Lada Niva : The Legend of USSR Engineering 

Asking a vehicle designed for off-road driving to meet the safety requirements of a passenger vehicle is ridiculous to say the least. This is not bought for the street and speeds higher than 80 km/h.

Worked as a mechanic at local Lada dealership and had a dozen or so of these off-road weapons, mostly given to me for free by people tired of fixing them, over the years. Used to play tag around the farm where you hit the other car they become 'it' and the chase continues. Excellent fun.

I have owned a 2017 model 5 door version for 3 years so far. It takes me long over landing off-road trips.It's quite durable and economic in all aspects. The best part about it , it's superior off-road capabilities.Surprisingly it's quite stable on the road as well! The bad things about it.The engine is definitely underpowered.The ac is weak . All in all, I love the vehicle!

I am an automotive engineer who works for the big three. Last year during a meeting, one of our our high boss literally said “ I want our vehicle breaks down after 10 or 15 thousand miles”. I was shocked, I knew they were doing that all the time but still can believe he said it out loud without any shame. One of our engineer whispered “ I guess we should plant a bomb then.”

cheap, capable,easy to fix(if you have any knowlege about cars) who wouldn't buy it, that is something you don't see anymore in new cars

In times of need and frugal living, Lada Niva is unbeatable value.

Hi - that was a very entertaining video, but unfortunately there's a few fundamental bits missing, mainly about the element of "unchanged for 37 years". As a matter of fact Between 1977 and 1993/4 the Niva 1600 was produced and only saw minor modifications to the ignition and carburettor, starting with 1994/5 the 1700cc version was introduced combined with fuel injection (borrowed from an Opel Ascona), which also sported a different tailgate, new taillights and substantial changes on the interior. In 1997 the EFI system was changed again to a more modern multipoint EFI and in 1999 the model M, which looks almost the same, but sports a dramatically changed undercarriage, with different axles, wheel hubs, brakes, driveshafts, you name it and THEN the Urban model came, which basically was "just" new bumpers and a different grill. If you're venturing towards Niva-based vehicles, you should also at least mention the APAL and the JAEGER. (Depending on market) Please see this as constructive feedback, I especially liked the footage of the AZLK-models as I've so far only seen pictures of them...

As DaVinci said... Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication....

My first car 1.7I. Still miss itt😥😥

Legendary car!

BTW "Niva Reka" in english it's just Niva River (River - река по-русски - River - [reka] in russian)

Geez, guys! The spare tire under the hood wasn't such a novel thing..most French cars did that and the reason is simple: theft protection (cause yes, full size spare tires were stolen in the 60,70 and 80s) cleanliness and good access...and that last point is, why it's done on the lada...that rear hatch is a hatch, thus it would be heavy to open with the added weight and where else to put it, when one wants to avoid crawling under your car during winter or in mud?

love your videos🫠 keep going please!!

it's lit!

I would love to have 1 of these.

I think it's worth mentioning that they began making older models again because they can't manufacture their own modern parts, like airbags, and had to import them. Because of the war, they may still be making them 20 years from now.

Zombie apocalypse car

Epic!

Fun Fact: Changes were indeed done, to the engine, boot door, rear bodywork, doors and door openings.

Great content

Wish I had a one in good running condition.

I’m h my God Niva1600

If you're incapable of producing your product in sufficient numbers to satisfy demand and at a better price than your competitors, your product is NOT a masterpiece. It's curiosity, and nothing more.

Cool video

Under rated channel!

An incredible detail in the story that I discovered a short time ago, but that I could not get many details was the fact that Lada sold the rights to use the NIVA name to Chevrolet. That's why the car was called Lada 4x4 nowadays.

i want a lada dem

Lada niva )))

Would be nice to give it a high-tech 2L engine...... Japanese or German origin

A high tech Niva? Was it ever made for road savety?

#Sui 10 USD

Primitive soviet vehicles as well as tractors, useless, uncomfortable, ugly and impractical