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Although a view from the outside allows you to look at the car with different eyes, most of the shortcomings you list are known to us. “The more you, journalists, will criticize the car, the sooner marketers will decide on improvements” - I quote the chief designer Vadim Klassen. There is an expression that the best car is the one you drive. A person gets used to both good and bad, so we drive different cars: Nissan Qashqai, Chevrolet Captiva, and even Renault Duster.
Shanghai finish
Finish in Shanghai Finish in Shanghai
But not only our experts turn to Western experience. When launching their models on the market, Jiemovtsi consult and listen to the opinions of GM-AVTOVAZ employees. The Russian market is a thing in itself, and the people who made the Niva have huge experience.
In the comments on one of the first reports, readers left a message: about 1700 changes were made to the Chevy Niva design, after it went under the wing of GM. Is this true, I ask Vadim Klassen? Yes, so many changes were made only in the first 12 months, after that the work did not stop even for a day. About 10 changes are reviewed and implemented weekly. Naturally, not everyone is as serious as, for example, the introduction of ABS, work is going on in the details.
Vadim Klassen, chief designer of GM-AvtoVAZ
Vadim Klassen, chief designer of GM-AvtoVAZ Vadim Klassen, chief designer of GM-AvtoVAZ
How bold will the second generation of the Niva come out? As much as the budget allows: the cost of the new Niva should not exceed 600 thousand rubles. This is the limit for a potential buyer; he is not ready to pay more from his pocket for alterations.
Work with suppliers does not stop. Jeffrey Glover notes that today there are a sufficient number of suppliers who work flawlessly and do an excellent job with the order. So the opinion that in Russia it is impossible to establish high-quality production, outdated, would be desire and will.
I note that the upholstered on the primer ceased to vote on the highways. Having spent almost two weeks driving the Niva, I note that the quality of the interior (both assembly and materials) is not much worse than Renaul Sandero (which will be updated soon) or Kalina, although Kalina is more modern, which Jeffrey notes that annoying a variety of plastics. Indeed, if you find fault, you can note different stiffness and texture, but in comparison with the UAZ Patriot, the difference is not in favor of the UAZ.
Jeffrey Glover and Lyudmila Kharcheva
Jeffrey Glover and Lyudmila Kharcheva Jeffrey Glover and Lyudmila Kharcheva
100% of the vehicles pass pre-sale control before being sent to the dealer. Also randomly selected "Niva" pass and more stringent control. Customers and dealers are being asked for complaints. By the way, dealers are also checked, both anonymously and on a schedule.
Despite the almost identical nodes, the VAZ Lada 4x4 is perceived as a car from the last century. The products of the Ulyanovsk plant do not have permanent all-wheel drive, only plug-in. Chery Tiggo - puzoterka, generally with a single axis drive. Other competitors - Great Wall or baby Suzuki Jimny are already worth more than 600 thousand rubles. It turns out that for the price that Niva costs, is this perhaps the best offer?
The only issue that confused me (be I a customer) is a modest guarantee. Today it is two years or 35, 000 km. Modestly even for the "Chinese", using the image of unreliable cars.
Now about the breakdowns. For the entire run, we had one gripe. On the blue car, the air conditioning stopped turning on. The reason for the refusal is unknown to us. On our air conditioner worked perfectly, several times took advantage of approaching Shanghai. I would also like to praise the cabin filter and gaskets, despite the fact that they drove along the Gobi all the time in the cloud, there was very little dust in the cabin itself. Unlike Renault, the cabin filter on the Niva is installed directly at the factory and does not save.
Shanghai
Shanghai Shanghai
On two of the three tested machines, the check engine lights came on, the cats scrubbed the first 100 km, but after 1000 km, or until Shanghai itself, there were no problems with the engine. Fuel consumption is normal, the dynamics have not fallen, in general, once it burns, it means it works! The probable cause of the light bulb is a substandard fuel in Mongolia.
Other comments on the course of the run: the reverse gear is sometimes stuck with a crunch. When using the windshield washer, the lever pulled over itself is so intensely clicked into its original position that the rear brush is turned on. Turn signals work quietly (or it’s loud in the car), so you don’t notice if they are turned on. Either make the beeper louder, or make the function blink three times. The lack of a seat belt warning in the presence of airbags is unforgivable, and we are also waiting for buyers with a central locking button.
Despite the kaleidoscope outside the window: Baikal, the Mongolian steppes, the Gobi desert, Chinese villages and megacities, there was no time to relax. Almost every morning we got up when it was still dark, and drove at a very cheerful pace until the evening. When overtaking on highways, they accelerated to 140 km / h, but Shanghai met us with traffic jams and bustle, in general, there was enough variety.
Frank off-road on our route did not meet
Frank off-road on our route did not meet Frank off-road on our route did not meet
The whole of China was cut up by real autobahns, but for the average Chinese they are expensive. An alternative is parallel roads through settlements. Transport here is very varied, three-wheeled scooters, in the back of which children are transported, are very popular. The farther into the hinterland, the cheaper the vehicles, in the villages use cultivators.
One of the points on our route was the famous Shaolin Monastery. True, this time we were slightly disappointed. In the middle of the last century, the abbot set on fire, as a result, the monastery was almost completely burned out and lay in ruins for a long time. They restored it relatively recently, so that little remains of the original legend. The feeling of props for tourists was reinforced by the Negro, who waved a white handkerchief so that he would not be removed. You can not remove some shrines. When asked why not, no one really answered.
At demonstrations, too, without miracles, one acrobatics. Only a couple of things impressed, one of them was throwing a needle into the glass. They say that in the "Destroyers of Legends" the monks repeated this trick, but to do so is difficult. The “Forest of Pagodas” has also remained authentic; here the ministers of the monastery of different eras are buried.
Let me remind you, in honor of what this race was started, a significant occasion - Chevrolet turned 100 years old! The Russian branch belongs to the Asian region, and its headquarters is located in Shanghai. In Shanghai, we were met by John Buttermore, vice president of manufacturing, GMIO and international operations. and vice president of communications Johan Willems. They confirmed that Russia remains one of the key markets in the Asian region.
Johan Willems, Jeffrey Glover, John Buttermore
Johan Willems, Jeffrey Glover, John Buttermore Johan Willems, Jeffrey Glover, John Buttermore
