Filed under: SUVs, Etc., Euro, Videos, First Drive
Lada Niva goes WAY off-road
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If the Russian navy ever runs out of resources completely, perhaps it can retrofit a fleet of Lada Niva 4x4s to serve as a last-ditch coastal defense force. I mean, if a bunch of regular guys can jury rig one to run fully submerged, we're sure the military could gin up some kind of armed variant. Short of that, however, we think we're sold on the apparent toughness of the Niva. Stripped of extraneous interior trim, instruments, and other accessories, the white example shown here was fitted with a homebuilt snorkel system and driven into, under, and out of a lake's murky waters. Why? Who cares? This looks like fun, which is reason enough as far as we're concerned. Follow the jump for video of the whole crazy thing.
[Sources: ZR.ru (via Fresh Pics via Reddit), YouTube]
[Sources: ZR.ru (via Fresh Pics via Reddit), YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Azrael4h 8:34PM (10/13/2007)
That is impressive. Relatively pointless unless it could float, and surface; as well as be able to carry sufficient air supplies for a extended underwater trip (or getting stuck). But still impressive none-the-less.
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Arnie 8:45PM (10/13/2007)
Believe it or not, I have actually driven a Lada Niva on a long off-road trip. They are surprisingly comfortable with good suspension. However the carburettor had to be modified in new ones for going off road because if the ride got bumpy it cut off the gas to the engine and the car started to stall. That's Russian engineering!
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Pat 9:49PM (10/13/2007)
Wow ... that can't be too good for the upholstery ;-)
Pretty interesting way to spend a sunny Saturday .
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SPG 12:15AM (10/14/2007)
That is pretty frikken awesome actually.
The old Lada dealership just outside of Winnipeg still buys and restores old Lada's and Fiat's.
It's always intresting driving past it.
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gcavin 12:24AM (10/14/2007)
Hey, they beat the Americans into space so why not be first to drive a car on the bottom of a lake? But it appeared there was a little bit of water being turned into steam by the end!
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Ilya 3:59AM (10/14/2007)
Translation:
The people driving the car are professional divers, and the only modifications made were relocating the intake and exhaust above the water (notice the pipes). During the first dive the car was only driving on its front wheels as the air in the cabin wouldn't allow it to completely sink to the bottom. You might notice that the rear hatch was opened during the second dive, this was done to help the car sink to the bottom evenly and it worked. The smoke coming out of one of the pipes towards the end was the result of water mixing with the engine oil, but still the car was able to move and get to the shore on its own... Thats Russian engineering for you.
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Edsel 8:29AM (10/14/2007)
BRAVO!
K.I.S.S.(Keep It Simple Stupid) engineering at its best. Lada was engineered to be a simple beast, reparable by your grandmother. I wish more engineers today embraced this methodology.
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Noidor 10:43AM (10/14/2007)
haha I'm Russian and I totally loved the song. Nivas are incredibly tough cars which were built for sole purpose of getting around rougher areas of Asiatic Russia. And yes engineering on them is simple, hmm but then again I heard rumours of a I-Drive variant finding it's way into Niva in 2009 when it gets its overdue facelift. Hybrid will also be available as Russians gets more and more enviromentally conscious.
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psarhjinian 1:24PM (10/14/2007)
Have you ever driven one of these? They're easy to repair and maintain because they're incredibly crude and unpleasant to drive. And, yes, it's great that Grandma can repair one with a ball-pien hammer and ten coke cans, because they break down a lot.
Ladas are reliable in the special sense of the word that's reserved for people who do back-yard repairs with no tools and little training. For the rest of the world, something like a older Land Cruiser (that won't break down in the first place) would be a better choice.
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James 9:05PM (10/14/2007)
I loved my Nivas. I had 3 of them at one point. So stupid yet so fun :)
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