This off-roader has a long history. First, it was launched back in 1998 under the name of VAZ-2123. Later, the SUV was rebadged and offered as Chevrolet Niva in 2003. It was the product of AvtoVAZ and General Motors contract.
A few months ago, the American brand decided to leave the joint venture and declared that it will sell its 50 percent stake to the Russian counterpart. The SUV will come back for 2021, as Lada Niva Travel.
The production process just started (this week) in the home country, Russia. The new Lada Niva Travel is equipped with a snorkel as standard. It also has the AWD capability, again as standard.
At first sight, the front part design resembles Toyota RAV4, but also offers modern headlights. The hood has been redesigned and comes with beautiful creases. Compared to the previous models, the grill has got much bigger. The wheel arches come in a more squared-off shape as well. The taillights are full-LED. The bumpers have gone through some change, too.
We have no idea how the interior and the cabin look like because the company has not released its pictures. According to some sources, it looks so cool.
The powertrain is not as powerful as we expected it to be. The new model is equipped with a 1.7-liter gasoline engine that generated 80 horsepower and 127 Nm of torque. The power gets to both axles through a 5-speed manual transmission. It also takes the speed 19 seconds to hit the 100km/h.