It is a decent off-roader, second to none in its price point. Where I'm from it is mostly used for hunting in mountain ranges, and people there swear by them. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. Locking differentials, drive selector (rwd or 4wd) high and low gear selection and a simple petrol engine make a fun little car. On the other hand, when on asphalt, it drives like an old truck.
It is a decent off-roader, second to none in its price point. Where I'm from it is mostly used for hunting in mountain ranges, and people there swear by them. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. Locking differentials, drive selector (rwd or 4wd) high and low gear selection and a simple petrol engine make a fun little car. On the other hand, when on asphalt, it drives like an old truck.
Niva had a transfer case, not permanent 4x4, it needed to be enabled with low and high range! Also, it was available in some countries with 1.9 and 2.1 diesel engines delivering between 71 and 90 hp depending if NA or turbo. Those engines came from Renault and Peugeot
@dragan_avramov yes, Niva always was permanent 4x4, at least stock ones. Maybe a dealer in some country installed non-stock transfer cases with 2H on a few of them, but it seems unlikely.
The Lada Riva was based on the Fiat 124 and 125 . The Lada Niva's body was influenced the Fiat 127, but it was VAZ's own design. The petrol engines and much of the mechanics were the same as the Lada Riva's (with a few modifications) so based on the Fiat's. The diesel engines were Peugeot/Citroen. The Renault/Landrover thing is what the designers said when describing it back in the seventies.
@@skasteve6528 I mean not just simply badge-engineered Fiat, but an original car based on Fiat. Lada Riva was based on Lada 2101 which was based on Fiat 124. Lada Niva was based on Lada 2103, which was based on Fiat 124. Yes, it was the original VAZ design with its own transfer case and body, but it still was based on Fiat 124.
What do you think - does the Lada Niva deserve its legendary status as the ultimate off-roader, or is it just nostalgia keeping it alive?
It is a decent off-roader, second to none in its price point. Where I'm from it is mostly used for hunting in mountain ranges, and people there swear by them. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. Locking differentials, drive selector (rwd or 4wd) high and low gear selection and a simple petrol engine make a fun little car. On the other hand, when on asphalt, it drives like an old truck.
thanks for your additional info about use cases this car is for.
It is a decent off-roader, second to none in its price point. Where I'm from it is mostly used for hunting in mountain ranges, and people there swear by them. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. Locking differentials, drive selector (rwd or 4wd) high and low gear selection and a simple petrol engine make a fun little car. On the other hand, when on asphalt, it drives like an old truck.
I have seen this car in action i also saw the other car lada samara going towards it i was a awful road and samara was even more confedent somehow
Niva had a transfer case, not permanent 4x4, it needed to be enabled with low and high range! Also, it was available in some countries with 1.9 and 2.1 diesel engines delivering between 71 and 90 hp depending if NA or turbo. Those engines came from Renault and Peugeot
Not permanent 4x4? That's new for me. I thought there was only 4L and 4H in transfer case, and also central diff lock.
@dragan_avramov yes, Niva always was permanent 4x4, at least stock ones. Maybe a dealer in some country installed non-stock transfer cases with 2H on a few of them, but it seems unlikely.
That thing is an absolute garbage. I had a displeasure to own one. Terrible engineering, terrible quality control, terrible driving experience.
@@ygayovy thanks for sharing your experience!
Electrical system is not good, everything else is decent. Certainly much better than any modern Chinese import.
@@julioc.7760 yeah, and the engine rebuilds every 20k miles.
Why Renault? Fiat! It was based on Fiat 124.
The Lada Riva was based on the Fiat 124 and 125 . The Lada Niva's body was influenced the Fiat 127, but it was VAZ's own design. The petrol engines and much of the mechanics were the same as the Lada Riva's (with a few modifications) so based on the Fiat's. The diesel engines were Peugeot/Citroen. The Renault/Landrover thing is what the designers said when describing it back in the seventies.
@@skasteve6528 I mean not just simply badge-engineered Fiat, but an original car based on Fiat.
Lada Riva was based on Lada 2101 which was based on Fiat 124. Lada Niva was based on Lada 2103, which was based on Fiat 124. Yes, it was the original VAZ design with its own transfer case and body, but it still was based on Fiat 124.