Little has been heard recently about the Russian carmaker Lada, which dropped new models after the country invaded the Ukraine three years ago, so news that company has uprated its cult Lada Niva SUV now comes out of the blue.
The Niva is the longest-serving off-road vehicle in the world and has been built in almost unaltered form since 1976. During that time the VW Golf, for example, has gone through eight incarnations.
Now the manufacturer has announced the Lada Niva Sport with rally-inspired technology. Lada had earlier been due to unveil an all-new Niva, based on parent company Renault Group’s CMF-B platform, but this has failed to materialize.
Lada said the Niva Sport is inspired by a rally vehicle used in the 2024 Silkway Rally, a kind of Asian version of the Paris-Dakar event, covering more than 5,000 kilometres through Russia and Mongolia.
The Niva Sport inherits a considerably more powerful engine from these competition vehicles.
The power output of 122 hp is impressive when compared to the current Niva series engine with its 83 hp. Performance has gone up by almost 50%, with the torque of the unspecified 16-valve engine rated at 151 Nm. The unit is a conventional petrol engine which complies with Russia’s lenient emission regulations.
Since the Niva is only 3.7 metre short and 1,285 kilo light, the upgrade should turn it into a much more usable off-road vehicle.
The engine is mounted longitudinally and coupled with a revised transmission, in which the fifth gear has been reinforced for long journeys at high speeds. The suspension and brakes are said to have also been improved, but Lada is not saying exactly what.
The new Lada Niva Sport also bids farewell to the old-school transfer case controls used for decades. The centre differential lock and the off-road gear reduction are now controlled by a single gear lever.
Production of the car started this year at Lada Sport LLC, a subsidiary of manufacturer AVTOVAZ, with the first vehicles off the assembly line earmarked for comprehensive testing.
Lada, whose cars are hard to come by in most countries beyond Russia, said information about the dates of the start of deliveries of production cars to the dealer network, as well as prices and equipment specs will be given later.
