The legendary Russian off-roader gets a new lease of life
As well as much-needed peace for a beleagured nation, Donald Trump’s vow to end the war in Ukraine might provide a glimmer of hope for fans of the Lada Niva, one of the very few truly functional off-road vehicles left in production.
Although the Niva name was transferred to a more modern design in 1998 under General Motors involvement, the original car – renamed Niva Legend in 2021 – remained in production and indeed has been manufactured ever since. Official imports to the UK ended in the mid ’90s but more recently Mark Key at Lada4x4.co.uk was importing the car here, until sanctions against Russia finally forced an end to sales in 2023.
You might have thought that with Russia’s economy struggling and sanctions making manufacturing difficult that the 48-year old design would finally have been sidelined but in a press conference in mid January maker Avtovaz announced a handful of new models, one of which was a revitalised version of the old warhorse.
Created by the firm’s motorsport division, the Niva Sport boasts the most significant upgrade in the car’s history, the old iron plodder replaced by a 16-valve unit boasting 122bhp, which represents a hefty 54% increase on the 79bhp of the old SOHC unit.
The Niva Sport is also said to feature upgraded brakes and suspension, the low-profile tyres of the concept model suggesting it’s biased more towards on than off-road capability.
The Sport retains the original’s traditional four-wheel drive but the transmission gains a beefed-up fifth gear and clutch housing, while the twin levers controlling low range and diff locks are reduced to a single control.
On the inside, the Niva gets sports seats and a rally-style sports steering wheel with a straight-ahead marking, while the grille gets a red logo and there’s an optimistic bonnet scoop as well as arch extensions.
The Niva Sport is predicted to sell for 2m Roubles which equates to around €19,500, but whether it will appear over here is very much down to Messrs Putin, Zelensky and Trump.
