"Lada Kalina Cross": owner feedback, photo, test drive

The worse the condition of roads in our country, the higher the machines are needed to drive through them. This rule is known to many motorists. However, the higher the clearance, the more expensive the car. But this does not apply to passenger cars, which after some improvements are higher and get an increased ground clearance. They brought such a car to AvtoVAZ, too, presenting an off-road vehicle to the automobile community based on Lada Kalina. Let's see what happened. It is very interesting, what it is - "Lada Kalina Cross", the owners' reviews about it, and photos of appearance and interior.

Some sources among AvtoVAZ employees say that the machine was designed very quickly. This novelty is positioned as a station wagon and a crossover. It is noted that the corners of the congress and entrance, as well as clearance, are in no way inferior to quite serious off-road vehicles.

Appearance

The new "Lada Kalina Kross" is due to its appearance to the chief designer of the plant.

Steve Martin did a good job. The design at first sight seems not too convoluted, but if you look closely, the body looks quite harmonious, and even attractive. Speaking more frankly, it is difficult to call this model independent. Crossover practically does not differ from the passenger car in its standard version.

The car has become a little higher, but it does not at all seem that this is a clunky metal box. The body will paint only in three colors - it's metallic silver, white and orange.

There are only a few minor differences between the Lada Kalina Cross car. The owners' comments made it possible to notice the new bumper, the presence of black protective linings on the sides of the body, as well as wider wheel arches. In addition, the rear lights are slightly enlarged.

Crossover

All that makes of this car crossover, is located behind. Here the body has a large width. Also passableness gives out a rather massive overlay on the bumper. However, even with all the attributes that distinguish serious SUVs, just by looking at the car "Lada Kalina Kross" 4x4, reviews of it, we can conclude that you should not even think about the roads, even easy. The overhang of the front part makes it impossible to move from the asphalt to the primer, even despite the increased ground clearance. Although, the test drives, which were conducted by reputable automotive publications, assure that the car can drive off-road.

"Kalina Cross": design is better than Chinese

In general, the car looks quite good. One of the main achievements of the chief designer is that the appearance of the model turned out to be much better than the craftsmen from the Celestial Empire came up with. In "Kalina Cross" and in the mention there is nothing Asian - rather in style the body resembles some models from Renault. Specialists say that people in models from VAZ do not immediately recognize the domestic automotive industry.

Absence of competitors

According to the experts, Kalina does not exist as a direct competitor in this format. To some extent, one of the competitors may become Sandero Stepway. And there are a lot of examples to follow.

As well as on other all-wheel-drive station wagons, the car "Lada Kalina Kross" (reviews of owners are fully confirmed) on the body are protective plastic parts of the body kit around the perimeter.

In the past, the chrome lining on the thresholds, on the doors, and the radiator grille have now become black. This emphasizes the utilitarian orientation, as well as some brutality of the model. Moldings are very wide. They essentially decorate the doors. They have a stamp with the name of the model.

Plastic performs not only decorative functions. Having double fasteners, these plastic parts perfectly protect the body and paintwork from various mechanical damages.

As the developers of the Lada Kalina Cross car say (the owners' reviews also note this), this car is not bought because there is not enough money for a better one. Now VAZ creates cars that can compete successfully with the products of foreign companies.

Interior

Getting inside, at once it seems that everything in this car was developed in order to get rid of conservative traditions as much as possible. The future owner will see bright orange inserts almost everywhere. They zadekorirovano steering wheel, door trim, seats, as well as ventilation grilles.

If you discuss the shortcomings in the car Lada Kalina Cross, the testimonials indicate that there are no adjustments to the departure of the steering wheel. Also highlight the low quality of upholstery materials. On the cushions, the folds and the first abrasions appear after a few days.

In general, do not wait for anything new in the interior design. The salon is the usual "Kalina". The look immediately clings to inexpressive plastic, a simple dashboard also does not differ any aesthetics. But the assembly is quite high quality. The gaps are small, there are no crickets or creaks.

Armchairs

Have not left the seats without attention. So, the frame was slightly modified, and the design of the chair changed slightly. The creators turned out to accent lateral and lumbar support. To improve the comfort of the driver and passengers on long voyages, specialists applied a more dense filler. When the driver overcomes a sharp turn, passengers no longer need to look for another point of support.

No one else slips out of the seats. In the car "Lada Kalina Cross", test drive which was held immediately after the presentation, sit very comfortable and comfortable.

But, there is a small nuance. Comfortably in the armchairs there will be people of medium build. If the person is larger, then he will have to get used to the side parts of the seats, which slightly rest against the back. But all this is permissible for a car from the budget class. The rear sofa is quite spacious for two.

Although the manufacturer claims that the cabin is designed for five, it will not be convenient to fit behind the three passengers. There are a lot of places for feet, above them is also quite free. The volume of the luggage compartment, in spite of the body-wagon, a little disappointing. It is only 240 liters.

Clearance

Finally, the salon review ("Lada Kalina Kross") will be interesting. As already noted, the creators have raised the clearance by as much as 2.5 mm. Now the ground clearance is 210 mm. This was achieved thanks to the revised suspension and the use of gas shock absorbers. The role of tires in increasing the clearance is, but it is minimal. Large wheels forced designers to increase wheel arches.

Now they will operate discs at 15 '. Engineers improved and crankcase protection - now it more reliably protects engine parts from various damages. But protection is not a reason to ride carelessly. It is not worthwhile, despite passing through, to storm the "Kalina" high curbs.

Engine

The passage must necessarily be supplemented by sufficient tractive effort. Under the hood you can find one of the two power units. There will be no surprises. As before, only gasoline units of volumes of 1.6 liters are used.

The first motor develops up to 106 liters. from. The second one is the weaker one - he has 20 horses less.

It has a torque of 140 Nm at 3,800 rpm. In addition to the power difference in these units in the number of valves. More powerful - 16-valve. The engines are generally quite good and quite elastic. The ascent can be felt after 2 thousand vol. And after 3 thousand you can feel even picking up. In the city and in the country by car "Lada Kalina Kross" fuel consumption differs by 3 liters. But it does not exceed 8.5 l / 100 km.

Transmission

The motors work with a mechanical five-speed gearbox. The Kalina Cross automatic machine will be installed, but not soon. The transmission is equipped with a cable drive. In the main gear, the engineers replaced the gears. This allowed a little increase in the transmission ratio. This is a fairly effective solution when it is necessary to increase the permeability.

Automotive equipment

"Lada Kalina Kross" is offered only in one package - "Norma". There is an airbag, climate control, front heated seats, an audio system. For safety and control, there is ABS.

All information about the state of the car is displayed on the monitor. Multisystem confidently plays video and audio files. As for additional gadgets, you can connect a rear-view camera to the system. The air conditioner was created specially for the domestic climate. The sound insulation is improved, but the tire tires are very noisy. Also about the car "Lada Kalina Cross" reviews are actively left on the sound quality of the acoustic system.

Driving characteristics

High ground clearance and new gas shock absorbers have borne fruit. If you quickly move on the asphalt, the car perfectly keeps the trajectory. If you dynamically move the steering wheel, then the reaction is also good. In general, on the asphalt, this "crossover" is going very well - there are rolls, but small, you feel good feedback from the road on the steering wheel.

On the irregularities the car "Kalina Cross" also rides well. Dense suspension, which used to be in the luxury "Kalinas", in this model was even more useful. But if the roads turn into bad roads, the situation changes.

With the rapid crossing of the recumbent policemen or "waves", the racks literally shoot and are very noisy. On the country track, the car is also riding surprisingly, perfectly. Off-road geometry is enough for comfort, but the racks are failing. A ride quickly - scary.

The efficiency of the brake system has not objectively changed, but the deceleration is quite pleasant.

The brake pedal no longer fails, and the pads "grasp" even with minimal effort.

The engines clearly lack dynamics, so it's undesirable to go for overtaking on this "crossover", and sometimes it's dangerous. If the driver still decides to overtake the wagon, which moves at 90 km / h, then he will have to squeeze for a very long time on the gas to get the right speed "Lada Kalina Kross". Test drive in the city showed that to start overtaking is best in the third gear.

Owner feedback

In general, expecting too much from this car is a mistake. But if you drop all the compromises and shortcomings, then the machine is excellent. True, some owners still have claims to the manufacturer. Every now and then something breaks down, the suspension strikes, and also minor, annoying troubles. When we are going to buy a car "Lada Kalina Kross", the owners' feedback from the photo is the first thing to study.