Once upon a time, a Nobel laureate and Miss Universe met. “Let’s have sex and I’ll give birth to your children,” she suggested. - They will inherit beauty from me, and intelligence from you, and will be the best on the planet! “Perhaps they will take my beauty and your intelligence,” the laureate retorted.
Lada Vesta is certainly a beauty, but... What did car enthusiasts expect from the acquisition of AvtoVAZ by the Renault Nissan alliance? It is likely that the new Lada will have the quality and technology of foreign cars, but the “beautiful” Russian prices will remain. It definitely didn’t work out with the price, but what about the smart part, the technology? And what is more in Vesta, a foreign car or a Russian car? Perhaps it all depends on whether the glass of water seems half empty or half full, but let's figure it out...
COMPETITORS OF LADA VESTA
To answer the question: “Is it worth buying a Lada Vesta,” you must first look at the competitors. Based on car sales statistics in Russia in 2015, these are: Hyundai Solaris (116,000), KIA Rio (97,000), VW Polo (45,000), Renault Logan (41,000), Nissan Almera (26,000), Skoda Rapid (25,000). From the comparative table of Lada Vesta competitors, we removed the sales leader Lada Granta (120,000), Lada Kalina (36,000) and Datsun on-DO (24,000), because Vesta is a qualitatively new car and has already outgrown its “brothers”.
Their places in our comparison table will be taken by Ford Fiesta and Chery Bonus 3, framing our selection as the most expensive and cheapest options in trim levels above the base one. The latter was added largely because the Chinese, as Vesta’s competitors, are neglected by all automobile publications, which from the point of view of the ATD editors is unjustified, because they have more in common than it might seem at first glance, which will become obvious at the end of the article.
So, if we arrange the cars in ascending order of price, we get the following picture (although this only shows the price of the entrance ticket, since there is a significant difference in the equipment of the basic versions, for example, only Chery Bonus 3 has air conditioning)
Renault Logan 419,000 Chery Bonus 3,486,000 Lada Vesta 514,000 Nissan Almera 539,000 VW Polo 559,000
Skoda Rapid 569,000 Hyundai Solaris 570,000 Kia Rio 582,000 Ford Fiesta 597,000
Personal manager or done on the fly?
Every time I hear “as soon as it comes out, I’ll take a Vesta right away,” I remember the story with the Lada Granta. Its first “generation” was very crude. It was only over the next few years that changes occurred. Everything that was undertested in an attempt to meet the deadline was improved at the expense of customers and based on the latter’s claims.
History repeats itself. This is evidenced primarily by the personal manager who they want to assign to everyone who bought a Lada Vesta. On the one hand, this is a great step from marketing. The company is beginning to position itself as more loyal and open. On the other hand, we see an elegant solution to the problem.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VESTA, JOBS
Among the advantages of the Lada Vesta, one can note a very successful and fresh design, which sets the car apart from its competitors, while the engineers managed to maintain excellent visibility. For the first time, the Lada now has comfortable seats and the ability to sit comfortably behind the wheel. Rich equipment is also Vesta’s strong point, with which only Renault Logan and Chinese cars can compete in terms of price/benefits ratio. Build quality, control, smoothness are generally at the level of famous competitors. Loyalists of the brand will emphasize for themselves many more small advantages of the new Lada, but mainly in comparison with VAZs, and not foreign cars.
Lada Vesta salon
Let's look at the disadvantages in more detail; these are the first things you need to know if you have any doubts before purchasing. And these, in addition to the failed AMT robot, include the lack of knowledge of the new car and the lack of combat testing. The dealer network has not even been developed yet, there is no well-functioning maintenance service, there are not many spare parts, and by the way, after several months of sales, customers needed them. For example, the popular reviewer Zhorik Revazov could not find a flying stabilizer bar, which can be attributed to chronic diseases, in his city (video), the nearest center was 500 km away, so he had to pick it up from other cars. Then, by the way, it started to rattle from behind.
AvtoVAZ President Bu Inge Andersen, when creating the Lada Vesta, adopted the Chinese strategy, with the main emphasis on rich equipment. Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid the same problems - mistakes and miscalculations, questionable reliability.
Already known jambs include:
— leakage of the engine compartment - dirt is constantly flying, it is difficult to fix even by gluing with seals;
— weak fastenings of the plastic protection under the front bumper, it can fly off from contact with snow;
— the turn signals in the side mirrors take on water;
— after prolonged/active use of ABS/ESP, for example in snow, these systems turn off, only resetting the terminal helps;
— unhindered access for draining gasoline;
— velvet seals (seals) scratch the glass;
Depending on luck with a particular specimen (and for the Izhevsk conveyor there is such luck), Vesta may:
— the lumbar support pops out, you will have to adjust it often;
— the armrest may not hold horizontally and may fall;
— the side mirror may rattle on uneven roads, making it difficult to see;
— there may be large panel gaps in the upper part of the rear doors;
- even an unadjusted wheel alignment does not bother dealers to sell cars...
All these, in fact, are solvable little things, childhood sores. It is impossible to foresee all the nuances at the design stage of a new car. The question is, do you need it?
Technical "stuffing"
Under the hood of the Lada Vesta Cross, the developers will place two petrol power units: a 1.6 liter engine with 106 hp. produced by the Nissan plant, and an AvtoVAZ 1.8-liter engine with 114 hp. With. from Lada Xray.
The gearbox will be installed either five-speed manual or robotic. The first cars off the assembly line will be equipped with a front-wheel drive transmission, but the developers promise the appearance of an all-wheel drive modification of the transmission with a 4x4 formula in the future.
The car body is based on the Lada B with fully independent front MacPherson struts and torsion bar rear suspension. The car is also equipped with an electric power steering wheel and front ventilated wheels.
WE MADE IT FROM WHAT HAPPENED...
The marketing policy of Vesta is such that it is served under the sauce of patriotism, the first domestic car that you can be proud of, although they try to keep silent about the fact that control and the main stake in AvtoVAZ OJSC belongs to the Renault-Nissan alliance, and the Rostec state corporation owns only 24, 5%.
And to what extent is Vesta a Russian car? By the way, the name itself, Vesta, from the Latin Vesta, (ancient Greek Ἑστία) is a goddess, the patroness of the family hearth and sacrificial fire in Ancient Rome.
The beloved design is the work of the Englishman Steve Mattin, who drew Mercedes and Volvos. It seems that the platform is a long-standing development of VAZ engineers. But if you look into it, it has undergone many changes, it has a new front suspension with L-shaped arms, a new rear semi-independent beam, steering from Renault Megane, even the brakes and radiator are borrowed from Renault-Nissan developments, and that’s not all.
There is also a suspicion that the abundance of safety systems so unusual for the basic configuration: ABS+BAS, EBD, ESC, TCS, HSA (which, by the way, is also not an AvtoVAZ development) was necessary in order to teach this new platform to drive decently, and, in fairness, the engineers succeeded with 5 points.
Or perhaps these are games of marketers who, using uninformative combinations of English abbreviations, are trying to evoke associations with a higher class among potential buyers. After all, if the anti-lock brake system (ABS) with brake force distribution (EBD) is already a minimum even for this class, and the exchange rate stability system (ESC) is very useful in winter, then the presence of a hill start assist system (HSA) and traction control systems (TCS) with the VAZ 1.6 engine raises more questions than approvals. Maybe it’s better to leave something like this for an optional extra, otherwise in the base of the restyled Vesta we may see a night vision system with pedestrian recognition and a parking assistant. It is also not yet clear whether there is any benefit and how the ERA-GLONASS emergency warning system, which is the highlight of the new Lada, will work in Russia, because cars even several classes higher do not offer this.
engine Lada Vesta VAZ-21129
The VAZ-21129 engine retained the greatest authenticity, although modifications to the air intake system, exhaust, etc., deprived it of the much-loved beak-like sound, recognizable long before the appearance of the pelvis falling due to the turn. But this engine is not the strong point of the car, in comparison with competitors, not in terms of power, not in efficiency, not in reliability.
Also, the robotic gearbox is allegedly completely and entirely the development of AvtoVAZ; in fact, to develop the “robot”, they took an ordinary manual gearbox as a base and added a computer and drives from the German company ZF. However, even though this is a cheaper analogue of an automatic transmission with a torque converter, all Vesta video reviewers agreed that in the author’s summary it will sound like a “shithole”, which can only be taken if you don’t understand at all why three pedals, if there are two legs, because the operating algorithm causes cognitive dissonance, requires a long time to get used to, and may always irritate you with its thoughtfulness.
And if the authoritative publication Autoreview, No. 19, 2015 – October 2015 wrote in a comparative test:
There are no complaints about the operation of the selector of the “robotic” Vesta, but the acceleration is sluggish: 15 seconds to “hundreds”!
and the authors of the “Big Test Drive” Stillavin and Vakhidov generally made it “exclusive” that Vesta’s box was tuned by Porsche, which is supposedly a secret (although why would it be? Lada doesn’t want anything to do with Porsche, or the latter are ashamed of their work), then “Fox Rulet” found out from the managers of the car dealership that it was the lack of a normal automatic transmission that was the reason for the failure of sales of the Lada Vesta in the Moscow region.
Therefore, if you know how to use a “handle,” it is better to give preference to the mechanics developed by the Nissan-Renault alliance, or wait for the promised CVT.
In general, how great is the intervention of foreign engineers and technologies is indicated by the initial level of localization of Vesta - 71% (in a broad sense, when calculating localization, not only components and spare parts produced within Russia are taken into account, but also all costs associated with ensuring the production of cars - water, electricity , workers' wages and much more).
By comparison, the Moscow company, which produces Renault Logan, Sandero, Fluence, Latitude, Duster and Koleos, already reached 75% at the beginning of 2013. Hyundai Solaris localization level | KIA Rio and Volkswagen Polo | Skoda Rapid is in the region of 50%. It was not possible to find the exact percentage of localization of Ford Fiesta, it is only known that in 2013 for the entire model range it was 40%, goals were set to increase the level, relevant agreements were signed with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, but judging by the current price, something went wrong according to plan.
Rapid contamination
There is too much clearance in the hood latch area, allowing dirt and water to enter the engine from the outside. As a result, Vesta owners are forced to resort to cleaning the engine compartment more often and installing various seals.
Large gaps in the housing
Large gaps in the housing
Rapid contamination is also typical for the body. Most likely, the reason is the large wheel arches, and the X-shaped imprints also play a role in collecting dirt. In addition, the lack of edges on the windshield affects it and, as a result, the side windows quickly become clogged.
Another drawback of the Lada Vesta is associated with the side windows - very poorly selected seals. Because of them, dirt gets inside the door, which subsequently leads to scratches.
It is also worth remembering ineffective windshield wipers, which some car owners change without hesitation. Standard wipers not only fail to do their job, but also begin to leave scratches over time.
RESULTS. IS IT WORTH BUYING A LADA VESTA?
Immediately answering the question: “No, it’s not worth it, unless you have a complete collection of T-shirts with Putin and Crimea is ours at home.”
“What to do if you really want to?”
- “Wait for restyling.”
In addition to eliminating many of the identified shortcomings and those problems that are yet to appear during the operation of thousands of cars in different conditions, it is worth waiting for a higher degree of localization of production, which should have a positive effect on both the price of the new car and its maintenance.
AvtoVAZ President Bo Inge Andersen, when creating the Lada Vesta, adopted the Chinese strategy, with the main emphasis on rich equipment - “more car, for less money.” Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid the same problems - mistakes and miscalculations, questionable reliability. We also perceived the first Chery, Great Wall, Geely, Brilliance, FAW, LAC, Lifan - it seemed tempting, but unknown, scary.
However, in terms of price/options ratio, Vesta loses to the remaining Chinese on the Russian market, including Chery Bonus 3, which celebrated its third generation in 2013 and got rid of many childhood problems and miscalculations.
If we develop the theme of rich equipment, then the safest car in China, the Geely Emgrand EC7 (pictured), will put everyone on their backs - a car of a higher class, 5 stars for safety according to C-NCAP. For the same 579,000 rubles, the Luxury package, in which you will have a 1.8 engine with 126 hp, a continuously variable transmission (CVT), climate control, full power accessories (sunroof, driver's seat), leather interior, and other frills, up to to the retractable rear window sunshade.
Geely Emgrand EC7 interior
But sales statistics clearly show that it is not the rich equipment that is the decisive factor for the buyer. Perhaps the Lada Vesta is closer in quality to the Germans or Koreans? Perhaps, but some options are included purely for show. For example, a car dealership won’t tell you that the heating of the windshield does not reach the rest zone of the wipers, and in winter they freeze hard due to thawed water flowing onto them. And for the rest there will be a sense of economy and haste.
Having changed to Vesta after Polo or Rapid, you will immediately notice the difference in quality, you will yearn for the German precise operation of the controls, for the pleasant effort and tangible feedback with which the knobs were turned and the buttons were pressed, for the meticulousness of detailing. Once you start driving, you will feel the noisier operation of the suspension; in winter or summer, you will begin to be annoyed by the inability to set a comfortable temperature - the minimum turn of the wheel means zero reaction, one more turn is already too much. At first, perhaps, you won’t notice, but over time it will begin to warp from the slight twitching of the handle of the French manual gearbox when using the gas pedal, you can only reassure yourself that at least it does not make noise like the owners of the Priora.
And there are still quite a few little things that highlight the approach to car design by the Nissan-Renault-Lada alliance, little things that you won’t notice if you buy a Vesta, but be sure to pay attention if you use one of the Korean-German competitors. This is both an approach to safety and a beautiful organization of the trunk, covering all unsightly elements and wires. And a light bulb here, and the absence of squeaks there, and a hook here, and a pocket there...
trunk liftback Skoda Rapid
According to the editors of all-test-drives.com, the Skoda Rapid (pictured above) is significantly underrated. After all, for a relatively equal amount, you will save on fuel consumption every day, enjoy German quality, save money on spare parts and time by not visiting workshops. And if you are looking for a workhorse among budget sedans of class B, B+, then for sure the trunk is one of the most important factors, and here it is difficult to overestimate the fat plus that falls into the treasury of the scales on the Skoda side if you have ever loaded the trunk of a liftback.
Why Lada 4×4 was previously called Niva
The name “Niva” belongs to the SUV since 1977, and in 2003 it was changed to LADA 4×4. The company owns the Niva name through the former GM-AVTOVAZ JV, which was acquired at the end of 2022.
At one time, in an interview, the chief designer of Niva, Pyotr Mikhailovich Prusov, spoke about the origin of the name:
"Niva" was named after the children - mine and the first chief designer Solovyov. I had daughters Natalya and Irina. And he has two sons - Vadim and Andrey. There was a slight hiccup with the name. It turned out that there was already such a Niva combine. It was possible, of course, to rename it, but for me it was very personal.
However, it was a joke.
In fact, the designation “Niva” is a short, sweet-sounding word in the Russian language with positive associations. Similar-sounding words are found in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Czech, and Polish. We wrote more about this here.
Bronto is a division for the production of special vehicles and SUVs of AVTOVAZ JSC.
Urban - translated from English as “urban”.
