Every Soviet motorist dreamed of buying a Niva car. Conceived as an ordinary city car, the VAZ 2121 soon turned into a compact jeep. Thanks to its small size, it felt light and at ease in any driving situation. The rather large ground clearance contributed to good cross-country ability on any surfaces.
Niva's story
VAZ 21214 is a passenger car with increased cross-country ability, equipped with a five-speed gearbox, transmission with permanent all-wheel drive. In addition, there is a two-stage RK - transfer case.
In 1969-1970, the chief designer of the VAZ V. S. Solovyov came up with an initiative to develop an all-terrain vehicle for rural residents. His proposal was the result of the elaboration of the so-called "type" of the USSR Ministry of Automotive Industry for 1971-1980.
The first production model of the VAZ-2121 rolled off the VAZ assembly line on April 5, 1977. Soon after the launch of the conveyor, the production plan for the all-wheel drive vehicle was increased from 25,000 vehicles per year to 50,000 vehicles, and then to 70,000 units, due to the success in export markets.
In an interview with Itogi magazine, the creator of Niva, Pyotr Mikhailovich Prusov, said that the car was named after Prusov's children, Natalia and Irina, and the children of VAZ's first chief designer, V. S. Solovyov, Vadim and Andrey [The body of the vehicle belongs to station wagons, which means the presence of a spacious trunk, the volume of which ranges from 265 to 980 liters, and a spacious interior. Niva 21214, the technical characteristics of which ensure its acceleration to 100 km / h in 17 seconds, belongs to all-terrain vehicles. The car is not intended for "reckless drivers", as well as those who like fast driving. Its maximum speed is 137 km / h, which, in principle, is typical of an SUV. The car has three doors - two at the front for passengers and the driver and one at the back for the luggage compartment. The cabin has five seats, so the car belongs to the passenger type.
This car can be driven on any road. It is designed for both off-road driving and city highways.
Driving on poor quality roads for the Niva 212214 does not present much effort. The car is well controlled, reliable and stable on steep ascents, descents, turns, humps, pits, hollows, etc. The car interior is roomy, comfortable, equipped with a security system. The car body is made of all-metal material, which protects it from external mechanical damage.
In October 2016, on LADA 4x4, VAZ employees introduced a bearing in the front hubs that does not require periodic adjustment. The car has a modernized steering knuckle, an independent fastening of the front axle gearbox and gas-filled shock absorbers
Niva also achieved success in motorsport, becoming the winner of such prestigious rally-raids as Paris-Dakar, Paris-Tunisia, Pharaoh Rally, Paris-Beijing and others. For many years, the official dealer of VAZ in France, Jean-Jacques Pock, used his own funds to participate in the Dakar marathon. Also for the European owners of the VAZ-2121 there was the Nivalp competition, which can be compared with the Camel Trophy series.
World achievements of Niva
- World altitude record: in 1998, the Niva off-road vehicle climbed to the base camp under Everest at an altitude of 5200 m, and in 1999, on the Tibetan plateau in the Himalayas, climbed an altitude of 5726 m above sea level;
- "Niva" conquered the North Pole - during the international parachute action in April 1998, the VAZ-2131 "Niva" was dropped with a parachute, and after landing on the ice and release from the lines, it was wound up and successfully overcame the specified route;
- For 12 years she served "Niva" at the Russian polar station "Bellingshausen" in Antarctica, where roads do not exist in principle. The Togliatti off-road vehicle was operated in the temperature range from -54 to +40 ° C for the carriage of goods and towing of ships. The total mileage of the car was 11,800 km;
- In 1999 and 2000, the Lada-Niva-Marsh snow and swamp-going vehicle, created on the Niva units, conquered the North Pole twice.
Niva 21214: specifications
BODY
- Body type station wagon
- Number of seats 4
- Number of doors 3
ENGINE
- Engine type four-cylinder, in-line, four-stroke
- Engine displacement, cubic meters cm 1690
- Power, hp / rpm 80/5200
- Torque, Nm / rpm 127.5 / 5200
- ECM Ignition System - Electronic Engine Control System
- Valves per cylinder: 2
- Location of valves and camshaft OHV with an overhead camshaft
- Front engine position, longitudinal
- Fuel injection system
DRIVE UNIT
- Drive type permanent all-wheel drive
- (there is a center differential lock)
- Checkpoint
- Mechanical 5
- (plus downshift)
SUSPENSION
- Front independent double wishbone
- Back dependent
BRAKES
- Front disc
- Rear drum
SPEED
- Maximum speed, km / h 142
- Acceleration to 100 km / h, from 17
FUEL
- Fuel type gasoline AI-95
- Consumption, l per 100 km
- (combined cycle) 10.8
DIMENSIONS
- Length, mm 3740
- Width, mm 1680
- Height, mm 1640
- Wheelbase, mm 2200
- Wheel track in front, mm 1430
- Rear wheel track, mm 1400
- Clearance, mm
- (for tires 6, 95-16 with a static radius of 322 mm.) 220
- Curb weight, kg 1210
- Permitted maximum weight (RMM), kg 1610
- Trunk volume, l in the normal position of the rear seat 285
- with the rear seat fully folded 585
- Fuel tank volume, l 42
Engine
The power unit was left practically unchanged - it is still the same 1.7-liter engine with distributed fuel injection, which meets the Euro-4 toxicity standard. The changes include the installation of more modern and reliable sealing materials with a silicone bead, a new type of water pump oil seal, and a new fuel supply system with quick couplings. All engine characteristics remain the same.
Transmission
The transmission has been upgraded much more seriously. First of all, a new Valeo clutch was installed - the same one that is installed on the NIVA-Chevrolet. As a result, the resource of this unit has almost doubled, and the Niva 21214m car itself has become less susceptible to vibration due to a reinforced damper spring and an enlarged disc.
A more efficient crankcase ventilation system was installed on the razdatka, the cardboard seals were replaced with silicone ones and they began to complete with new oil seals.
Due to the fact that more stringent requirements are now applied to the production of cardan shafts, which primarily relate to the accuracy of balancing, their resource has increased, and noise and vibration have decreased by about 80%.
Suspension and chassis
The most significant changes affected the suspension - it was optimized and almost completely unified with the well-proven NIVA-Chevrolet suspension:
- New steering knuckles for the front suspension;
- The front suspension has lower arms with modern silent blocks;
- Changed wheel alignment angles in front;
- Oversized front axle;
- Reinforced brackets;
- New ball joints with increased swing angle, forged body and polymer liner;
- Modern gas-oil shock absorbers with increased travel and resource;
- Optimized design of the lower rods and arms in the rear suspension.
Braking and steering systems
For the convenience of the driver and to reduce the load, the designers installed a more efficient vacuum brake booster with a more efficient brake cylinder from "Lada Kalina", new TIIR240 brake pads. Power steering is now standard.
Interior and exterior
Niva-21214 received a new dashboard from the Samara family, improved sidelights, improved anti-reflective mirrors, daytime running lights integrated into the low beam system, better upholstery, as well as ISOFEX type child seats.
Price policy
For Niva 21214, the price, depending on the salon and the dealer, is about 370-380 thousand rubles - this is the "Standard" grade. When ordering additional options, it may increase slightly.
