Stylish new Sport model
The new Lada Kalina Sport appeared in August 2014. Lada Sport 2, photos of which were published long before the car’s release, is amazing. Having studied the data of Kalina 2013—photos of the car are easy to find on the Internet—you can conduct a comparative analysis of these models.
The new product is considered a logical continuation of the Kalina model range.
Graceful body lines, a swift contour, an aerodynamic spoiler - these are the external characteristics of the Lada Kalina 2 Sport that distinguish it from its predecessors.
Table
Now - ruble mathematics. The price of a standard 106-horsepower Kalina is about 450 thousand rubles. Imagine how much you need to pay garage craftsmen to at least bring it closer to the 118-horsepower “Sport” modification. Exterior, interior, engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, wheels, and other little things will come up. Have you figured it out? So, Lada Sport deals a crushing blow to home-grown tuning: the price of the hot Kalina is 521 thousand rubles. Seventy thousand difference for the entire scope of modifications with a bonus in the form of a factory warranty! This is a knockout of commercialism!
I've driven a lot in modified Russian cars, some successful and some not so good. And I’ll say this: I’ve never seen such a balanced, factory-inspired and very affordable hot hatchback. Bravo, Lada Sport!
avtoexperts.ru
In 2013, Lada Sport (a subsidiary of AVTOVAZ) began producing sports versions of LADA cars for public roads. The first models were Kalina Sport 2 and Kalina NFR R1.
The NFR R1 version is a preparation for the “national” rally class of the Russian Rally Cup, that is, a real prepared racing car. The Sport modification is a civilian (road) version. I have been using Kalina Sport for a year now and today I will talk about all its pros and cons from the owner’s point of view.
Lada Kalina Sport 2 and Sergey Sudarev - author of this article
Advantages
1. Chassis. The suspension pleasantly surprised me. They really put a lot of work into this component. I will list the main changes that the engineers made in comparison with the regular Kalina:
• Stiffer lowering springs
• Thickened stabilizer
• Shock absorbers with modified characteristics
• Your own parameters of wheel alignment angles, including rear ones
All this, together with low-profile 195/50 tires on 16-diameter wheels, allows you to stand confidently on the road and roll less when cornering. I even drove a completely standard car for a couple of asphalt training sessions at the Atron race track near Ryazan.
I think it's the chassis that makes this car a truly hot hatch, or at least one that feels that way. And now, after the release of the new Vesta Sport, reviews from the first athletes and journalists who tried this car, it becomes clear that they have worked even better on it in this aspect.
Design and appearance.
This is the first thing that a buyer pays attention to in the modern world. It really differs from the standard Kalina. Lower landing, big beautiful wheels. Plastic body kit - sill covers, a front bumper of a more predatory shape, a rear bumper with a diffuser and a spoiler for the 5th door.
Back view
It's no secret that Kalina has now been renamed Granta and its front part has been modified. Not everyone likes it, but LADA is trying to create its own readable, uniform image for all models; this is a trend for many brands. I hope that when the successor to Kalina Sport 2, Granta Sport, appears, her appearance will also be changed for the better for the hot version.
My particular copy has an interesting color with a sonorous name in the spirit of VAZs from the times of the USSR called “blue planet”.
Kalina Sport
Successful engine.
I consider this engine to be successful in terms of performance and reliability. In fact, this is the same 16-valve engine with different camshafts and programming. It pulls very pleasantly, both at low and low levels.
Main engine characteristics:
Volume 1.6, 16 valves. Power 118 hp at 6750 rpm Torque 154 Nm at 4750 rpm.
Under the hood is a VAZ 21126 engine
When I was tuning the engine of my Ford Fiesta rally car, I had the opportunity to talk with an engine specialist and tuner. He spoke very flatteringly about the potential of 16-valve VAZ engines for tuning, as well as their survivability under sports loads. The results of racing Kalinas in the Cup and the National Rally Championship also confirm this.
My Ford Fiesta and Lada Kalina Sport
Transmission.
Unlike the standard version, a shortened main gear is used here. The 4.3 gear ratio allows for better dynamics. At the same time, the maximum speed is almost 200. A cable-driven gearbox is also used, it is more convenient for shifting and reverse gear back and to the right, and not, as was previously the case on the VAZ 2108, forward and to the left. Such a gearbox was previously used on some other Ladas, but without such a main pair.
Rich equipment and a good interior.
To many, when mentioning LADA and the phrase “rich equipment,” it may seem that the author is crazy, but I argue so as not to be unfounded. ABS, airbags, heated windshield, climate control, rain sensor, light sensor, heated seats, electric power steering, rear disc brakes, multimedia system with touchscreen and very wide capabilities, four power windows, etc. A very good set even for foreign cars costing close to a million, but Kalina Sport 2 cost 630 thousand rubles without discounts six months ago when it was sold.
Salon Lada Kalina Sport 2
Interesting sound.
The exhaust for the car was made completely different, direct-flow, the sound became better and more thoroughbred, and bass was added. Completes the picture of a warmed-up hot hatchback very well. Adds a pleasant feeling when pressing the accelerator pedal. The tail also looks organic.
Multimedia.
The factory multimedia uses Windows CE as its operating system. You can connect navigation to the system. Bluetooth, USB, SD card are all available. Audio, video, everything plays.
Torpedo
The sleep mode of the radio screen is interesting. When it is turned on, but you do not touch it for some time, an interactive screensaver appears that you can change, you just need to find the layout that suits you. For example, they helped me set it up and now it looks like this.
Media screen
However, an important note to this point is that the radio must be connected to the car’s CAN bus and only then is all data on fuel temperature and so on displayed there.
Now about the disadvantages
Terrible front seats.
This seriously spoils the ergonomics of the landing. My back began to ache almost immediately, although I can sit comfortably in almost any car except this one. It was a shock for me. I expected and feared a lot of bad things when buying a Lada, since the last time I had VAZ products was 15 years ago and despite the fact that I have been working in the auto business for many years, stereotypes are also present in me. In general, I expected a lot of bad things, but not this.
Front seats
According to rumors, when making seats for Kalina Sport, they took a regular seat frame, made other foam rubber pads with more lateral support, and all this was decorated with a beautiful wrapper in the form of seat trim with red stitching and the inscription sport. I’m even a little offended for the Lada Sport, to create a really good sports version and spoil it with such shortcomings. Personally, I had to change the seat literally after 2 weeks of use, otherwise my healthy back risked turning into a sore one.
This is the chair they installed instead of the standard one
Electric booster.
It's not about the amplifier itself, but about its setup. What should have been an advantage became a disadvantage. It’s absolutely important to feel the car and the grip of the steering wheel, but here it’s a failure. The steering wheel is completely empty even on 16-inch wheels with a considerable caster angle.
Operation of the electric damper.
Strange operation of the throttle valve and engine at near zero throttle angles. It's not very convenient to get underway. The exhaust gas works a bit strangely. Strange high idle for a civilian car without super sporty camshafts. You cannot drive with 2 pedals and brake with your left foot at the same time as throttling.
Inconvenient instrument panel.
Well, what kind of tachometer is this? Why is the red zone at 5500 if even the maximum power is higher in rpm according to the original technical characteristics? The car confidently drives up to 6500. The panel is difficult to read, although there is a useful feature in the small monochrome display, displaying various useful things, such as digital engine temperature.
Dashboard
As an example, I’ll give you the guards of a couple of my former hot cars produced in the late 90s and early 2000s. That is, many years ago everyone already understood everything, how and what color it could be done, so why couldn’t they spy and learn? After all, from a production point of view, changing the color costs nothing at all.
Instrument panel Subaru impreza WRX STI Type RA Spec 2002
Multimedia
So, indeed, this is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Confused, completely unintuitive and incomprehensible. That is, there are a lot of opportunities, but in order to use them, or at least just live with them, you need to be almost an IT specialist with programming skills. Of course, I’m exaggerating, but in my opinion, again, it’s worth learning from other brands how to make devices so that anyone can understand them.
Media Settings
The quality of the plastic, its installation and painting.
The front bumper made by Lada Sport constantly pops out of its mounts next to the wings, so you have to push it back. The gaps between the sills and the body are too large and a lot of dirt gets in there. And the plastic itself is flimsy. A stone flying out from under the car in front of a descendant traveling at a speed of 80 km/h easily made a hole in it the size of 2 five-ruble coins.
Front bumper
The coloring of the plastic also leaves much to be desired. By 20,000 km of normal city driving, the bumper had already flown quite well.
Bumper chipped
There are also all sorts of little things, such as the absence of a button for opening the trunk on the trunk itself, or a speedometer that underestimates the actual speed, or a radio that does not turn off when the car is turned off, but, it seems to me, this no longer affects the overall impression.
conclusions
To summarize, I want to say that when I decided to buy this car and started looking for options, I had fairly specific tasks. I’m a rally driver, I compete in the Russian Rally Cup, and I need a training car to stay in shape and train on racetracks. It was from Lada that I wanted to make it. So when I bought it, I was prepared for the worst for this specific purpose, but I was pleasantly surprised by the car. The advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages for me. And here I am clearly not in the trend, since I praise AvtoVAZ for the progress that I have seen. Now the mileage is approaching 40,000 km. So far everything is great with reliability! I hope she won’t let me down in the future.
PS If you're interested in knowing what I did and how much money I put into the car to make it truly ready for rally practice, please leave a comment.
Best regards, Sergey Sudarev.
Flaws
Front seats
The designers tried to make the seats of Kalina Sport 2 sporty, with pronounced lateral support. Visually it is present, but in fact the sides of the chair are too soft to perform the intended task. Back support also raises questions - some will like the arch of the back, others will want to adjust it, but there is nothing to do with it. There is no provision for adjustable back support in the vehicle.
Electric booster
The electric power steering (EPS) used in Kalina is the brainchild of a Korean company. Not only has the electric power steering made the steering wheel uninformative and “empty”, it also often breaks down. In extreme conditions, it simply turns off - this is how its protection is configured. True, it is difficult for the driver to understand when these “extreme conditions” occur, because the ESD can turn off at any time and completely unpredictably.
Dashboard
The panel creates an ambiguous impression with its color combination - red-yellow-green. At the same time, the green light has some strange tint that hurts the eye. The instrument numbers are hard to read and the displays are too small.
At a certain angle, some of the instrument readings are blocked by ridiculous visors. The speedometer shows a speed lower than the actual speed.
