Lada Niva 2121

Thursday 15 October 2009
The Lada Niva (Russian: Лада Нива) is an off-road vehicle built by Soviet/Russian automaker AvtoVAZ. The car is very popular in its home country. It is also popular in Canada (though withdrawn from sale in 1998 it still has a cult following, since it was the last Lada model to be sold in Canada, although the Samara stopped Canadian sales after the 1997 model year), South America, Europe, and other regions where the terrain requires a robust and tough car for a reasonable price. In Australia, popularity is limited as the vehicle is manufactured for a very different climate and many Nivas imported to Australia were rejects from the European Market.
It was one of the first mass production off-road vehicles to feature a unibody architecture, independent front suspension and coil suspension, and is a predecessor to current crossover SUVs which nearly all follow this format. Before it was introduced to the UK, it was referred to by some in the motoring press as the 'Russian Range Rover'.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1600 cc
- horsepower: 75 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 130 km/h