability is maintained... but my dad was still confused by the engine and that the gas consumption would be the same as in a regular Niva, and for a pensioner the cost of gasoline is quite significant. We went for a test drive of the Chevrolet at Dove Auto. What was surprising was that during the test drive they didn’t even let you drive off the asphalt! Okay, we already knew all the off-road features of this car, but those who are buying their first Niva? How can we not show all her charms? In general, the small circle on the asphalt around the cabin did not impress us at all and maybe this also put us off buying a Chevrolet.
• Duster: Dad really liked the Duster and wanted one, but the price was a little out of our budget. We definitely didn’t want to buy a new one, and the price of used Dusters now is not much different from new ones.

In general, at first we hardly saw any options or alternatives for ourselves.

And then Yura drew our attention to the viburnum cross.

He managed to borrow such a car from friends and give us a full test drive! It turned out that the car, firstly, is very comfortable: a comfortable interior, climate control, electric windows - you can only dream of all this in a field) and secondly, it has good technical characteristics: a more or less decent engine, it consumes much less gasoline! thirdly, the car still has some off-road capabilities; of course, you can’t get into the wilds with it, but you can clearly drive further than in a regular passenger car: the increased ground clearance does its job.

We have decided on the car. All that remains is to find and buy.

Kalina Cross is a fairly new model; there are not many of them sold on the secondary market yet. We also had our own criteria: in excellent condition with low mileage up to 10,000, not damaged, not mortgaged, with an 8-valve engine, because, as Yura said, this engine has more traction at low speeds, which is better for traveling off-road, budget maximum 400 thousand.

There were few car options. In Perm we looked at only one car. The condition was perfect, the mileage was almost zero - 263 kilometers (!!), the car was practically fresh from the showroom. According to the man, he and his wife were divorcing and that’s why he was selling the car.

We liked the car, but the owner was kind of twitchy, didn’t look him in the eyes and was constantly nervous. After a short conversation, it turned out that the car was registered to his wife. He also assured that the car was not mortgaged, that they bought it for cash. We said that we needed to think about it and that we wanted to see his wife with all the documents. We agreed to meet together in the evening.

Thanks to Yura’s connections, we found out that the car is actually pledged to the bank and they still have to pay off the loan for it.

Novaya Lada: Depreciation of fixed assets according to FAS 6/2020: important details and nuances for an accountant

In the evening, my friend disappeared without calling again) I don’t know what it was, whether he wanted to sell the car in secret from his wife, or something else. Yura came to the conclusion that this was a scam involving cashing out credit money, and that the divorce and the wife were a legend.

Having expanded his search, Yura found a suitable option in Yekaterinburg.

A car with a mileage of 5000 km, from a mature man (it was not driven), he lives near Yekaterinburg and drove the car only around his small town (i.e. the car did not drive on salt and reagents). We called him on the phone for a long time and clarified all the points; he sent us all the photos of the car, documents and everything we asked for.

Deciding that this was our chance, we bought train tickets to Yekaterinburg