Few off-road vehicles have as much tradition in the automotive world as the Lada Niva, which already has 43 years of history and is still present on the market. Rough and robust like few others, it certainly deserves a place among the most remembered models.
I was already glimpsing the end of the 20th century when I got my driver’s license and, after passing on the back of a FIAT Bravo of the time, I was lucky enough to be able to drive vehicles as varied as a Ford Transit, a Ford Mondeo or a Lada Niva Before I owned my first car: a Peugeot 205 GRD that had to be refilled, ignorant of me, the water tank every two by three so as not to get stranded (never put water in the car!).
Without a doubt, the Lada Niva was the one that gave me the most satisfaction. To me and my friends, because in addition to being practically the only one who could get to the institute (here a repeater, yes) by car on rainy days – since it had been released that year and there was still no asphalt access -, it was a spectacular car to have fun on the forest tracks and the roads from the surroundings of Rivas-Vaciamadrid, the city in which we lived at that time.
Lada surprised with the adoption of a monocoque chassis, self-supporting body and spring suspensions
It is true that I did not have so much fun when I went to classes as a veterinary assistant in Atocha every week and I had to pray that he did not leave me stranded on the climb to Moratalaz on the A3. Something happened to him, that when you stepped on him in fourth (he didn’t have fifth), he began to jerk and lose speed.
But I do not deviate from the topic of this article: the history of the Lada Niva, a rough off-road like few others and equally effective than AvtoVAZ It was launched on the market in 1977 and that, since then, has made a niche in the automotive industry in a way, how could it be otherwise in its case, unorthodox.
The first Soviet cars
The Ladas were the western version of the AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer that in addition to its own vehicles manufactured or continues to manufacture units for prestigious brands such as Renault, FIAT or Datsun.
In Russia, the Lada Niva was called VAZ 2121 and it was an off-road of self-supporting body three-door, front-engine, permanent four-wheel drive for the Niva 1600.
While the frame and transmission were sourced from Lada, the Niva’s engines came from FIAT, a brand used by the Soviet state in 1966 to start up the factories and machinery necessary to have its own brand of cars.
This was the original Lada Niva.
In fact, the Niva was manufactured in the factory of the Italian brand in Togliatti, a Russian city built expressly for said company in honor of Palmiro Togliatti, general secretary of the Italian Communist Party and which is also the headquarters of AvtoVAZ.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the first Lada Niva came onto the market with numerous parts and accessories corresponding to FIAT from the late 60s and early 70s, since the main premise given by the Soviet state was to make a very robust and reliable vehicle, as well as cheap, especially designed for farmers.
It arrived in Spain at the end of the 70s and was, together with other Lada models, the first Soviet model to be part of the Spanish market. Already at that time, the chroniclers say that the body was outdated (inspired by military UAZs), which gives us an accurate idea of what the Niva was, inside and out.
A offroad very effective
The Russian tankAs it was nicknamed, it had three gearshift levers, one for the four ratios, another for the transfer case with two ratios and one more for the manual central differential lock, which allowed the power to be shared equally between both axles.
The first units did not have an electric starter motor as a result of the low temperatures in the Russian country, so you had to start it with a crank that was inserted into a hole in the front.
Lada surprised many with the adoption of a monocoque chassis, the aforementioned self-supporting body and spring suspensions with an independent scheme at the front and a rigid axle at the rear. This gave it commendable stability in high-speed curves, which, accompanied by its great height, made it perfect for driving on narrow roads and even fording rivers.
Although it was a small vehicle, as it did not measure more than 3.59 meters in length, the space inside the cabin was remarkable and it allowed five people to travel in comfort. Of course, at the cost of losing storage capacity in the trunk, which was rather scarce.
The instrument panel used plastics, something very rare in Russian cars, and elements such as the steering wheel, switches and light levers they were the same used by the SEAT 124 (coming from FIAT, obviously).
AvtoVAZ is already preparing the new generation of the Lada Niva, which will see the light in 2024
On a mechanical level, the Niva resorted to a 1600 engine of FIAT origin that threw a power of 75 CV, and had a precise steering and good brakes. Another quality of the Lada was a very efficient heating, only missing in a Russian car!
The Niva’s performance on the road was not exactly overwhelming, although its 130 km / h top speed allowed to roll at legal speeds, yes, not without effort. This engine was present in the car until 1994, although the four-speed gearbox was replaced by the five 9 years earlier.
Little evolution
On an aesthetic level, the Niva began to undergo some aesthetic changes to the rear and the instrument panel in 1994, coinciding with the arrival of the 1.7 injection engine and 82 CV. The five-door bodywork also began to be manufactured.
On 2009, Lada introduced more aesthetic changes in mirrors, lights and indicators, as well as in geometry and suspension settings, upholstery and interior trim or the arrival of ABS.
Currently, the Lada Niva not sold in most of Europe as a result of demanding anti-emissions regulations, but it continues to survive in countries like Germany thanks to specialized importers. And their sales are not testimonial, because so far in 2021 1,184 units have been marketed, surpassing current models such as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the Ford Galaxy or the Land Rover Discovery.
It is not surprising, therefore, that AvtoVAZ is already preparing the new generation of the Lada Niva, which will see the light in 2024 already under the Renault umbrella after the departure of General Motors, which partnered with the Russian firm in 2001. Long live the Niva!
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Do not miss the rest of the classics remembered in our section, Loves of youth.