It's one of the cheapest SUVs you can buy. It's also arguably the oldest on the market: the Lada Niva. A Russian SUV that was born in the 1970s and was also sold in Germany for many years.
Now this veteran has a new sports version. What can it do? For example, it has more power than ever before. The brand's website states that it turned to the Lada Motorsport department to improve the model's performance and dynamics using the experience the brand has gained in competitions.
The first work is done on the engine. Until now, the Niva had to survive with a 1,7-liter internal combustion gasoline engine with 83 hp in combination with a five-speed manual transmission, but now that is history. Instead, there is talk of a 16V engine with 122 hp and a maximum torque of 151 Nm at 5.000 rpm, which is connected to a reinforced gearbox, and improvements also apply to the reduction gear.
But that's not all, as the changes also affect important aspects of vehicle dynamics, such as the suspension and brakes. There are also new racing touches in the interior, such as sports seats and a steering wheel with a 12 o'clock marking.
At this stage, Lada has not yet provided any information on availability at Russian dealers or pricing for the new model. Given that the regular Niva Legend is available for €8.600 and the luxury Niva Bronto for €13.800, we are confident that it will remain an affordable and interesting model. However, we don’t need to get our hopes up in Europe. And maybe that’s for the best.
