The Promtech company is particularly generous with new items this year.
In the spring, Yuri Timkin went to the factory and told about cars based on Largus.
Then Alexander Vinogradov tested vans on the Granta and Niva chassis at Dmitrovsky’s training ground.
And I was lucky enough to ride the most interesting, in my opinion, version.
Lada Niva Cube is quite nice for a company car.
Family bus in a new way
Nizhny Novgorod had worked with Niva and Grants before, but the basis of the adaptations was Largus: cheap, reliable, relatively economical. About 2000 were built in five years, which is not bad for a niche model. You can speak of a kind of specialization. VIS made semi-frame trucks from original Russian models, and Promtekh made nicer and roomier ones from Largus. But now there are no Largus, and it’s not clear yet when they will appear again, and the price has been above reasonable. And in Nizhny they began to expand the offer for Grants and Niva.
Niva Cube is a special car because it does not have a separate luggage compartment module. The body has become wider, higher and has a “passenger” appearance due to the smooth sides. Nice. Much the same way I rated the first Largus Cube five years ago: too utilitarian for a family, and even elegant by commercial transport standards.
Or maybe I fired family members too early? I still live in the old reality, where Largus is available with a dimensionless suitcase and a passenger compartment for seven people. He was the only cheap car with such advantages, and now the segment is empty.
The Niva Cube, among others, was also designed with a three-row passenger compartment without partition behind the driver’s compartment.
It’ll be weird to look like such a mega-universe – after all, Largus isn’t handsome either.
The length of the three-door Niva Legend is 3640 mm, the wheelbase is 2200 mm. And the Cuba has 4900 and 3050 mm respectively. Of course, the machine is not wide, but long!
106 “horses”
Perfectly understanding the main flaw of the Niva, in Nizhny they thought about refining the engine. We have found an external partner, who has not yet been named. One of the characteristics is known: power 106 hp. Of. It is impossible to increase the power by a quarter with chip tuning alone. Most likely, it could not have done without “iron” – at least without drilling cylinders and replacing pistons. We will know all the details when (and if) the modified motor will reach commercial vehicles.
While I check the engine on the way. With an empty van on a flat road in fifth gear from 60 km/h, the Cube picks up speed. There are fewer shifts on climbs.
Niva ran more cheerfully – this is noticeable. If these 106 “horses” were under the hood of a standard three-door, I’d probably say “much nicer”. But the car has been modified, with deteriorated aerodynamics and an increased curb weight.
The last promtehovtsy vote not. But according to the available figures, mathematics “doesn’t come together.” Permissible total weight – 2150 kg, payload – 850 kg. So equipped with 1300 kg, which is only 15 kg more than the three-door Niva Legend? I don’t believe it: what a hump they have built. Therefore, we will wait for OTTS and official data – they promise to cope in a few months.
Any questions?
The cube on the rear air suspension rolls less than the Prima with a huge separate “cab”, but still behaves worse in corners than the stock Niva. The brakes of the original three-door have not changed at all, but according to the passport, the maximum mass increase is 540 kg. Third!
I’ve driven B-class sedans and crossovers with maximum weight. Five people with luggage, building materials for repairs – suitcases are different. So if the dynamics don’t suffer significantly, the brakes sometimes go into “off” mode. Even at city speeds they are not enough. But the Niva for rework comes from AVTOVAZ without ABS – and we get a car that needs to be driven very carefully.
What’s the price?
The price is promised at about 1.7 million rubles – 200 thousand cheaper than the Largus Cube is now. What is also strange: according to the official price list, the difference between the source codes – the three-door Niva and the Largus van – is half a million rubles. And the change costs plus or minus the same. Like many, I wouldn’t want to get rid of Largus completely. The Niva is good in some circumstances, but not in all.
What is the result?
Arguing in favor of the Niva Legend as the basis for such adjustments, they usually recall the quality of regional roads and the accessibility of remote villages. Yes, it is: Niva is not young, but much more comfortable than the Oise “bread”. But has it kept its cargo-sized benefits?
Off-road, the engine is barely enough, even for a three-door. What can a heavy ambulance show with him?
And the modified 106 horsepower engine is a dark horse in terms of resources. Along with the power, the torque usually also grows: will a transmission made without reserve digest it?
Niva off-road is good, also for its low weight and excellent cross-country geometric capability. The Promtech machine no longer has one or the other.
But I see the semi-frame structure as the weakest point. There are no complaints about asphalt trucks. And how will it behave under constant bending loads in all directions? Perhaps it is better to take the Sobol Business 4WD, originally designed as a fully framed vehicle with high cross-country capabilities.
- “Behind the wheel” can also be read on VKontakte.
You have probably never seen such a modification of a cheap VAZ SUV: it is … a minivan!
Source: Z R
