Test drive UAZ Patriot
Columnist AvtoTachki Matt Donnelly met UAZ Patriot almost by accident. We offered him a Russian SUV, not really hoping for success, but received an unexpected reaction: “UAZ Patriot? D'avai! " This was the first word in Russian that we heard from Matt in almost seven years of our acquaintance. Almost every day of the test drive, a person who actually asked for a Bentley test on these dates shared with us his impressions of the car, and the text was sent on the same day that his driver brought the car back to our editorial office. Along the way, Matt sent us a message: "Pieces of UAZ started to fall off, so I wrote a note right away while I still like this SUV."
When on a gloomy Monday I received the UAZ Patriot for the test, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's a bit spartan in terms of equipment and trim, but it exudes a sense of steadfastness, confidence and can do pretty much the same thing as a Land Rover Defender. By the way, as with the Defender, the UAZ ride is just as tough: the level of comfort is unacceptable for any modern sedan. The Patriot squeaks like a pirate ship and the tires are incredibly loud on any hard surface.
What is definitely not like a Land Rover is that on Thursday morning the handle of the front right door fell off, the tailgate stopped opening, and the plastic around the gearbox began to flake off from the metal. I won't even start talking about paint, although paint ... Our Patriot's mileage was something like 2 km, but all the painted plastic parts have already started to peel off.
And all the same - I continued to smile. It's a very cheap car (starting at $ 9) and it's a lot of fun to drive. Fixing the initial glitches and picking on it is all part of the adventure that makes this SUV special. By the way, this is exactly what Defender and Patriot have in common and what you will never find in a Land Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz G-Class or American SUVs - individuality. And now about everything point by point.
What does he look like
The design of the car is very wise, although, of course, it will not become a beauty queen. However, I can quite understand why some people may fall in love with him. The Patriot has two smiling eyes-headlights and a very simple front end design, which immediately makes it clear that this is a car with no pretensions, but with muscles. By the way, this is probably the most important and most correct message to potential buyers. It is a tall brick that looks very heavy, much heavier than its 2,7 tonnes of gross weight.
The version I had - Patriot Unlimited - comes with very large 18-inch wheels. With them, the car has a height of more than two meters, which is about 60 mm more than that of the largest Toyota Land Cruiser.
The Russian SUV has a huge ground clearance, which, of course, was to be expected from a serious SUV, but surprisingly there is no "armor" on the bottom. Crankcase, gear housing and many other complex technical pieces - at a glance. Thus, the Patriot in this large gray body looks as vulnerable as an elephant in stiletto heels. In addition, the lack of underbody protection ensures that the engine compartment fills up with dirt very quickly.
Finally, the last - the UAZ Patriot has a very boring, tiny exhaust pipe and huge rear drum brakes. I think any serious buyer will immediately put hubcaps on the wheels to cover this prehistoric horror, and install at least a decorative shiny exhaust pipe. And then, I'm sure Patriot will be properly dressed and ready for any adventure.
How attractive he is
This UAZ is definitely quite sexy. This is a rough, courageous beast that looks like something in need of taming and capable of going to battle to free the girl from trouble. And it seems that this will be given to him as easily as finding the most deserted and remote place for fishing or hunting.
In addition, such a tall car provides a male driver with many opportunities to be gallant with his lady. To climb aboard the car in any semblance of a tight skirt, in my unprofessional opinion, is an impossible task. Wives, girls, mothers - everyone will need a strong man's hand to lean on to get in or out of the car.
This car has the heaviest doors and the toughest locking mechanism of any car I have seen without being seriously damaged in an accident. I'm sure most girls won't be able to open them. At least all the men in my office didn't do it the first time around. In short, the driver can be sure that his biceps will always be in good shape, especially if he carries unsportsmanlike passengers with him.
How he drives
The driving position and visibility are excellent. You sit high, surrounded by glass, and at the same time, by the way, even with my height, there is a lot of free space above your head. Spaciousness is nice, but there are also disadvantages. Wind resistance, for example, is a serious hindrance to moving forward. And, of course, the extremely high seating position can provide a surprise or two on those rare occasions when you manage to overtake someone. In the summer, this amount of free air inside the car must be cooled, and during our test in early August, the air conditioner did not do a very good job of this task. In general, we mostly had to drive with the windows open, deafening ourselves with the sound of the engine and probably burning a lot more fuel than we could.
More than a two-ton car with a 128-horsepower engine will never break any speed records, but if you have already thrown torque on the wheels, this beast will take some time to stop. So, driving itself, changing lanes, overtaking - all this requires planning skills.
The Patriot's steering is tough, making it difficult to drive over rough terrain and even paved roads. You can feel it in the front seat, but you don't even come close to feeling the vibrations and vibrations that the passengers in the back row experience.
The gear lever was made too short at the factory and placed too close to the stove controls. When choosing first, second or fifth gear, you always feel a hard blow to your knuckles. Anyone who has just bought a UAZ Patriot is likely to either change the lever or buy very soft gloves. Apart from that, the five-speed "mechanics" are quite delicate and surprisingly easy to shift.
The official UAZ website claims that the car's top speed is 150 kilometers per hour. I'm too nervous and law-abiding to check this. What we noticed is that the wind and road noise are very noticeable, well, I mean, very noticeable at speeds above 90 kilometers per hour. Overall, driving this Patriot is not much different from driving a Toyota 4Runner. You will either be delighted or vomit every time the car changes direction. Personally, I like this good old rock and roll.
Facilities
A unique feature of this vehicle is its two fuel tanks. I honestly cannot understand why two tanks are better than one big one. In my opinion, the extra gas tank is just another place where rust can appear.
There is a USB connector, but you can connect the phone only if the cover of the central box is open. Otherwise, you will have to hide your mobile phone in the dark of the compartment for the entire trip. There is also an infotainment system with navigation and a fairly large screen with a touchscreen, which, however, responds rather slowly to pressing.
The dynamics in the car are terrible and this is a very big mistake. How cool it would be if the manufacturer put great speakers in this metal box. The acoustics would surely be amazing! In general, I guess the speakers will be one of the first things replaced in this car by any not deaf driver.
To buy or not to buy
I'm a car fanatic. I'd buy myself this car and spend a lot of time and money personalizing it and making the Patriot even more fun off-road. In other words, the price from the price list would not be so attractive to me. And yet, I think it would be a great deal for a car that would become my hobby and a great option for getting me and my family to the country. I would give up the metallic paint and the multimedia system. Perhaps from an air conditioner. And then I would get a real thrill from the harsh off-road.
