How does it look
The simplified Grant Classic offers a more appealing appearance than prior low cost versions, featuring body color mirrors, door handles, and door moldings. Against this backdrop, the absence of airbags, ABS, and ERA-GLONASS, along with an immobilizer, is relatively noticeable. There is no air conditioning or heated seats.
However, essentials like power steering, electric front windows, and central locking remain. The price sits more than 80,000 rubles lower than the 2021 Classic. And trading in a car or using a loan from Lada Finance can bring the total cost down by up to 100,000 rubles.
How it rides?
Three body styles are offered: sedan, liftback, and station wagon. All are equipped with a new 90 hp 11182 engine and a five speed manual transmission. The engine features updated control logic drawing more from domestic components, and the second environmental class is claimed instead of the fifth. Factory data indicate fuel consumption should stay the same, though real-world results will tell the full story.
The anti crisis Grant performs steadily, as one might expect from a model rooted in the 1980s. The engine pulls well from low revs, and gear shifts are notably crisp. The suspension is a touch firm, but optional 15 inch wheels offer a benefit for rough roads. For Russian highways the setup is practical.
The new steering wheel is manufactured in Chelyabinsk. It feels rougher to the touch than before. There is no built in music, but the car comes with an audio setup for four speakers and an antenna.
How does it slow down?
Instead of an ABS unit, a mechanical brake force regulator on the rear axle is used, mirroring the approach of the VAZ 2108. In the past, pressures on the right and left wheels could differ. The question now is whether quality has improved. Braking techniques that risk wheel lock will still need careful management by drivers.
The move away from ABS triggered substantial changes, including adding studs for a stability feature to the body, replacing brake lines, and updating the vacuum brake booster. Consequently, a fair amount of work was required.
The new steering wheel, without a cushion, is a fresh design intended to comply with UN passive safety regulations, and it is not borrowed from the Kalina or Priora models.
With no ABS, the mechanical brake force regulator helps reduce the chance of rear wheel lock by accounting for rear axle load and modulating pressure to the rear drum brakes.
For domestic consumption
The most frustrating change is the immobilizer lockout caused by chip shortages. Beyond the immobilizer, protection against theft is limited, so owners may have to take additional precautions. The instrument panel looks familiar but lacks a shift indicator, which is now read from the gearbox rather than wheel sensors.
Travel abroad with this Grant may be tricky as it does not meet some international standards. While movement within EAEU countries should pose fewer issues, others may require additional approvals.
One lingering question is how buyers would verify travel capabilities on the EPTS. Another option could be a voluntary refusal to travel abroad, similar to a voluntary decision to install ERA-GLONASS at a later date.
We can do it even cheaper
Despite concerns, the Grant Classic can be found for 658,300 rubles with a trade-in or loan. That price beats a lot of rivals and is hard to beat in this segment.
There is potential to lower costs further. In cases where the Standard model has disappeared from price lists, a price drop to around 600–620 thousand rubles is plausible. The question remains whether this could be achieved without power steering and electric windows.
- Behind the wheel can also be read in Telegram.