Test drive serial Lada Vesta
Which configuration? The factory employee assigned to the car does not know the answer, and the official list of versions, as well as the price list, does not yet exist. Bo Andersson outlined only a price fork - from $ 6 to $ 588
More recently, a series called Lada Vesta seemed endless, although only a year has passed from the concept to the production car. But the number of leaks, rumors and news feeds was so great that the future novelty was remembered at least a couple of times a month. The image of the car was growing with details about trim levels, prices and place of production. Blurry spy pictures appeared, cars were greeted on trials in Europe, some of the officials were checking prices, and finally, photos from production floated away. And here I am standing at the site of the finished products of the IzhAvto plant in front of three dozen brand new Lada Vesta, which you can already ride. I choose the gray one - exactly the same one that was officially appointed half an hour ago by the first serial Vesta and which was solemnly signed by the general director of AvtoVAZ Bu Inge Andersson in the company of the plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation and the head of Udmurtia.
Which configuration? The factory employee assigned to the car does not know the answer, and the official list of versions, as well as the price list, does not yet exist. Bo Andersson only outlined a price fork - from $ 6 to $ 588 - and promised exact prices exactly two months later by the start of sales. My version is definitely not basic (there is a music system and air conditioning, and the windshield is equipped with heating threads), but this is not the top version either - there are mechanical windows in the back, but a media system with a modest monochrome display and no steering wheel controls. There is one-stage heated seats, and in the middle of the console I found a button to disable the stabilization system. It turned out that it is installed even on basic machines and this is not an attempt to copy the European approach. The project manager, Oleg Grunenkov, explained a little later that with a mass installation, the system turns out to be inexpensive, and it became basic in order to reach the widest possible audience, including not too experienced drivers. The hill start assist function serves the same purpose, which holds the machine with the brakes. Moreover, ESP turns off completely at any speed, and this is nothing more than a tribute to the Russian mentality. We, they say, can do everything without electronics.
The salon is pleasant and beautiful, but the budget of the project is felt immediately. The okay embossed steering wheel is made of modest plastic, the panels are rigid, the joints are rough, and in some places the eye stumbles upon untidy plastic burrs. By the standards of the Russian car industry, this is still a step forward, but I expected more from Vesta. You can also make a discount on pre-production samples, although in terms of the general feeling of quality, the Vesta interior still does not match the interior of the same Kia Rio. That being said, some parts are surprisingly neat. For example, nice instrument wells or a ceiling console with LED backlight lamps and an ERA-GLONASS emergency system button, which for the first time in a year of the new technical regulations appeared on Vesta.
There are no problems with the landing - the steering column is already in the basic version adjustable in height and reach, the chair can be moved in a vertical plane, there is also a modest lumbar support. It's a pity that the backrest adjustment is stepped, and its lever is installed so inconveniently that you won't find it right away. But the geometry of the seats is quite decent, the hardness of the padding is just right. Behind it is even more interesting - with a height of 180 cm behind the driver's seat, adjusted for myself, I sat down with a margin of almost ten centimeters on my knees, there was little space left over my head. At the same time, the floor tunnel is surprisingly small and almost does not interfere with the placement of the third passenger. There is still room for a 480-liter trunk. The compartment lid has an upholstery and a separate plastic handle, and the mechanisms of the lid, although they do not hide in the bowels of the body, are kindly covered with protective rubber bands.
The test drive, of course, turned out to be conditional - it was possible to drive a car only a few laps around the territory around the finished product sites of the plant. But the fact that Vesta rides with high quality became clear immediately. Firstly, the suspension adequately fulfills bumps - moderately loud and not too shaking. Very similar to the Renault Logan with the only difference that the Vesta chassis is perceived as a little more assembled and a little more noisy. Secondly, the steering is not bad in standard driving modes - the power steering provides the driver with good feedback, and the car responds adequately to the steering wheel actions. Finally, there are no drop links in the motor-clutch-gearbox combination - the driver does not have to adjust and adapt. And in movement on the body, pedals and the gear lever there is no trace of that itch and vibration that were the companions of all VAZ cars up to the current Granta.
The 1,6-liter engine, which produces 106 hp, was not particularly impressive. It used to be that Togliatti 16-valve valves had a character - weak at the bottom, they spun fiercely at high revs. The current one works smoothly, accelerates confidently, but does not ignite. Paired with a French 5-speed "mechanics" - a normal urban unit. And with the "robot", which is made on the basis of the VAZ box? I don't know which of the twenty built-in switching algorithms was used by the AMT box on the IzhAvto tracks, but in general, against the background of such simple "robots", VAZ seemed very sane. From a place the car moved off smoothly and predictably, did not frighten with sudden nods when switching, excessive twitching and sounds of the mechanism crumbling on the move. Another thing is that in the standard driving mode, the box prefers higher gears and does not react quickly to kick-down, and acceleration from low revs turns out to be rather tedious. In manual mode, the robo-Vesta rides harder, but shifts more sharply. You can get used to it.
In a conversation, Grunenkov confirmed that Porsche specialists really helped with fine-tuning the "robot". And the electromechanical part itself is supplied by ZF. And so in everything that concerns technologies in which AvtoVAZ is not strong. They took the same "mechanics" from Renault, because they could not ensure the quiet operation of their five-stage, although AMT on its basis was at the very least fine-tuned. As a result, Vesta is now 71% localized, which is not enough for a car of its own design with occasional involvement of Renault units.
Grunenkov complains about the senselessness of import substitution of units, which are produced by millions of specialized firms. So, wipers, hydraulic units, a generator and speed sensors are supplied by Bosch, parts of the steering mechanism and electromechanics of the robotic box are made by ZF, the components of the air conditioning system, parking sensors and a starter are Valeo, brakes are TRW. Many of these firms are building or expanding their own assembly plants in Russia, so in the future Vesta will be localized by 85%.
The production of Lada Vesta in Izhevsk cannot be called ultramodern. Of course, all decent quality control systems work here, and the toilets, as Boo Andersson likes to say, are really clean and tidy. In addition to new imported equipment, some of the workshops have machine tools from the Soviet era - painted with fresh paint and thoroughly modernized using modern control systems. There is a large share of manual labor - the bodies are cooked with the help of conductors by workers. This is not good, and not bad, but here and now it is more profitable that way. In addition, the quality control is really tough - just one stand for coordinate control of the body, on which sensors automatically measure the accuracy of fitting parts, is worth hundreds of visual checks. And how lovingly the employees of the control section stroke the car body in search of the slightest defects, the organizers of the presentation played even in the music program of the event, when a group of dancers in branded overalls seemed to "release" the finished car from the line.
And here's what's important. I don't know if it's about clean toilets or something else, but the workers at IzhAvto seem to be really proud of the product they are now making. Yes, there is already a Granta-liftback and two Nissan models, but a completely new car of domestic design, the contours of which you want to stroke, is clearly a novelty. From the front, the Vesta looks bright and modern, and the controversial symmetrical embossing on the sidewalls plays very well in challenging lighting. Steve Mattin's notorious "X" is readable from any angle and seems quite appropriate when you see the whole product.
I found Steve himself a little away from the test-drive area next to a line of show sedans in different colors. The designer stood at the car of the acid-colored "pearl lime", which IzhAvto director Mikhail Ryabov had so much praised during the presentation. Vesta will be available in ten colors, including seven metallic shades, but lime is arguably the most striking and eye-catching option.
Mattin is clearly pleased with his work: "Of course, I would like to make Vesta even brighter, for example, install larger wheels, but it is clear that we are talking about a budget car, where all desires must be calculated to the last penny."
Of his first two jobs for AvtoVAZ, Mattin singles out Vesta, and not the future XRAY: “Firstly, this is my first Lada car, and secondly, with it I had a little more room to maneuver. In any case, I am very pleased that we have been able to help the brand take such a big step forward in terms of design. We all remember what Lada was before ”.
The start of sales is scheduled for November 25. True, at first the car will be given only to selected dealers - Bo Andersson intends to gradually improve the quality of service of the brand. They say that a world-class product requires appropriate service. With such definitions, he may have gotten a little excited, but Steve Mattin is probably right. It is worth remembering what Lada was before. And also - to look at how quickly things are changing.
