We are often led into a false sense of snobbery when talking about Soviet vehicles. Easy targets for motoring journalists and sneered at by many a car enthusiast, not all communist vehicles are tripe. Here’s one that gave Land Rover a good run for their money – the Lada Riva.
Forgotten Hero: The Lada Niva
1979 was a significant year for British automakers. Margaret Thatcher - already eyeing up change at British Leyland - inaugurated her rule over the country, inflation rose to a whopping 13.4%, murdering profit margins and British Leyland started yet another re-shuffle that would eventually kill them off for good. But more terrifying to British carmakers than any of this was the arrival of the Lada Niva.
There were two diamonds in British Leyland’s rapidly dank looking tiara during the tail end of the 70s – Jaguar and Land Rover – and with the arrival of the Niva onto UK soil one of those gems was under threat. Rugged simplicity is good commie territory – and the Niva was not just Russia’s answer to the iconic Land Rover, but it was damn near indestructible. The designers even went as far to describe their creation as ‘a Renault 5 placed on a Land Rover chassis’.
The Niva appeared to be tailored around sensible underpinnings, with the consensus to add weight and simplify, but it had other tricks up its sleeve. It worked with a unibody architecture and independent front suspension with coil springs, being the first mass-produced off-road vehicle to do so - Land Rover wouldn’t adopt the same concept until the arrival of the Freelander in the 1990s. It also had an excellent four-wheel drive system tested to destruction in the Soviet tundra and could cruise at 56mph averaging 34mpg, while the turning circle was neat, ground clearance was ample enough for deep water crossings and carrying capacity was impressive to say the least.
It’s understandable then that they sold by the bucket load, scooping 40% of the European off-road market, making it Lada’s most popular export – so much so, that domestic buyers had an incredibly long waiting list to get their hands on one. It’s still Vladimir Putin’s favourite vehicle ever, an exclusive tailored example gifted to him as his every-day car.
However, it’s not all happy with the Niva – some of the flawed running gear was carried across from previous Lada models and the usual Lada cabin quality resulted in Cadbury’s Flake-like rigidity. Not exactly a great bragging right, that’s like saying your t-shirt was designed by Nick Griffin with fabric by Cruella DeVille.
However, all of the Riva's little foibles and quality niggles were nothing compared to its on-road manners. The short wheel base and bouncy ride made for frightening manoeuvrability above in-town speed to name but one problem, wind noise was another, excessive gearbox whine was another, excessive discomfort was a biggie as was the lack of sound insulation, the ride quality was another, the mechanicals were outdated by the 1980s, the steering was heavy yet vague, it rolled in the corners to near motion sickness levels, the brakes were spongy and room for four people was incredibly tight.
Yet, just like the Land Rover, this is not a road car – it is an off-road workhorse permitted to use the Queen’s highways. Take the Niva out into the rough stuff and its ability to work shines through, with a minimal 1210kg weight, narrow tyres, low-ratio transfer box, diff lock and rugged substructures working in its favour to provide almost unimpeachable off-road ability.
Originally available in left-hand drive form only, the Niva received fresh engines and upgraded interior components by the time we were permitted a right-hand drive version for UK roads – Lada even attempted a ‘Cossack’ special addition to take on the mighty Range Rover. Sadly, Lada pulled out of the UK market in the late 1990s, taking the Niva with it.
This was a shame, as it robbed us of a fun, rugged, utilitarian vehicle that helped keep Land Rover on their toes and keep Britain moving. Fear not though as, curiously, you can still get one imported into the country through a one-man band in deepest England shire – should you fancy reliving the Cold War in car form. Назад из СССР!