lada Priora Universal
That is, the specifics are understandable: the lion's share of the local car fleet - foreign cars, primarily German ones, a lot of used and highly used ones, sales of Togliatti cars here, according to the Avtostat agency, barely reach 7.5% of the total number of cars. Therefore, the view of a dozen snow-white station wagons with a boat on the radiator grill and the numbers of the Samara region, lined up near the Khrabrovo airport terminal, caused natural surprise among the locals.
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Many came up and asked if this car was sold and how much it cost. Journalists who have not yet entered the course of the case have addressed the question to the accompanying representatives of AvtoVAZ. They calmly and with dignity answered that the range of retail prices was from 340 to 362 thousand rubles, and the cars presented were exactly expensive, in the “Lux” configuration.
All inclusive, i.e. all inclusive
Dashboard Lada Priora Universal
Tidy reminds Opel Astra F Tidy reminds Opel Astra F
Indeed, what is not in these cars! Electric power steering, climate control, power windows, heated and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, heated seats, ABS (Bosch, by the way), two airbags, parking sensors and even a system for automatically switching on headlights and wipers! Only the roll-up luggage compartment shelf (in the “base” - ordinary, accordion) and audio system was missing to the maximum configuration. And if the curtain is a trifle, I wanted to see “music”. Just watch, not listen, as, according to colleagues, she greets passengers with a large inscription Welcome on the display. That is, "Welcome" in a foreign way. Like in Europe! But we didn’t get the “music”, but in each car there’s a navigator, where the most interesting points of the region are laid. It’s clear that you won’t be able to go round everything in a day and a half, but it’s tempting to visit the main ones. So we carefully listen to the representative of the traffic police warning us about a speed limit of 70 km / h, and we sit down on cars, trying to inspect everything that will be possible …
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And the restriction was established not in vain! The "Continental" driver has to get used to the narrow corridors of centuries-old trees. Local wits dubbed them “the last Wehrmacht soldiers” - only a few, closer to cities and large towns, are reflective reflectors, and trunks encircle white stripes. And for those without such a uniform, wreaths are hanging in memory of those who died in road accidents or license plates. There are both German and Lithuanian ones … Local roads are practically not illuminated and they are talking about the highway under construction with illumination as an achievement. By the way, I had a chance to ride through its small area, by the way - so they “navigated”. Something reminds MKAD. In the usual shady corridors here, our white station wagon looks pretty good even against the background of flying cars.
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The view from the rear is especially good - large lanterns with fashionable “crystal” diffusers stretched up along the sides of the large luggage door, on the door itself there is a chrome strip, and a signature boat, and nameplates in the same chrome. Roofs stretch along the roof, on which, as we have already been informed, thanks to the additional support, you can load up to 50 kg. The side view, especially the rising window sill of the rear wing, in the area of the C-pillar, seems to be successful. It may not be the Hoffmeister bend, but it is still more elegant than the “back” of the predecessor 2111. But the doors are the same as on the “top ten” except that with "exhaust" handles for a natural grip. And the brakes are the same - front disc, rear drum. They say they are better protected from dirt. And in front - already familiar to the public and even familiar Priora. In a luxury configuration - with fog lights.
Sagging or not?
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Naturally, the front of this car was of little concern to journalists who had long seen the Lada Priora in other guises - a sedan and a hatchback. They were crowded mainly at the tailgate. "How does it open, is it convenient to ship, how much will go in, " and other essentials. Opens in several ways: the ignition key (the same for all locks, as on foreign cars), a button from a key fob, or a button between the front seats. The door opens easily, on the inside there is a handle, so that there is something to cling to, closing, and the opening is almost perfectly shaped - a large rectangle with rounded corners, as can be seen from the passenger compartment. In the absence of bulky luggage, the journalists had fun packing themselves in the trunk. And among our brethren, we note that there are enough large specimens. So, all who wanted came in. Naturally, with the rear seat folded down. The volume of the compartment is 777 cubic meters. dm to the window sill. To the shelf level - 450. In the luggage carriers of our station wagons there was also a rigging net, which can be hooked onto the brackets in the lower or upper position. Moreover, there are two options for the grid - smaller and larger. But only in a complete set "Luxury". Car loading capacity - 505 kg.
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The crews were manned from three, or even four men with a full set of baggage and filming equipment. Under such a weight, the car sank, but still there was enough clearance so as not to be afraid of broken asphalt and drive down to the primers. What really sagged under load was the motor - a 1.6-liter 16-valve VAZ-21126, power 98 forces, torque 145. Of course, we did not expect miracles of dynamics, but we had to wield the box lever much more often than expected. And the switching mechanism, by the way, has a problem that designers are well aware of and intend to deal with it. The moves are long, and when switching to the second one has to wring the brush, and when choosing the third, start the lever far left and forward. The third is not always included. At our station wagon idle walked. This did not occur immediately, but after many hours of driving, and, according to Priora lead designer Valery Pavlovich Kosenkov, it was due to incorrect calibration of the control unit. Another engineer asked if we included climate control or not. After this question, they began to pay attention to whether we included it. But when you turn on the "climate", the engine sags slightly. However, tolerant, you can live. And you can ride. Fuel consumption, according to factory data, with the air conditioner turned on, differs from the usual mode by only 200 g, that is, reaches 7.4 liters. In our experience, the Priora took 9-10 liters per 100 km - with the agreed limitation. Fine, no miracles.
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In Europe, cars with a station wagon are largely fashion cars. We have housekeepers, and nothing more
Not a deputy to the Baltic
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Naturally, conversations around the car came down to whether they would take this car. We decided that they would be, and no worse than a sedan with hatchbacks, because there are simply no imported competitors for this money. We do not consider used foreign cars, but of the new station wagons in this class, only Chevrolet Lacetti 1.6 for 504 thousand. Next - the simplest Ford Focus Ambiente 1.4 for 540. If Fabia Combi, then it will cost 584 thousand in a configuration similar to our Priora. There is also a Renault Logan station wagon, but that is not with us. And by the way, AvtoVAZ is actively looking at him. Why, if the future of VAZ, according to factory marketers, is pretty rosy? This year, 20 thousand station wagons will be released (that is, about 13% of the total number of cars in the family), not only the long-awaited roller blinds of the trunk, but also an audio system with Bluetooth and USB will be put on the cars, and for those who are looking for simpler, they will be offered not only 16 Valve Euro 3, 4 format, but also an unpretentious 8-valve, while introducing a 1.8-liter engine and even a dual-fuel version (gasoline and natural gas). And also - automatic transmission, full-time navigator, electronic throttle control system, side airbags. And the crown of everything, “faucet” in German - a car with a body “coupe”.
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In the meantime, the plastic in the car is cheap and the clearance in the glove compartment is uneven, the sunglasses do not fit into the case on the ceiling (but there is one!), And even a small bottle of water does not fit into the pocket on the back door. There are ashtrays too, but tiny. And still annoying is the large OPEN sign on the center console. If you had to write, then why the Latin alphabet? Why Welcome, and not "Welcome"?!. And many, many “why” and “why.” But the car is more modern and richer in discontinued “eleventh,” and cheaper than foreign competitors. If you do not take into account foreign, in particular German “junk”, which is abundant in the vastness of the Kaliningrad region, Priora Universal has a good future. But after all, the old German station wagons, too, like the local trees, can be called the last soldiers … And most importantly, they are so tenacious! So the Kaliningrad region looked at a dozen of our snow-white Lada Priora Universal 21713 and, apparently, calmed down with its 7.5% of sales. We thought before the return flight to the "continent". After the fact, so to speak. Or maybe a priori?