Lada Kalina Cross 2016 in a new body - AvtoVAZ SUV

The Lada Kalina Cross car was presented for the first time after the new year. A review of the new AVTOVAZ model attracted the attention of many admirers of the domestic automobile industry. Indeed, the idea deserves attention, because the manufacturer tried to create an SUV based on a regular Station Wagon. Opinions differ about whether he succeeded.

More and more manufacturers are looking to build SUVs based on previous conventional versions. This is very convenient and also allows you to reduce the cost of starting a car. After the key characteristics, configurations and prices were announced, many agreed that the car deserves attention, not only for its practicality, but also for its design solutions.

Lada Kalina Cross

Lada Kalina Cross
Lada Kalina Cross

Lada Kalina Cross

The Cross version is based on the Kalina station wagon in the “Norma” configuration with a 1.6 liter engine (87 hp) and a 5-speed gearbox with a cable-driven shift mechanism. The gear ratio of the main pair has been increased from 3.7 to 3.9 to enhance the car’s traction capabilities and emphasize its proximity to crossovers. The ground clearance increased to 208 mm also hints at this same relationship. Not every real crossover can boast of this! But, alas, there is no talk of all-wheel drive. So Kalina Cross is, by and large, just a trim version. It is distinguished by overlays, larger moldings with the word “Cross”, black elements along the bottom and other small details. An interesting touch: the car we were able to get acquainted with has only one fog light at the front. The secret is simple - this is a prototype, and thus two appearance options were compared. And in the series there will be no foglights at all at first.

In the interior, orange inserts on the seats catch the eye—for now, this is the optimistically bright color that is planned. They even overshadow the small touches in the design of the front panel and steering wheel. Sound insulation has also been improved - in particular, screens have been installed in the rear arches.

Exterior

Photographs and videos that can be found in this article will help you understand what it is like, the appearance of a brand new car, its level of modernity, dynamism and what charisma it has. The appearance of the VAZ has certain similarities with the 2016 Lada X-Ray Concept 2, namely the X-shaped style, because the headlights installed in front were divided into sections, which will give some similarity.

If you are careful, you can see at the bottom of the rear of the bumper installed in front, sections for installing fog lights. If we compare the car with the Lada Vesta sedan, then the bottom was protected with powerful plastic linings, which turned out to be unpainted. It tends to scratch, such a body kit came in very handy; it was able to complement the front and rear bumpers, sills, door areas at the very bottom, as well as wheel arches.

The false radiator grille has divisions, which are represented by a pair of chrome bars. The manufacturer's nameplate also turned out to be massive in size. The side of the new car has interesting stampings that are similar to those installed on the front bumper, but a little more massive.

The wheel arches contain 18-inch wheel rims. The ground clearance was increased, which is indispensable not only for cross-country traffic, but also for “high-quality” roads of the Russian Federation. The concept version has a ground clearance of about 300 mm, one production model will probably have a more modest height, which will make it possible to improve the aerodynamic performance and stability of the car when cornering.

The aft part has a luggage door, the dimensions are not large, and the luggage compartment itself is spacious. Despite the similarity with the sedan version, according to the manufacturers, the similarity in appearance of the cross-version with the standard one ends behind the central pillar of the car - then there is a brand new, stylish, sloping roof, flowing into the “athletic” rear.

It has modern taillights along with original rear pillars, which give the car dynamism. Generally speaking, the appearance of the station wagon, provided that the company can preserve its style, is almost in no way inferior to its classmates, including the Skoda Octavia Scout, Volkswagen Golf Altrac and even in some places the Subaru Forester.

The black insert under the rear spoiler looks very interesting. With this element, it feels as if the roof is not attached to the main body at the rear. In general, about 300 changes were made to the design, which start from the B pillar and go to the luggage compartment.

Lada Kalina Cross

However, in addition to the catchy “makeup”, Kalina Cross also has some technical differences from the standard station wagon. It has gas-filled struts and shock absorbers with original housings and settings. The springs have been left the same for now, but their supports have been moved. Development work on the front suspension continues - perhaps the springs will be changed. Factory underbody protection is also promised.

Options and prices

If the Lada Vesta Cross SV can reach mass production, it will happen no earlier than September 2016. First, the car company will launch a standard station wagon into mass production. Based on this, today there are no price tags for this car, but we can assume that the crossover version will cost 50,000 - 150,000 rubles more than the sedan version.

This decision is explained by experts by the fact that a considerable amount of investment was made in the development of the machine, which is equal to about a million Euros. Possible equipment variations are also unknown. Frankly, even the appearance and interior may change a little during production on the assembly line.

You should expect the installation of full climate control. There will also be cruise control, a rear view camera, a multifunction steering wheel, a built-in navigation system, rain and light sensors and a heated windshield. Only foreign cars have such equipment, which made me very happy.

The Lada Vesta Cross station wagon is planned to be produced in 3 trim levels: Classic, Comfort and Luxury. On all three trim levels, Era-Glonass transmitters will be installed, which will make it possible to transmit an emergency signal to traffic police services. Thanks to GPS modules, it will be possible to track the location of the car if it is stolen.

Top trim levels will come with airbags, where there will be 4 of them - front and side.
There will also be EBD, TCS, BAS systems, a system that helps when starting uphill. We didn’t forget to install a standard security system, an immobilizer, an on-board computer and an automatic door lock. Prices and options

Lada Kalina Cross

Of the 23 mm increased ground clearance, 16 mm were in the suspension itself. Instead of 14-inch wheels, the Cross version has 15-inch wheels with 195/55 R15 tires. Their contribution to increasing ground clearance is plus 7 mm. And thanks to the new wheels, the track has become wider by 4 mm. Large wheels forced the steering rack travel to be reduced by 3.6 mm in each direction, which led to a slight increase in the turning radius - from 5.2 to 5.5 m.

Let's sum it up

Summing up the results of the new domestically produced Lada Vesta Cross SV, I would like to say that the car has changed a lot. This is noticeable even in its appearance, which has become more modern, sporty, energetic and at the same time stylish. The front part has received excellent equipment; there is a large logo of the manufacturer and stylish headlights.

On the sides there are large wheels with equally massive wheel arches. The rear part is generally almost unrecognizable if you remove the “LADA” logo. The interior, like the exterior, has improved in all respects. There is a good and convenient instrument panel, a touch screen, a comfortable, functional steering wheel, and a stylish center console.

The quality of interior finishing materials has increased. The front seats are quite comfortable and have good lateral support. There is enough free space inside the car. The luggage compartment has a substantial reserve of volume, which, if necessary, can be increased by folding the rear seat backs.

The power units are not the most powerful, but they cope with their direct responsibilities well. I am pleased with the good security system and various assistants that are designed to help the driver on the road. There is a system that will help in case of car theft, showing through a satellite sensor where your car is located.

There is also an “Era-GLONASS” system, which will give a traffic police signal if the crossover gets into an accident. Let's see what kind of car will be in production, but it is clear that the LADA company is determined to win the hearts of drivers. Judging by the concept car version, they have every chance.

We advise you to read the article: History of AvtoVAZ - LADA cars

We want to go to the capital!

Bo Andersson, President of JSC AVTOVAZ: “Our company is changing. This means that we focus on customers, work on their orders, try to understand why some customers left us, and plan to win them back. We want people to be proud to drive a Lada again.

And one more thing - we must return to the capitals: for me, our 5% market share in St. Petersburg and 2% in Moscow is unacceptable. That's why we asked our team to develop these cars.

Just a few weeks ago we were looking at pictures; a week ago, mock-ups were assembled, and they explained to me that production was impossible; and two days ago we found all the solutions to launch the Kalina Cross series from September 1 and Lada 4x4 Urban from October 1. The circulation is small: 5–10 thousand copies each in addition to the existing volumes. The price is very competitive, because we do not make these cars for the sake of making money. They have a more important task - to attract new clientele...

With Kalina Cross we are targeting a young audience, sports style enthusiasts, and women; We are entering the crossover segment and speaking modern design language.

Today we are working on three more cars. In general, we want to present new products once every three months. And don't tell me it's impossible. Much, of course, depends on production, but the most important thing is to change the product. In September next year we are launching Lada Vesta. XRAY starts in January 2016, XRAY Cross starts in April. But there’s no time to wait.”

Lada Kalina Cross: KROSSotka

Interior

Judging by the statements of company representatives, when they created the interior of the new car, they used only high-quality materials. It would not be superfluous to say that the interior turned out to be exactly identical to the standard version. The panel installed in front was made in a very interesting style, in the form of 3 wells. It is complemented by various interesting elements and discreet blue lighting.

The seats installed in front have received increased comfort. According to the manufacturers, thanks to them, the driver will be able to feel very comfortable, despite long trips. They were made from high-quality filler and have full lateral support.

In addition to the main settings, the driver's seat has the option of adjusting the height. The console installed in the center managed to attract the eye. It looks bright, colorful and quite functional. Thanks to the convenient location of the driver, it is quite easy to operate even when driving. With the help of a certain angle of location, the appearance of the panel has become more ergonomic.

Even the basic configuration of the domestic new product has a climate control system, and there is also an information and media complex with a display that supports touch input. Due to the fact that the new car will come in an extended body, it can be assumed that there will be even more free legroom for people sitting in the back.

So far, official representatives are not talking about the stated dimensions of the car due to the fact that the work has not yet been completed and the production model may differ slightly from the concept version. The color of the plastic inserts on the door trim can be matched to the main color of the station wagon, which not only complements the car’s interior, but also connects it with the exterior appearance.

Many motorists will like the updated steering wheel of the Lada Vesta Cross SV, which now has leather upholstery and has become more comfortable in the hands due to its increased thickness. The steering wheel of the car provides an abundance of function keys, including the start option for heating the steering wheel. The upholstery of the seats has the addition of fabric inserts to match the main color scheme of the car.

Metal nameplates with the name “LADA” appeared under the headrests. Thanks to this, the interior of the car becomes not only stylish, but also prevents abrasion of this very contact part of the chair. It is also worth noting that a screen that supports touch control of the infotainment system is provided even in the standard version.

Such solutions can be found very rarely even among automobile manufacturers around the world. It is expected that the trunk will be able to receive as much as 500 liters of usable space, which, if necessary, can be increased by folding the rear seat backs. At the moment, it is not yet clear whether the production model will have an underground luggage compartment, a curtain and special rails for a more comfortable mounting of the trunk, which the concept car was famous for.