LADA NIVA LUXE

First introduced to the world back in 1977, with coil suspension all ‘round, centre difflock and built using a monocoque body instead of the traditional body on chassis, it was quite innovative for its time, as well as incredibly effective off road.

In the UK, the last examples were officially imported in 1996, and like most vehicles of its era, when introduced to any kind of moisture, the nimble Niva would often dissolved like an Alka Seltzer.

So what am I doing with a 21 plate, left hand drive Niva? Well, after a short hiatus due to the loss of European Type Approval, Mark Key has began offering them for sale in the UK again, and I managed to get my hands on one.

There is no doubt that the Niva creates a lot of attention, everyone I met during my few days with it asked either one of three questions; What is it? Do they still make ‘em? Is that the one that Johnny drowned? (If you know, you know).

On the road

Having not driven a manual left hooker for many a year, it took me a few miles to get used to it, and once I did it was quite enjoyable.

The independent front coil suspension does a wonderful job at absorbing bumps and potholes that still pepper our roads, but it’s also a bit wallowy around corners, but that’s fine, it’s one of those acceptable traits that we like to call character, and the Niva certainly has plenty of those.

With 80bhp, the Renault derived 1.7 litre petrol engine isn’t the sprightliest, and the 5-speed gearbox isn’t quite what you’d call slick. In fact, the gear stick is on the passenger side, and choosing 5th gear is a bit of a stretch and requires precision to engage, but it harks back to when machines were more simply, and I enjoyed it.

A good example of this was whilst driving off on a very steep incline in first gear low box. There are no electric aids, none of that hill brake malarkey, you have to find the biting point on the clutch to drive off smoothly. I wonder how many young folk who learn in cars with a DSG understand what ‘biting point’ is?

On the motorway at around 70mph, the Niva does quite a good job. The gearbox and transfer box can be a bit whiny. It wouldn’t be my first choice as a long distance tourer, it’s much more at home zooming along country lanes and green lanes.

Off Road

Off RoadFor venturing off the beaten track you have two knobs to play with - one for low ratio and the other for the centre diff lock, and they’re easy to operate, simply move forward and they’re engaged - no fighting or forcing, quite civilised, a lot better than some modern pickups.

Being Mark’s only press vehicle / demonstrator, I didn’t want to go too far off road, even though I knew that the little Niva wouldn’t be troubled by anything I pointed it at. Even whilst balancing on two or three wheels, the Niva never hesitated to drive forward, unlike some more modern vehicles that can have a hissy fit!

Despite its more modern on-road behaviour, you get the impression that the Niva is more at home far away from tarmac, and with excellent approach and departure angles, it simply crawls everywhere you point it.

Interior

Spartan is a good word to use, as is practical. There aren’t many creature comforts, but this Luxe model does get heated seats, electric door mirrors, air conditioning, but no radio.

Up front the seats are comfortable, even after a full day sat in them. The dash layout is clear and the steering wheel appears to be taken from a bus, consequently the wiper and indicator stalks are a tad too short, so you have to reach behind the wheel to use them! Speaking of the wipers, there are 2 speeds, intermittent and quick. Rear wiper is either on or off.

What about central locking? Nah, you have two keys, one for the ignition and the other for the doors that you have to lock individually, though I dare say you could fit a system if you wanted to.

In front of the difflock lever there are two 12 volt sockets, there are no USB ports, but you can always buy an adaptor.

With a full floor covered in rubber, it has a certain aroma, especially during a hot day, but at least it’s easy to clean.

I mentioned that this model has electric windows, which are handy and makes me wonder how we ever got on without them. However, as useful as they are, they don’t drop fully into the doors, you have around 2” of window protruding, so there’s none of that resting your elbows out of the door on hot days.

Conclusion

The Niva felt reassuringly solid, old school solid and incredibly characterful. Did the novelty of driving a 40-odd year old designed, left hand drive 4x4 with a manual gearbox wear off? I thought I might be over it, but after 3 days I still had a smile on my face.

When it comes to competition it’s pretty straight forward, it's the Dacia Duster, which is more refined, full of electrics, and an infotainment system - if that’s important to you. I was going to suggest the Suzuki Jimny, but you can forget about that as they are as rare as rocking horse poo, and the dealers will no doubt be hiking up the price when they get their allocation of one vehicle.

I love the idea that after all these years the Niva has barely changed, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However, time moves on, and just like Land Rover, having a niche vehicle like the Defender doesn’t make economic sense, companies need to make money, and by all accounts, in just a couple of years time, the Niva as we know it will be destined to the history books.

So, if you fancy an old-school Niva, then visit Mark’s website - lada4x4.co.uk

Prices start from £17,295 incl VAT for the base model. For that Mark sorts out agent charges, the cost of transport across Europe, customs issues, import duty, UK driving modifications, vehicle certification, tax and registration. Oh, and there’s a decent 2 year warranty, and it’s wax-oiled to an inch of its life.

For an extra £500 you can have the Luxe version, as pictured, that has alloy wheels, electric windows, tinted glass and air conditioning. For an further £700 there’s the Urban with moulded body colour bumpers and at £19,350 there’s the Black special edition with black alloy wheels, moulded body colour bumpers, front fog lights and a special interior.

If that’s too much, then Mark can supply them from £12,495 + VAT, but you have the palaver of sorting out the UK registration and so on.

It’s certainly worthwhile keeping tabs on Mark’s website, as soon he’ll have a 5-door version, and his own Bronto version feating a 2” lift and bigger tyres.