"Kalina-2": reviews of the owners. "Kalina-2" (station wagon). "Kalina-2": configuration

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The new Lada-Kalina-2, the photo of which you will see below, replaced the first generation of the VAZ model in May 2013. The first generation was released in 2004 and in some years rose to fourth place in the ranking of the most popular cars in Russia. In 2011, it took first place in terms of sales, and since March 2013, the release of the first generation has been completed. For nine years on the assembly line, the model fell in love with many motorists. What came to replace her?

Appearance

The second generation is available in two bodies, one of which is "Kalina-2"-hatchback. The sedan is produced under the name "Lada-Granta". The second body is the "Kalina-2" station wagon. The appearance of the updated model is quite different from its predecessor. The front part of the body is already from "Grants": fenders, headlights, hood. The back part remained from the old "Kalina". Small changes affected the trunk lid, rear fenders and rear headlights. The fact is that AvtoVAZ held a design competition in which several agencies participated. Based on the results, two were selected. They took the concept from one"front", the other - the back. In fact, this is the same "Grant", only in the back of a hatchback or station wagon. In general, the whole car has become more angular and looks more modern. Body rigidity has increased by only 3% compared to the previous version.

Front view

The main difference is the wheel arches with "fat" stamped edging. They make "Kalina" more stylish and modern. The wheel arch becomes larger and the car looks more "muscular". It comes with 14" front brake discs and 14" rear brake drums. The headlights are made, as in many foreign cars: black plastic, into which individual elements are inserted. Separately, it is necessary to mention the radiator grille, which has greatly increased in comparison with the previous model and creates a "smile" of the car in the style of "Peugeot". It consists of large plastic cells. This gives both its advantages, but also its disadvantages for the Lada-Kalina-2 car. Owner reviews say that one of the pluses is the good cooling of the radiator, and the minus is the fact that small pebbles can fly through the grille links and get on the radiator.

A few more small nuances of the front end changes - the absence of plugs on the bolts in the windshield lining and the presence of double-nozzle glass washer nozzles.

Rear view

The rear of the car looks compact, like a European hatchback. Changestouched the rear headlights, fenders and trunk lid, on which the "saber" above the license plate was painted in body color. The block headlights began to look more modern, the only thing missing from them is LEDs. In the station wagon they are located only on the sides, while in the hatchback they are extended up to the very roof. This visually enlarges the car. Also reflectors disappeared from the bumper. They moved to the center of the block headlight.

Chassis

The suspension for this car came from Lada-Grant. Now it cannot be said that Kalina behaves on the track, figuratively speaking, like a cow on ice. The front suspension has increased caster, and the rear suspension has negative camber. Negative camber is 1° and is made for better road holding. It is no longer possible to do more, since the suspension has a beam structure. The increased caster affects the steering: the steering wheel turns tighter. Therefore, it has its own electric booster with more powerful torque.

Under the hood

Immediately striking is that the new "Kalina" does not have the usual "poker", which keeps the hood open. Instead, there is a small lever in the upper left corner, which makes it much more convenient to "pick" in the engine compartment of the Kalina-2 model. Owner reviews also praise the full thermal insulation of the hood. In general, AvtoVAZ engineers have slightly modified the car. You can immediately notice the absence of a hood limit switch, which is often"buggy" on the old "Kalina", and the lack of a generator belt tensioner. There is even more free space in the engine compartment.

Motorisation

Here we have three motors, one of which is a VAZ "eight-valve" from "Grants" with an updated connecting rod and piston group, one motor from "Priora", with "automatic", and one new 127th engine. It has a receiver with variable intake geometry. With this design, air at low speeds takes a longer path, and at high speeds, a shorter one. This gives good traction both from below and at high speeds. To the right of the engine is a cold intake. Now the system is more like "Koreans". Instead of DMRV, there is now DBP (absolute pressure sensor), which reads the pressure in the receiver, and DTV (air temperature sensor), which made the torque shelf wider. The increase in power was 8 l / s. The air conditioner turns more easily than before. This gives much less loss in dynamics. The average consumption of gasoline in the urban cycle is 8-9 liters per 100 km. For engines of 1.6 liters, this is an absolutely normal consumption.

Transmission

The new "Kalina-2" is offered either with a five-speed manual transmission with a cable drive, or with a four-speed Japanese "automatic". The cable drive is located above the box and serves to shift gears not directly, but, in fact, through this drive. This makes switching much easier.gears. Another nice little thing is that the reverse switch is on top. When it breaks, you no longer need to remove the engine protection and drain the oil from the box. Also, there is no oil dipstick, and the oil needs a third less than before - 2.2 liters.

The four-speed "automatic" from "Nissan", familiar to us from the "Micra", is one of the most reliable in its class. According to the manufacturer's statistics, there was not a single replacement.

Trunk

The trunk opens either with a key or a button from the passenger compartment. The lid rises smoothly and quite high, which will be convenient for tall people. Its volume has not changed, but a handle has appeared on the inner lining panel, with which the trunk is closed.

Salon

In the cabin, a new three-spoke steering wheel with an airbag immediately catches the eye. The horn was moved to the center of the steering wheel, aligned with the airbag. This is much more convenient than the small buttons on the sides in the old version of Kalina. In the Lada-Kalina-2 car, the reviews of the owners indicate exactly this. This is much safer, because in an emergency, you could simply miss the small buttons or forget about them altogether.

In the second "Kalina" a new "torpedo" with a new dashboard. On it, a speedometer with a tachometer is located along the edges, and in the center is a computer screen and control lights that light up if something is wrong. Oil and coolant temperature sensorsreplaced with indicator lights. In the center of the console in expensive versions there is a touch screen of the multimedia system, which is duplicated by push-button control from the remote control located below, under the ventilation grilles. Everything is accessible and convenient. You can only find fault with the sound quality of the standard audio system.

In cheap versions, there is a small box for small things in this place. The radio can be inserted a little lower, including a two-din multimedia system. There is a place for this. Even lower on the expensive versions, the air conditioning control unit is installed, which works quite quietly, and many adjustments are available. On cheaper versions, a ventilation control unit is installed here. Near the gearshift lever are two cupholders. The driver's seat is comfortable. There is plenty of room for tall drivers as well.

Rear seats

There is enough room in the back seat for tall passengers. Unfortunately, the center armrest is not provided. But there are many pockets for small things, and enough legroom. Rear seat passengers also have one cup holder.

Rideability

Test "Kalina-2" showed that the car moves away smoothly. At low revs, it is quite squat. Feels good "grassroots" traction. True, the electronic "gas" is still a little thoughtful. The new manual shifts gears much better. Acceleration to a hundred kilometers has become faster and takes 11.6 s for the Lada-Kalina-2". Owner reviews indicate that the "automatic" box also easily picks up at the start. The electric power steering has become more informative, and the noise insulation is much better than on previous models. It will be very easy to drive a car on busy roads. Dimensions But you can also note a minus - the brake pedal is not very informative, and you need to get used to it. But when driving on bad roads (or none at all), the energy-intensive suspension makes itself felt. The car drives normally, you can even not slow down.

Prices

The price of the new Kalina starts at 340,000 rubles. In the most expensive version of "Kalina-2" (complete with automatic transmission, air conditioning, multimedia and alloy wheels) will cost 465,000 rubles. Are there any other options. "Kalina-2" configuration with the 127th engine, air conditioning, multimedia, manual transmission and alloy wheels will cost the buyer about 408,000 rubles. You can also buy a car on credit for 5 years. In this case, Kalina-2, the price of which is 340,000 rubles, will cost the owner 7-9 thousand rubles a month.

Result

This car is quite competitive in its new car price range. Outwardly, he looks better than others. The salon is made at the level, and the choice of available options is also quite wide. The closest foreign competitors with air conditioning and multimedia cost 50-80 thousand more. There is plenty of space in the car and everything is close at hand. Everything is easy to reach. Sufficiently large mirrors and windows provide good visibility. On himyou can easily and comfortably ride around the city.

As a disadvantage, it can be noted that the car does not hold the road well at high speeds. There is a lack of a good wheelbase. But the car behaves perfectly on a bad road. So it's safe to say that this is a decent car for the money. This is a profitable purchase from an economic point of view. Used foreign cars may be competitors, but the probability of hitting a "bucket of bolts" in this price category is very high.