Reviews about Lada Vesta - positive and negative

Damn VAZ

Nikolay, St. Petersburg . The breakdowns on Vesta were exhausting in just two years. Before that I drove a Lexus, and I didn’t spend that much money on repairs. The robot box is terrible! I replaced the clutch, but after 20 thousand miles it broke again. The plastic on the doors is loose, the chassis is knocking. Computer diagnostics can only be performed by a dealer. How tired of VAZ, today the barrel of anger overflowed.

The dealer set a price for repairing the box at 29 thousand - no words! Do not read positive reviews about Lada Vesta, these are all purchased notes! Better go to the troubleshooting forums. So that I will someday get involved with Russian cars...

Advantages and disadvantages of Vesta.

Cons: problems with the oil pump

This problem began to appear as soon as Vesta received a new VAZ 1.8-liter power unit 21179. A feature of this engine is the presence of a phase shifter, the operation of which required an oil pump with improved performance indicators. The pump itself may be reliable, but its pressure relief valve is its weak point.

There have been a lot of reviews describing this problem on the Internet, so now we can summarize the manifestation and elimination of the defect. It all starts with the oil pressure indicator coming on when the car is idling. When you contact the dealer service, they try to clean the pressure relief valve, but this rarely helps. As a result, under warranty, the pump paired with the crankshaft, liners, and also the cylinder head is replaced, and all this takes a long time. The manufacturer itself assures that such cases are not widespread and apply to cars of any brand, and the issue is resolved within the framework of warranty obligations. Lately people have started writing about the problem less and less: apparently AvtoVAZ has improved the problematic component.

Not all gold glitters

Leonid, Kolomny . Welcome everyone! Let's talk about Lada Vesta today. I used to drive a 2013 “tag”. There were no problems the entire time. Of course, repairs were carried out, but it was just maintenance, nothing serious. Therefore, we compare Vesta with the previous car.

I bought this X style in 2022 in the “Norma” configuration for 680 thousand. Interest in the car began to decrease when starting the engine, vibration appeared. There were shocks from the engine to the seat, but I didn’t pay much attention, as I was happy with the purchase. During the run-in, the mood also diminished. It seemed as if I had purchased a “nine” with a large interior and a knocking suspension. Every day new subtleties were revealed.

A story about Lada Vesta

Today, a knock in the suspension is heard on the left side, and in extreme cold in winter the stabilizer creaks. The box knocks when shifting. The Lada Vesta did not inspire me; the exterior is beautiful, but the interiors have not yet been finalized. It's a shame that for a lot of money we listen to creaks and knocks. This is my review.

Cons: multimedia

Cases of complaints about the multimedia complex installed on the Lada Vesta are not uncommon: the built-in navigation does not work correctly, the screen requires recalibration, or it freezes altogether. Fortunately, the problem is not widespread, but others often occur. For example, if you want to connect your phone to the multimedia system or select the AUX section in the menu, the rear view camera may stop working. Most problems are fixed by firmware, however, the responses, interface and multimedia stability leave much to be desired. For example, on the same Lada Xray, the system from Renault is much better.

It would seem that the double-din radio tape recorder that comes with simpler versions should not cause inconvenience, but it is not without unpleasant surprises. Owners complain that they were unable to turn it on and had to resort to a hard reboot of the device.

Vesta is a great car for every day

Mikhail, Rubtsovsk . I recently purchased this AvtoVAZ model and have never regretted it. There are no problems yet, nothing breaks. At first I thought about buying a new Toyota, but when I looked at the money, I was horrified. The difference is half a million rubles. This takes into account that Vesta is in the “maximum” class, and Toyota is in the middle class. There is no difference in their functions; our car even wins in some respects. Therefore, think for yourself whether 500 thousand is extra for you or not. I can only leave positive feedback about the machine.

Extended Lada Vesta.

Plus: design

No matter what they say, Vesta is a success in appearance - without a nameplate it can easily be confused with a foreign car. Just look at the exterior: the design team, led by Steve Mattin, has achieved the almost impossible. The results of the work done are comparable only to such bright moments in the history of the domestic automotive industry as the appearance of the “kopek”, “Niva”, and also the “eight”. Naturally, such a radical transformation did not go unnoticed by car enthusiasts, because for the first time in many years AvtoVAZ released a model that can be called beautiful and stylish. We can say that Vesta looks even more harmonious than some famous foreign cars, such as the Kia Rio.

They continue to make buckets of bolts

Artem, Saratov . I decided to write my review about the Lada Vesta. It was released in 2022, the battery died 3 days before the end of the warranty period, it’s already 2022. I called the dealer and they said it was not covered under warranty. The package is “Lux”, but the factory does not take action to address this problem. Now I don’t know where to write a complaint. The suspension in front is all knocking, but the car dealership says that this is normal, such a sound is not considered a malfunction. I’m unlikely to recommend such a car to other people, and I shouldn’t bother with a loan at all.

And on little things...

Some of the disadvantages of the Lada Vesta listed below can be attributed to nit-picking and not to serious shortcomings, but they still exist and create inconvenience for car owners:

• narrow pedal assembly;
• insufficient rear visibility;
• frequent malfunctions of the heated windshield;
• excessive sensitivity of ABS fails;
• no lock on the gas tank cap
• Incomprehensible operation of the central locking.

In general, eliminating factory defects for AvtoVAZ is one of the priority tasks in the policy of improving product quality. It is important for consumers to contact their personal managers in a timely manner not only with serious problems, but also with minor defects, thus making their contribution to the elimination of factory defects by the plant.

Not a bad option for women

Oksana, Barnaul . I’ve been driving a car for 5 years now, the first was a Nexia, and then we bought a Lada Vesta sedan. The color is snow-white, I don’t like bright red colors, although other ladies love it. Everything in the cabin is comfortable and works normally. There is a lot of space, after Nexia it seems too spacious. The seats can be configured as you wish, there are all kinds of heated windows.

The handling is great, the headlights shine brightly. It starts easily, the ignition key is remote, you can open the trunk with it. The doors close on their own, you just need to push a little. The trunk is so big that everything fits. My review is only good, I recommend it to all girls and ladies.

Plus: price-equipment ratio

It was the price/equipment factor that made Vesta the most attractive option among competing cars, providing it with such high sales results. It’s simple: for similar options that are present on Vesta on foreign cars, you will have to pay much more. Therefore, Vesta ranks 1st in the sales ranking, while arch competitors Kia Rio and Hyundai Solaris are only 3rd and 5th, respectively.

Bargain

Dmitry, Aleysk . I drove a Mazda 2008 before and was pleased. It didn’t break for a long time, I didn’t want to change it. But then the left door began to rust, then we got into a minor accident, and gasoline began to become more expensive. I thought that I either need to look for a job closer, or buy another car. There was no other job, so we decided to buy a Lada Vesta. Although we considered other options. I bought it for 720 thousand in gray color.

Differences after Mazda:

1. The air conditioner distributes air like climate control.
2. Weak dynamics.
3. Uncomfortable seats.
4. Good sound insulation.
5. There is a lot of space in the cabin, the driving position is higher.
6. It was a manual transmission; the Mazda had an automatic transmission.
7. When cornering, the rear end wobbles; this never happened on Mazda.
8. There is cruise control.
9. Stability control system.
10. The music system is not bad.
11. Gasoline consumption turned out to be 2,400 rubles for 2 thousand km.

Read: Preparing your car for spring.

I'm happy with the car, if only it had an automatic transmission! I didn’t go through the MOT, there is no guarantee now. The stabilizer struts started knocking after a mileage of 14 thousand km, I will change them in the spring. The trunk sweats in winter, the gearbox hums a little.

Cons: extraneous sounds

It should be taken into account that the bulk of the defects described are found on “early” Vesta. By now, most of them have already been eliminated, but they managed to spoil the opinion of the model.

After using Vesta for a short time, I had to deal with creaking door hinges. When raising or lowering the windows, they were scratched. There was creaking of the stabilizer bushings and knocking in the stabilizer struts themselves, which very quickly failed. The upper supports on the rear shock absorbers were insufficiently rigid, producing a knocking sound when overcoming road unevenness.

As for extraneous noise in general, in Vesta there is actually an order of magnitude less of it, but I would like it to be even less. Fortunately, AvtoVAZ is working in this direction.

Satisfied with the quality

Mikhail, Krasnodar . I am more than satisfied with the build quality of the car and the comfort in the cabin. However, my opinion will not be very significant for many, because I didn’t feel bad in the Grant, and the mileage on the Vesta is still only about 7,000. In all respects, the Vesta is superior to the Grant. Alas, fuel consumption is also almost a liter.

On the topic of the article, I took my Vesta to Tolyatti in May 2022 for 634,000 rubles. Comfort multimedia package, metallic. In addition to this amount, I paid an additional 7,000 for the installation of 4 mudguards, floor mats and trunk mats, anti-corrosion protection and 5 liters of anti-freeze for good measure. The mats and mud flaps were cheaper than on the market, but the anti-corrosion protection was done in 15 minutes so-so, only the arches and the bottom, I then also processed the hidden cavities.

Read: How much does Lada Vesta cost?

I could have picked it up anyway, but I didn’t want to drive it to Samara and then apply anticorrosive to the dirt. My further expenses on the car, in addition to gasoline, were changing the wiper blades for winter, and hanging a panoramic mirror on the interior, it’s less than 1,000 rubles. The standard music and alarm systems are enough for me, I don’t think it’s necessary to install covers on a new car, in 5.5 years on the Grant the seats somehow haven’t worn out even without covers.

Popular reviews from Lada Vesta owners

blackmessiah, Moscow

Good afternoon/evening, dear forum members and those who were just passing by! I read different reviews: thoughtful and reasonable, puppyishly enthusiastic, illiterately written to the point of pain in the eyes, and also those as if the author was in a state of deep hangover (probably after washing the purchase). But taken together, all of them, these reviews, shaped my view on choosing a car, which means that none of them was written in vain. I hope that my writing will also put a couple of grams on the scales of choice, and a couple of hours spent on writing will not be wasted...

I won’t reinvent the wheel and will write my review in the “classic” style: exposition (the agony of choice) - beginning (purchase) - climax (period of operation, impressions) - denouement (I hope it won’t come to this soon)

Before Vesta, I owned Almera for several years - an absolutely unpretentious device that did not require any operating costs (consumables and a burnt-out muffler at 80 thousand do not count). I probably would have continued to drive it across the vast expanses of our vastness, if not for a stupid accident caused by me, which at a speed of about 40 km/h turned the Almerka into a pile of worthless junk with a restoration cost comparable to 2/3 of its cost.

Some people believe that after an accident, some rehabilitation period is necessary for moral recovery. I didn’t have such a period - in the accident only my car and a little of my body suffered from the impact))

What were the options and why did I choose Vesta?

When considering the purchase of a new car, I would like to get the same hassle-free experience and the absence of serious headaches. Knowing the relatively new marketing concept of “disposable cars,” I decided that I didn’t want to be “undernourished” for the sake of an expensive (but equally disposable) car of the C-class and above. And I myself am not a very demanding person when it comes to comfort and status, and am far from those who believe that the more expensive the ass cart, the closer their kinship to the gods.

I decided to take the car “from scratch” because: 1. “disposability” 2. the realization that a used one is always a pig in a poke. The higher the mileage, the closer the used car is to its limit, and the lower the number on the speedometer, the higher the likelihood of trying to reset the faulty car. Anticipating comments like “I would buy a used Toyota Camry/Lincoln Navigator/Porschayenne/Death Star for that kind of money...”, I’ll answer right away - take it and ride to your heart’s content, but don’t count my money - this is my subjective opinion and This.My.Choice . To make it easier to remember - computer.

Next, I compiled a list of cars for myself, which we, those who decided to take B and B+, are largely similar: Solaris, Rapid, Rio, Vesta and Polo. Kilometers of reviews were re-read, gigabytes of videos were watched, hours of test drives were carried out and a file was compiled in which I wrote down +++ and - all the “competitors”. It was thanks to this file that the choice was subsequently made.

I could develop my writing for many pages, but I’ll just write the main reasons that turned me away from buying the above cars and led to the decision to buy Vesta.

Difficulty of choice

Why not Solaris? A very nice looking car, which was at the top of my list for a long time after a test drive. A big plus is the excellent crash test results at 64 and 15 km/h. But I didn’t like the policy of car dealerships - within a week I couldn’t find the package I needed with the option I needed. I wanted comfort + winter in black, but all the salons echoed each other, pushing me into the bargain with an unnecessary advance, or a car in a different color. I consider another of the main disadvantages to be the unsatisfactory sound insulation of Solarik. Yes, it can be fixed, but at an extra cost and interference in the design of the car. Reluctantly, I had to cross it out.

Why not Rapid? Mediocre appearance, high cost of the required equipment. At the same time, I really liked the ergonomics and driving performance.

Why not Rio? As the manager of the salon with whom I took a test drive said: “every car has a soul.” So, I either didn’t feel it in Rio, or our souls simply turned out to be unrelated. It also seemed to me that the rear in Rio was a bit cramped. I understand, it’s too subjective, but...Computers, remember? ))

Why not Polo? Went as a passenger a few times a few years ago. Even then, Polo seemed to me like a guest from the past - dull, boring “appearance” (interior and exterior), and the dynamics did not seem very good. Several years have passed, and Polo has not changed. I heard that an updated version should be released soon, which, judging by the video and photos, should break all competitors if the price does not exceed imaginable limits. But I didn’t want to wait for the updated version: Zhdun is not my hero))

Still Vesta

As an offtopic note: my entire list at once could have been covered by the Vesta SW Cross (or simply SW as a compromise), but it could not, because all the Crosses of the top and pre-top configuration on the robot were swept off the market in just a few days (November-December) and the order stretched out to an indecent 4 months of waiting. Here a reasonable question arises: does the domestic concern have absolutely no analysts and forecasters? No one conducted surveys or analyzed the mood of potential buyers? How did it happen that the demand for top versions far exceeded supply, but at the same time Crosses in the minimum wage are in warehouses and do not receive special attention? Okay, this is rhetoric... but if anyone answers, I will be grateful.

Why Vesta? Here I will dwell in more detail, because the story is about her. Since this is an exhibition, expectations and first impressions are described here (based on test drives and the first couple of hundred miles). Whether they were justified or not, I will describe in the next part of my review.

Arguments FOR

+ Price. There's nothing to worry about here. Vesta's top compared to the top of its closest competitor differs by 150-200 thousand. Despite the fact that Vesta’s equipment is “prettier”.

+ Robot. For some, this is an argument against it, but I almost immediately found a common language with him during the test drive and became friends. And everything that was before Vesta was on the handle. And driving inexpensive automatic cars (a rich experience thanks to car sharing) did not make me an ardent fan of them. Plus, a robot is an opportunity to jump out of the shitholes into which my love for airsoft often leads me, the trips associated with it to remote training grounds, often without normal roads, and just forays into nature.

There are no difficulties with acceleration when overtaking and exiting secondary roads - I switched the selector to manual mode and pressed the trigger. Automatic operators get used to making additional manipulations, and mechanics just get used to making one more hand movement.

+ Appearance. Here only the lazy did not praise. Right away: I saw it and liked it. Like a girl whom you evaluate at the first meeting, first with your eyes and then... how it goes. I won’t praise the smoothness of the curves and the flying X-design, I’m not a poet, I’m a prose writer. I’ll just say: yes, this is a really beautiful car, unlike anything that has previously rolled off the VAZ assembly line.

+ Equipment. As indicated above, she pleasantly pleases. Even during the test drive, which was carried out in ankle-deep snow, I was very impressed by the traction control system and TCS, which, of course, was not present in my earlier cars.

+ Audio. Not being an audiophile, but being an ardent fan of death and black metal, I was not disappointed. The sound is of decent quality, bass and growling do not wheeze, and screaming and high solos do not cause the speakers to rattle.

+ Predicted low cost of maintenance, spare parts and repairs.

Competitor to Koreans

Evgeniy, Norilsk . Recently, my friend decided to buy a car, and was considering other cars, except Russian ones. I saw Lada Vesta. He and I began to look at it. This is no longer a Soviet car, like a horse cart. It looks like a foreign car, cool seats, original dashboard, and what a beautiful body! Maybe it will start to rust? But you need to check this yourself. When you drive, the cabin is quiet, and when moving it picks up speed easily. The headlights shine brightly. The Vesta car is a good competitor to the Koreans and is not inferior to them.

Plus: sizes

From the very beginning, all Ladas were relatively small: according to the European classification, they could be classified as B-class. This was also explained by Soviet standards, the prevailing market conditions, and even the nuances of conveyor suspensions. But it is obvious that production was considered “sluggish”; fundamentally new models (including in size) were difficult to put into production, although people felt the need for larger cars. And then Vesta came out, which in size, although it does not reach a full-fledged C-class, is already somewhere in the middle between B and C. This, of course, was reflected in the free space in the cabin.

Machine with a light hand

Alexey, Rostov-on-Don . I want to write my review about Lada Vesta. The car was created with a light hand, and it quickly took root on our roads.

I will name the advantages that I discovered:

1. Good aerodynamics.
2. Good noise and vibration insulation of Vesta.
3. Short braking distance, quick acceleration.
4. The salon is comfortable and spacious.
5. Cheap to maintain.
6. Economical in fuel consumption.
7. In appearance it is suitable for different ages - from the elderly to the youth.

My personal opinion is positive, I’ve owned it for 3 years now, and I haven’t found any major cons! I recommend to all.

How are things going with the Lada Vesta suspension?

The suspension design of the new car is completely original and mounted on a subframe. Its features include:

• L-shaped arms and new steering knuckles;
• castor 5 degrees;
• rack with electric power steering mounted on a subframe;
• steering from Renault Megane;
• semi-independent rear suspension from Renault.

Today, there are no particular complaints about the behavior of the Lada Vesta suspension in the reviews of owners. This fact is confirmed by the opinion of Andrey R. after 5 months of operation:

“The chassis is almost ideal - it overcomes speed bumps smoothly, the behavior is confident at high speed, and it doesn’t roll much in corners. I don’t understand the complaints of some drivers whose rear end of the car starts to wobble at 180 km/h. Firstly, the road is not a racing track, but the Lada Vesta can maintain a trajectory of 120-130 km/h without any problems. Secondly, I think the beam is the best thing you can come up with for a budget car, and for our roads it’s generally an ideal solution.”

A certain number of owners point out the stiffness of the suspension on an unloaded car. The reason lies in gas-filled struts, which work harder, but have a longer service life and are stable. High gas pressure in the shock absorber keeps it constantly pressed, which reduces response time to uneven road surfaces. Moreover, the single-tube design of the strut, in contrast to the double-tube design of the hydraulic shock absorber, is cooled during operation more efficiently and therefore operates more stable.

The rear suspension is somewhat different from previous models - now the springs are separate from the shock absorbers. But this hasn’t changed the essence - it’s the same semi-independent suspension, which means we can’t expect all-wheel drive versions of Vesta for now.

Credit Carthage

Yuri, Saransk . I always read reviews about this car with interest, since I’ve been driving an SV Cross for a year in the “Carthage” color of the “Lux-Multimedia” package. The car is successful, striking in appearance, comfortable and equipped. There is enough space, and in terms of equipment it is better than the Rio X Line, which has a small trunk. On the road it behaves similarly to the Rio. The suspension is stiff, but it costs less! It is wrong to speak badly of Vesta by comparing it with expensive prestigious brands. The car may not be perfect, but it’s definitely a test car!

Cons: windshield wipers

The problem especially affects the first Vestas, where the work of the frame wipers, although not the biggest problem in the car, is very unpleasant - it’s clearly a manufacturer’s fault. Their movement is accompanied by creaking, and in some cases even scratches on the glass are reported. Of course, not everyone encounters this, but it would be better if AvtoVAZ began equipping Vesta with frameless brushes from the assembly line.