Lada Niva
The Lada Niva Legend, formerly called the Lada Niva, VAZ-2121, VAZ-2131, and Lada 4×4, is a series of four-wheel drive, small, and compact off-road cars designed and produced by AvtoVAZ since 1977. Initially aimed at the rural market, later models also targeted urban users. The three- and later five-door 4×4 hatchbacks were sold under the Lada marque in many markets, and have been in continuous production since 1977.
In the 1990s, three- and five-door wagons on a longer wheelbase and an extra-long wheelbase pick-up were added to the range. After the original Land Rover and its successor, the Land Rover Defender, were discontinued in 2016, the Niva became the longest-production-run off-road light vehicle still manufactured in its original form. By the end of 2020, an estimated 650,000 Lada Nivas had been sold globally.
The Lada Niva is the world's first mass-produced off-road vehicle with a unibody construction. It is the predecessor of current crossover SUVs, most of which are built similarly.
In August 2020, Lada took over production of the 2003 Chevrolet Niva and rebranded it the "new" Lada Niva. In December 2020, the new Niva was further rebranded as the Lada Niva Travel, while the old model was renamed Lada Niva Legend in January 2021.
Name
Нива is a Russian word that literally means " field". The name Niva was formed as an acronym from the initials of Niva's chief designers' children: Pyotr Prusov's two daughters and Vladimir Solovyev's two sons.The Lada Niva was formerly called the Lada 4×4, or the VAZ-2121 in the domestic Russian market. The name was changed after the brand was transferred to General Motors, though AvtoVAZ retained the rights to the equivalent Cyrillic name: Нива. It was also marketed as the Lada Sport in Iceland, Lada Taiga in Austria, and Lada Cossack in the United Kingdom. In 2014, it was sold as the LADA 4×4 in Russia. Since 2021, it is sold as the Lada Niva Legend in Russia.
History
Prototypes and testing
The Niva was described by its designers as a "Renault 5 put on a Land Rover chassis". Development began in 1971 after the 24th Congress of the CPSU, in which Alexei Kosygin gave the designers at VAZ and AZLK the task of creating a car suitable for rural areas, since the usual Zhiguli, Moskvitch, and Zaporozhets, intended primarily for ordinary people, were not much of use in the isolated areas that made up a large part of the USSR. In the same year, a team of VAZ designers led by Solovyev began competing with AZLK to work on a "civilized" four-wheel drive vehicle. The new car was partly inspired by the IZh-14 prototype of 1974. It was VAZ's first model that was not based on Fiat, though many of its mechanics were carried over from the earlier Fiat 124- or 125-based Zhiguli models ; the body, four-wheel drive system, and front suspension were all designed by VAZ. The first prototype appeared in 1971 and was officially designated the E-2121 and nicknamed krokodil due to its distinctive frontal section, but was rejected for being too utilitarian, so doors and a hardtop were added. This version debuted in 1973 and deviated from the off-road vehicles of the period, as it used a modern hatchback body. The design choice was inspired by the prototype known as the VAZ-1101, and was created by designer Valery Pavlovitch.The influence of the Fiat 127 is obvious from the Niva's distinctive "clamshell" hood design and its rear three-quarter section. The 1974 prototype was derived from an existing model, the VAZ-2103. It used the VAZ-2103's 1,452 cc engine and shared some of its features, like chrome-plated bumpers, headlights and taillights, instruments, seats, and steering wheel. In the following year, two samples of the prototype were modified to install a 1,478 cc UZAM-412 engine, which originally powered the Moskvich 1500. Testing later revealed that the engine was incompatible with the newly designed car. The Moskvich engine was abandoned, and the older engine was reused. The 1974 prototype was ready to be mass-produced in 1975, but the appearance of the new VAZ-2106 at the end of the year resulted in a delay because the company wanted to develop another prototype based on the model in 1976, which became the sixth and final prototype.
Before its production, the Niva was tested over a period of years by a team led by Vadim Kotlyarov in the most difficult terrain of the Soviet Union, such as the Ural Mountains and Siberia, the deserts of the Kazakh SSR, and the Pamir Mountains in the Tajik SSR, where it was compared with its military counterpart, the UAZ-469, and some Western off-road vehicles—the British-made Land Rover Series and the Range Rover Classic. Its off-road capabilities were demonstrated for the very first time, which were based on its effective permanent four-wheel drive system featuring a transfer case and central differential lock, with the combination of a short wheelbase, relatively low weight, independent front suspension, small dimensions, and high ground clearance. Its large but narrow wheels, originally featuring domestically designed "Voltyre" VLI-5 high-tread tires, offered relatively strong ground pressure, which lowered the chances of slipping or getting bogged down off-road. For example, in the 1973 and 1974 trials, the Niva climbed a 58% slope, and crossed of water and of mud and snow. Solovyev died the following year and was replaced by engineer Pyotr Prusov, who took credit for creating the car.
In 1976, the final prototype appeared. The engine was changed to a one, the most powerful engine in VAZ during the Soviet era, taken from their VAZ-2106. Like the previous prototype, it featured a permanent four-wheel drive and a transfer case with a lockable central differential. The VAZ prototype displayed better design and real-world performance than its AZLK counterpart, the Moskvitch 416, so it was approved for production in March of the same year, after the 25th Congress of the CPSU. The car was named Niva 1600 for exports and the VAZ-2121 for the domestic market. For domestic customers, it was described as " high-speed car with the improved capabilities and comfort of all VAZ models," and also as " combination of the speed and comfort of a Zhiguli with the capabilities of a UAZ." Production began the following year on 5 April 1977, while the first export models appeared in 1978 at the Paris Motor Salon and quickly took over at least 40% of Europe's market for four-wheel drive vehicles, making it Lada's top-selling export. It was the only Soviet car that was ever regularly sold in Japan, starting in the early 1980s. Because of export demand and the higher priority given to exports, domestic customers faced long wait times, despite the car being developed primarily for Soviet citizens.
Design
The original Niva has a naturally aspirated 1.6-L overhead-cam four-cylinder petrol engine producing and at 5,000 rpm, a four-speed manual transmission, and a full-time four-wheel drive. The drive system uses three differentials: center, front, and rear. The transfer case involves a high/low range selector lever and another to lock the central differential. Like usual gear shifting, both of the aforementioned features naturally require the use of clutch to be properly selected. However, while the central differential can usually be locked while in motion, the transfer case cannot and requires a complete stop. The original Niva has a maximum speed of.Coil springs are located at each of the four wheels, and the suspension is independent in front, whereas the rear axle is a five-link live-type, with ratios between 3.90 and 4.30 depending on the model and market. Ground clearance is, and go as far as deep in water.
The brakes are servo-assisted dual-circuit style and the clutch is hydraulic. The turning circle is. Cargo space is, or with the rear seats folded down and, like the classic Zhiguli, the front seats can be set up to make two berths. A spare tire can be stored in the engine bay under the bonnet.
Additional equipment for the basic model was similar to other Lada and Eastern Bloc cars of the period; it included headlight wipers, a rear fog lamp, a right external mirror, rear seat belts, a rear window wiper, a rear window heater, and a radio set. On the Niva 1.7 or VAZ-21213 from 1994, all of the above features except headlight wipers and the rear fog lamp became default and air conditioning, an antilock braking system, and a hydraulic servomotor for the steering column were made optional, although they became standard equipment on the newest models.
Foreign local Lada importers often offered their own additional equipment before buying the car, such as front and rear bull bars and roll bars, side rocker rails, roof rails, a winch, fender plastics, additional headlights for front bumper and for roof rails, and aftermarket aluminium rims, which can be often seen mounted on many Nivas.
The existing model was slightly restyled during first half of the 1980s when VAZ discontinued the VAZ-2103. Due to high prices and production complexity, some of the chrome-plated elements disappeared in later models, such as the chrome-plated mask and rocker panel edges. Other elements were changed, such as the side mirrors, which became black metallic. The background of the front Lada badge was changed from red to white on all models. The side rear retroreflectors were replaced by Lada and Niva labels, and the rear mudflaps received the brand logo. For easier access to certain areas of the engine compartment, the window washer reservoir was moved from the left to the right section of the compartment. The interior was only minimally changed, along with some minor changes to the instrument panel and choke knob.
Pre-1985 models are visually recognized by the aforementioned details, and are rare today, so they are highly valued by various collectors of classic cars. A mint-condition 1980 unit in Russia reached a price of five million RUB and ultimately sold for 3,2 million in 2016, which remains the most expensive Niva ever sold.
The VAZ-2121 Niva or Lada Niva 1600 was in production until 1993 when the newer and more powerful four-cylinder petrol engine was introduced, replacing the previously used VAZ-2106 engine. The standard Weber carburetor was replaced by a single-point fuel injection initially supplied by General Motors on the 21214/1.7i model, and an improved Solex carburetor on the 21213/1.7 model. The transmission was changed from four to five speeds, mechanical ignition was replaced, and the electronics and suspension received some relatively minor changes. The exhaust system was also slightly redesigned, and on newer models, the drive shafts received homokinetic joints.
On the exterior, the rear section of the body was redesigned with the tailgate extended and license plate on it. These changes prompted new vertical taillights that replaced the former VAZ-2106 horizontal ones and the VAZ-2102 chromed tailgate knob, which was replaced by a simple plastic handle. On the newest models, the old hand-adjustable, square black-metallic side mirrors, which originated from the VAZ-2103 were replaced with larger plastic ones that could be automatically adjusted.. The previous front Lada badge was replaced with the larger ellipsoid design. The Fiat 125 chrome-plated doorknobs are still present, though they are plastic on the newest models. Although the rest of the exterior has remained generally unchanged, the interior was almost completely redesigned and shares only a few interchangeable parts with the previous one: the archaic partially chrome-plated VAZ-2106 steering wheel was replaced with the more modern and thick one from the VAZ-2107 and later, even newer models, as well as its VAZ-2103/2106 instruments, which were replaced with the dashboard from the VAZ-21099. The black artificial leather seats that originated from the VAZ-2106 were replaced by higher, more modern ones from the VAZ-2108, with the front surface made of polyester, while the rear seat was improved for easier folding. The Fiat 124 swiveling windows from the side doors disappeared and were replaced with air conditioning, which was installed with the ABS and servomotor for the steering column as additional equipment on request, while the headlight wipers and rear fog lamp disappeared. It received completely new front and door panels, various plastics and even new floor mats. The hand openings for the side-door windows was replaced with an automatic opening on the newest models starting from 2014. Multipoint fuel injection designed by Bosch has been used since 2004, replacing the previously mentioned single-point injection from General Motors.