When AvtoVAZ presented the second generation Lada Kalina, many who were not indifferent to the products of the domestic automobile industry immediately stated that the new product could easily compete with foreign cars in terms of consumer qualities. If we talk about ergonomics, dynamics, spaciousness and controllability, then this is really true. Foreign "state employees" with a noticeably higher price were clearly not head and shoulders above Kalina. But with reliability, everything is no longer so clear. Many were afraid to purchase a domestic car only because of frequent breakdowns.
Content
- What has changed in the second Lada Kalina
- Engines, consumption and transmissions of Lada Kalina II
- Special versions of Lada Kalina II
- Kalina II and amenities
- Pros and cons of Lada Kalina II
- How to choose the right Lada Kalina II
If jokes were written about the first Kalina on the side, then about the second - VAZ marketers themselves. Just look at the shameful advertising campaigns like “Complete mincemeat!” and “Kalina” with a machine gun and a demonstration of the AK-47 in the trunk. The car itself turned out better than the dubious marketing.
What has changed in the second Lada Kalina
The marketers' games are in everything, starting with the name. In fact, we have before us a modernization of the first generation, but it is presented as the second. The fundamental units and platform remained the same, although they were upgraded. Therefore, it is more correct to talk about the deep, but restyling of the 2004 Kalina.
But whatever you call the update, the only important thing is that the car has changed significantly. And if you can argue in terms of design, then technically it has become more perfect. Gone is the crooked electric power steering, which on its predecessor often jammed and lived its own life, indistinct brakes and a lousy interior. The second “Kalina” became closer to the Koreans, even if it was at the beginning of the 2000s.
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Engines, consumption and transmissions of Lada Kalina II
Compared to the first generation, the second Lada Kalina has a seriously upgraded range of engines, which have finally increased in power to 100 hp. With. Engines consume 7-7.2 liters in the combined cycle.
The apogee of innovation was the automatic transmission. In 2012, the Jatco automatic made its debut on the related Lada Granta, and in 2013 it migrated to Lada Kalina hatchbacks and station wagons. Judging by the reviews, it was a very simple, hopelessly outdated 4-band automatic transmission without the ability to change gears manually. However, how was it? Jatco is the most alive and is still installed on all Kalinas, which are now Granta, and on Datsun co-platform models - on-Do and mi-Do.
In 2014, two significant events took place in the life of Kalina. They were fitted with a new VAZ AMT transmission - a “robot” with one clutch, created in collaboration with the German ZF and Porsche Engineering. And two special versions appeared - Kalina Sport and Kalina Cross. The fate of events is different. “Robot” did not catch on, and even in the best years, the share of sales of such machines did not reach 30% of the total volume. This is understandable: few people want to jerk instead of drive. And the Togliatti AMT, even after a series of upgrades, continued to drive incomprehensibly, thoughtfully, with jerks and bumps, and even after replacing clutches after thousands of 30 runs.
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Good, but not perfect
The functionality of the interior is thought out, but not to the smallest detail.
While some buttons are located as conveniently as possible, for example, heated seats or power windows, other solutions are puzzling, in particular the archaic and tedious knob for adjusting the angle of the backrest of the front seats. Inside, the Cross we tested is no different from the Kalina station wagon. The rear seat is nominally three-seater, but in fact it will be comfortable for two. The trunk is just as small - after all, a B-class car. There is a storage wheel at the bottom, although a full-size wheel can also be placed in the niche. Initially, perhaps this was planned, because when the car was officially presented, there was a full-fledged spare wheel on an alloy wheel in the trunk. Why it was replaced with a dokatka is a mystery. Although the answer, rather, lies in savings. But another pleasant detail is that Kalina Cross is equipped with Pirelli Cinturato P1 tires from the factory.
The optics of Kalina-2 have proven themselves well - the owners have no complaints about the illumination of the road at night
The rear optics are large. But it's time to introduce LEDs instead of incandescent light bulbs
"Cross" is well equipped. Therefore, it is not clear why the manufacturer skimped on the electric drive of the side mirrors, although on ordinary Kalinas it is installed in some trim levels
A pleasant surprise - Kalina Cross is equipped at the factory with Pirelli tires size 195/55 R15, and not “Kama” tires with a landing diameter of 14 inches, as on other versions
Original unpainted door moldings not only decorate the car, but also protect it from being hit by the doors of other cars in the parking lot.
Special versions of Lada Kalina II
The first to appear was Kalina Sport from a subsidiary of Lada Sport. The 1.6 engine was pumped up to 118 horsepower, the gearbox was reconfigured, disc brakes were added on the rear axle, an interior with bucket seats - it turned out to be the dream of any young street racer.
And there was also the ultimate Kalina NFR, which out of the box was ready to conquer adult race tracks and rally stages. The modifications there are even more serious: 140 horsepower was squeezed out of the engine, and it was also mounted on a subframe for greater rigidity. The suspension of the Lada Kalina was stiffened even more so that the car would hold the road to the last and would not be distracted by rolls and rocking.
For those who didn’t want to shell out over 800 thousand for an even daring Kalina, they made sports packages: the exterior is like the charged versions, but the technology is quite ordinary, standard.
If Kalina Sport turned out to be a good, but very niche modification, then Cross became a hit and at some point overtook the sales of the station wagon from which it was made. And they did it according to a simple recipe: they took a road car, raised the ground clearance, altered the interior and hung unpainted plastic panels on the body. The result is no longer a station wagon, but not yet an SUV—something in between. And it turned out well: the car looked smart and drove reliably on the dirt road. She just howled like a wounded wolf.
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Did not like:
- high comfortable seating position New seats provide a high seating position. Visibility from the driver's seat has noticeably improved.
- good equipment Although the car has a basic version, it is enough, because almost everything that a modern small car should have is installed in the Kalina.
- good cross-country ability Of course, this is not an SUV or even an all-wheel drive crossover. However, Kalina Cross is capable of driving on broken dry roads, and in certain conditions it can even leave some all-wheel drive vehicles behind. After all, it’s 183 mm of ground clearance.
- level of comfort The cabin is quite cozy, the additional sound insulation is good - noise is not annoying. The suspension works great. Of course, it’s harsh, but without unnecessary sounds.
- uncomfortable seats The front seats are more comfortable than in the previous Kalina or Grant, but they are still far from perfect.
- operation of the electric power steering The lack of clear feedback is a common problem with almost all modern cars with electric power steering.
- Sluggish dynamics The Cross clearly lacks a motor. This is especially noticeable when starting under load - incorrect use of the gas and clutch pedals leads to the engine stopping.
- rolly suspension The high, long-travel suspension is good on a country road, but on the highway it frightens with noticeable rolls in corners.
- one airbagToday this is not enough. Modern foreign-made analogues are sometimes equipped with four or more airbags. But at Cross, a second pillow is available only for additional money.
Kalina II and amenities
In this case, convenience without quotation marks and irony, the VAZ team made several leaps forward. Firstly, in terms of workmanship. Secondly, for the convenience of the layout. Climate control unit, for example, like in the best houses! Three large, clear knobs with clear indication and clear activation of modes.
Or take instrument scales. There are few design delights, but the readability of the speedometer-tachometer and on-board computer is head and shoulders above other “Koreans”, if only due to the fact that there is no eye-catching orange or blue backlight.
The quality has been improved, the assembly of the interior looks neat, but many things remind us that this is, after all, Togliatti. For example, the door locks close with such a bang, as if the latches were not in place, and howitzers were working on you. Or the clicks of the relay when you press the power window buttons - this car constantly reminds you that it’s alive with its humming sound.
The option has almost caught up with budget competitors of famous brands. There is air conditioning, a set of airbags, remote door locking with a key, and Bluetooth. Older versions were equipped with a media processor of mediocre quality: no performance, the interface was confusing, the picture quality was the same as on pocket computers from 2005. This is the case when you can safely refuse and have nothing to lose.
There was no revolution in terms of passenger convenience. The wheelbase has not stretched compared to the first generation, and both rows are just as cramped. That is, a young family of three people, especially if the third is still in a cradle and not a chair, is still normal, but going to a barbecue with a group will not be fun.
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Orange mood
Even from the regular Kalina, the Cross went a little ahead.
The new seats, for example, are much more comfortable than the old ones. And the colors really brightened up the interior. The interior color scheme is interesting. By and large, it is dark gray, almost black. But bright orange inserts on the seats, steering wheel and piping on the air vents liven up the interior. At the beginning of the Cross's launch, such contrasts were the only possible solution for this model. Only in the fall did a regular gray interior without bright inserts appear on the Russian market.
The front seats in the Cross are more comfortable than in the regular Kalina, but they are still very far from ideal
Extremely slow, tedious and inconvenient backrest tilt adjustment knob. It’s high time for AVTOVAZ to switch to seats with normal adjustment
The rear sofa is very spacious if two passengers are sitting on it. By the way, as it should be in our time, the seat can be folded either as a whole or in parts in a ratio of 1:2
Heated front seats are included in the list of basic equipment
An airbag is hidden in the plump steering wheel. The second (for the front passenger) is available only on the version with a 16-valve engine
The main glove compartment is small. You can't even put a regular magazine in there
Power windows for the rear doors, as well as power mirrors, are available only on the 16-valve version of the Cross.
The trunk is spacious by B-class standards. Well, to transport something large, you can fold the back seat
Interestingly, when the pre-production car was presented, there was a full-size spare wheel on a cast wheel in the trunk. On serial "crosses" it was replaced with a re-roller
Pros and cons of Lada Kalina II
Compared to its predecessor, the quality has increased by an order of magnitude. The second Kalina was not noticed in scandals when, at speed, the EUR began to take on a life of its own, and the driver ended up in a tree on the side of the road.
Untreated problems include tight brakes and howling gearbox gears. About the first, other owners do not agree and say that you just need to get used to it. No, it’s not necessary: the Kalina’s brakes are tight, the force that needs to be applied to the pedal is inadequate. Their classmates' braking is cleaner, more transparent and more effective. As for the howl of the gearbox, no matter how many gear options the VAZ team tried, it didn’t get any better, because it’s some kind of damned unit.
The rest of children's ailments are more unique and lottery. Also, cars under warranty had complaints about moldings coming off, problems with electrical and thermostat.
The main disadvantage of the Lada Kalina is the electrics. The problem with ignition coils on cars of the first years of production was solved by the manufacturer himself, changing the supplier from SOATE to Dynatec. The second problem is the central unit of body electronics, which is responsible for almost everything: from wipers and turn signals to interior lighting. AvtoVAZ even announced a recall campaign and reflashed these units or replaced them with new ones. But there is a risk of running into an unaltered one on the secondary market.
The standard multimedia systems were also reflashed under warranty. They are based on a very ancient OS based on Windows CE, so they slowed down mercilessly. After the patch it got better, but not much.
There were no complaints regarding the engine and transmission. And the suspension is durable, and the body is durable and resistant to corrosion. And one more advantage is mass availability. There is plenty to choose from.
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Chassis
The front suspension is McPherson type, the rear is semi-independent spring. Disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes at the rear. The steering has an electric booster. Front wheel drive only. The Cross differs from a regular station wagon in that it has a stiffer anti-roll bar, a retuned steering system, modified spring mounting locations and new shock absorbers, as a result of which the ground clearance has been increased by 23 mm. Engineers also changed the final drive ratio in the manual transmission - it is 3.9 instead of 3.7.
