Lada Kalina II: 4 pluses, 3 minuses and 3 “depending on your luck”

Neat. No, really, Lada Kalina Cross visually looks quite collected. Not a masterpiece of automotive design, of course, but it looks quite modern. In our opinion, it’s a little rustic from the stern, but overall it doesn’t cause disgust. A plastic body kit around the perimeter, aluminum inserts in the lower part of the front and rear bumpers, 15-inch wheels and increased ground clearance to 208 mm did their job: the car is perceived differently.

Contrary to popular belief, the vehicle's ground clearance has increased not only due to the use of larger diameter wheels, but also due to other struts. In addition, for the sake of controllability, the front track had to be widened and the front and rear stabilizers had to be replaced with stiffer ones. All this was carried out under the vigilant supervision of specialists who at one time taught us to drive and not notice the irregularities of the Renault Logan. Did it work? Partly yes, but more on that a little later.

In the meantime, we're loading. A colleague is filling the trunk with camera equipment. 355 liters is not God knows what volume for a station wagon, but in principle it is acceptable. Having finished loading, the photo editor slams the door. He slams the door a second time, a third time. The trunk closes only the fifth time, and the impact is so strong that it seems like the windows are about to fly out. That's the number! At one time, we were at a VAZ and drove the newly appeared Lada Kalina 2, where we noted that the door was too difficult to close due to the powerful gas stops. The stops have been changed, the door has become lighter, but what now with the lock, or rather, with the quality control at the factory? Where is the optimization, integration, etc. that so significantly improves the quality of the product on paper? But in practice?

In practice, this turned out to be not the only problem that we discovered when getting acquainted with the car. Self-tapping screws left at the bottom of the niche for the spare wheel and those who do not want to “lock” the backs of the second row seats are just flowers. Electric power steering that fails while driving is a much more significant problem. Moreover, he did not even inform about his refusal to work with a lit pictogram on the instrument panel. The heavier steering wheel showed itself when exiting the freeway. For a man, of course, this is not God knows what kind of test, although it is also unpleasant, but women’s hands can not turn the steering wheel to the desired angle. The result can be the most unpredictable.

But let's go back to the salon. It's impossible not to notice the orange fabric inserts on the door panels and seats. Do they paint the interior? Perhaps someone will think so, but it seemed to us that there is too much orange in the seat trim and in fact there is no orange on the instrument panel. Except that the outer air ducts have bright rings. As a result, it looks somehow unfinished. A little “joy” on the center console and a little less on the seats, in our opinion, would straighten out the situation.

The seats themselves, compared to the regular Kalina, have denser filling and better lateral support. Now, if only the driver's seat had height adjustment. But she's not there.

There are no electric mirror adjustments either. Meanwhile, given the specifics of the car’s operation, we can assume that it would not hurt if you happened to maneuver in cramped conditions. We happened to be spinning around in the forest, and the fact that it was impossible to quickly turn the mirror down when reversing in order to see a stump or stone seemed very inconvenient. The abandonment of fog lights is also questionable: a wider beam of light is a great help outside public roads. Some will probably say that we have too much hope for a mono-wheel drive car. But, unlike other crossovers with a single axle drive, Kalina Cross crawls very well on country roads thanks to its solid ground clearance and good geometric cross-country ability. It would also have a self-locking differential, and the car would not have a price. But, alas, it is not available even in the list of options. Although there are no options as such. After all, an audio system, air conditioning, electric power steering - all this is basic equipment for 409,000 rubles.

The engine is still the same. This is the familiar 1.6-liter, 87-horsepower eight-valve engine. The horse is old, but, as they say, it doesn’t spoil the furrow. It pulls confidently, doesn’t make much noise, and doesn’t really ask for food. The gearbox is also the same, only the main pair has been changed, due to which the car has become even easier to move from the bottom, and a cable drive has been used to reduce vibrations on the rocker. However, this had no effect on the “trademark” howls, and the Kalina Cross still howls strainingly with the gearbox, especially in third gear. Although the noise insulation has become better, it has not greatly affected comfort; at high speeds in the car everything is still quite noisy. As for the car’s handling and ability to maintain its trajectory, let’s just say that the increase in ground clearance did not particularly affect these indicators. Except that there was slight oversteer. But Kalina Cross actually ignores speed bumps and frankly broken asphalt. There are no questions about the suspension regarding this indicator.

Other reviews

Against the background of the constant appearance of new cars on the world market, the Lada Vesta of the 2015 model year is not such a new product. However, it can still be considered the discovery of the Russian car market thanks to its very modern appearance and well-thought-out technical “stuffing”. The sedan's exterior was designed by ex-Mercedes-Benz and Volvo designer Steve Mattin, and was among the first people lucky enough to sit in it.

The raised cross-country hatchback Lada Xray, which AvtoVAZ dubbed a crossover for advertising purposes, is called by many the highest quality model of the domestic manufacturer, and there is indeed reason for this. Firstly, there is an abundance of high quality imported parts, and secondly, this car has decent ground clearance and a proprietary 1.8-liter engine.

Cars nowadays don't work on anything. There are even hydrogen ones that literally “live” on fuel cells. Water is, of course, good and incredibly environmentally friendly, but it is still painfully unpopular and expensive to implement. Is it compressed natural gas or, as it is also called, methane in a cylinder, like the new version of Lada Vesta CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)! A gas sedan is cheaper.

Specifications

Dimensions of Lada Kalina cross

• length - 3.965 m;
• width - 1,700 m;
• height - 1,450 m;
• wheelbase - 2.5 m;
• ground clearance - 145 mm;
• trunk volume - 240 l.

Reviews of VAZ Kalina Cross Rating: 4.6 out of 5 5 reviews found

09/05/2017
We bought my wife a Lada Kalina Cross car in the maximum configuration to replace a 9-year-old Fiat Panda in the simplest configuration. And you know, after driving the first hundred kilometers in this car, I was happy with how it drives and how the driver feels... To be honest, I didn’t expect this from the Lada, or rather I expected it, but my expectations were clearly worse than what turned out to be in reality. Below I will describe the pros and cons that appeared in two weeks of using the car, but now I can say that the car’s assessment depends on than to compare, of course. I drove an old Audi, a new Ford Focus 2, a new Opel Vectra, a new Chevrolet Captiva and a new UAZ Patriot (each car is at least 2 years old). Therefore, I write based on my experience. So. The disadvantages that I would note, although they are not critical: 1. Box noise, which I read about in other reviews before purchasing. Yes, indeed, the box is audible in the cabin, BUT. I would say it is audible only in second gear, and at the moment when the engine is braking in second gear. And one more BUT is that she is HEARD, and nothing more. In short, this sound does not bother me personally, and the second point is that if you are talking quietly with someone in the cabin, or listening to music at a volume of 8-9 (i.e. quietly), then you will not hear this sound. It would be nice if it didn’t exist, but if it continues to be so loud, then we don’t have to talk about this “problem” at all.2. There is a smell of new plastic in the interior and it has not yet dissipated. Well, judging by the reviews of experienced owners, it will fade a little later. This is also not fatal, but is present at the beginning of operation. 3. I personally don’t like that the front door windows don’t go down completely, leaving a small piece of the window. This is not very convenient. But on the other hand, the car has a climate system and I think it’s unlikely that I’ll drive it with my elbows out. Now what I liked: 1. The car drives quietly and smoothly. I didn’t expect this at all, but the car is pleasant to drive, there are no extraneous noises, and the suspension works perfectly, I would say. True, I have driven in the city so far, but with potholes and speed bumps.2. The engine pulls well. It seems to me no worse than the 1.8 liter Focus I once had. 3. The clutch works without problems and sounds, at least there are none in the cabin.4. The climate system cools very adequately and does it quietly. I made the settings once and now no one touches them - it’s very nice. I remember on the Captiva I kept turning it warmer and colder back and forth, because it behaved differently from time to time.5. This car has a trunk! And a lot of good stuff fits there. And if you remove the trunk shelf, you can easily put full bags of something. Three pieces nearby. By the way, the trunk can be opened with a button or with the remote control, which is very convenient for me. Moreover, by opening the trunk using the remote control, you can leave the car closed - it’s important somewhere in the parking lot. By the way, there are already roof rails on top of the roof. I haven’t used it yet, but I think I’ll need it if necessary.6. A! One more moment. I was still puzzled whether I would need to buy mudguards and fender liners. No no need. Everything is already installed, including mudguards and fender liners. The fender liners in front are plastic and the rear ones are made of a soft hairy material. All edges of the body on the wings and front and rear are covered with plastic.7. Pleasant bonuses: rain and light sensor - everything works as expected.8. The alarm system with remote control also behaves adequately, everything opens and closes, locking modes (all doors at once or one by one) are switched. The remote control can be used to open or close the car windows. I bought myself another key and added it myself without any problems. In general, so far so good.9. Oddly enough, three adults (of normal build) sit behind. The knees touch the front seats but do not forcefully rest against them. I have two chairs in the back and a non-fat adult can pass between them. YES, I forgot to say that the chairs are comfortable. There is no pressure anywhere, it’s a pleasure to drive. 10. Music and bluetooth work as expected. There are no anomalies, I plugged in the SD card and listened to songs. The sound quality is just normal. If you don't worry about it, it will be good for you. It’s normal for me, because on other machines I’ve always played about 30-50 thousand more music, and it’s clear that the difference is audible. Bluetooth works, and the driver and the subscriber can be clearly heard.11. Now soundproofing. She is quite good, I would even say. If you don’t take cars that are 2 or several times more expensive for comparison. It is comfortable to stand and drive in the car. When you close the door, you can hear that you closed it 12. The steering wheel is very “light” - almost no effort is needed to turn it. For me it’s too much, but my wife says it’s convenient. The car brakes well and the pedal doesn’t require any effort either. After the UAZ, for example, there is no clutch at all, but this is a matter of habit. And the handbrake is very easy to squeeze. In short, everything is the same as for white people. Maybe I haven’t written something yet, but I can say that I really liked the car. So far (half a month) I have absolutely no regrets about the money spent on it, I hope it will continue to drive and make me happy. And when choosing a car (any) you must definitely get into it, drive on a flat road, drive a section on a dirt road, and “spin” on it some spot. Or even better, ask the owner of the same car to travel with you... You only need to trust yourself, and the person who owns this particular car. I was a skeptic, but now I can say - a well-equipped Lada Kalina Cross is an excellent comfortable car for its price.

Test drive Lada Kalina cross – video

Advantages and disadvantages of Lada Kalina cross

Judging by numerous reviews from car owners and test drives, the main advantages of Kalina Cross are:

The advantages include:

• affordable price;
• moderate fuel consumption;
• high ground clearance;
• good handling;
• the presence of a protective body around the perimeter of the body;
• youthful interior design.

The disadvantages include:

• few airbags;
• no heated steering wheel;
• the steering column is not adjustable for reach;
• budget-friendly interior decoration;
• mediocre dynamics;
• whimsical to the quality of gasoline.