While the press "rattled" about the resignation of Bo Andersson, trying to analyze whether he did more good or bad, our technicians disappeared in the service. For detailed analysis the main creation of AvtoVAZ was acquired recent years— flagship and star of the company Lada Vesta. It was very interesting to see what is hidden inside our main threat to foreign cars. So, we understand.

For the "experiments" a car was bought, from our point of view, in the very optimal version Comfort, with 1.6 liter VAZ engine(not yet sold with other Vesta) and 5-speed mechanical box gears. We made the choice in favor of the latter after, which, alas, is still far from the comfort of the classic "automatic", although it outperforms it in price.

By the way, about the price. The cost of the purchased car (with a minimum set of all the options needed today) amounted to 550,000 rubles, including the discount. This is somewhere between 55,000-90,000 rubles cheaper than all comparable foreign rivals with an approximately similar list of equipment.

Engine: VAZ brand, made in Russia

Under hood Lada Vesta is equipped with a 1.6-liter 16-valve naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine. Power - 106 liters. With. at 5800 rpm, torque - 148 Nm at 4200 rpm. Compliance with Euro-5 standards. The engine was marked 21129, although the designation 21126 is clearly visible on the block itself. There is no need to be surprised, since all modifications of the motor (126/127/129), which traces its history back to Priora, have a single block.

Of the features: original system suspension and fastenings of attachments; changed the intake and exhaust system; adaptation for the installation of a Renault gearbox, as well as about 20 other innovations, including a lightweight connecting rod and piston group manufactured by Federal Mogul in Togliatti.

That the engine has a very good return and elasticity, but a little noisy at high speeds.

IN engine compartment Vesta motor becomes back to back. Access to everything attachments extremely limited. The whole engine is literally shrouded in wires - in the process of disassembly, I had to disconnect about 40 connectors and, not without difficulty, pick out a whole bag of clamps.

The oil filter (“Avtoagregat”, Russia) is sandwiched between the subframe and the exhaust manifold, and it is not protected from the latter by any heat shield, which causes some concern. The drive belt and its tension roller practically rest against inner part body, in fact, as well as the timing mechanism, so that their replacement is possible only with a complete analysis of the front right side car with the dismantling of the right additional spar and hanging the motor.

The officials confirmed to us other information that we suspected, but did not check it ourselves. Due to the nature of the attachment, the removal of the engine sump (crankcase) is only possible with the removal of the gearbox.

Gearbox: Renault brand, made in Russia

The French 5-speed "mechanics" JH3-510 is installed on the Lada Vesta. The transmission case is cast at our own VAZ metallurgy. Actually, the entire assembly is carried out in Togliatti.

The choice in favor of a foreign box was made due to the fact that the engineers could not win in their native VAZ extraneous noise, in particular the rumble of gears. It is known that the French gearbox costs AvtoVAZ 20% more than the domestic one.

Recall that on the basis domestic box transmission, an AMT "robot" was created, in which the problem of noise is still relevant (in particular, a muffled howl in second gear). TO performance characteristics mechanical transmission we have no complaints.

Radiators (cooling, heating, air conditioning systems): Valeo brand, made in Russia

All three Vesta radiators of the French brand Valeo ( well-known manufacturer components) differ good quality performance, in no way inferior to world analogues. During dismantling, it was difficult to suspect that the radiators were being assembled in Tolyatti at Valeo's own production site.

By the way, the competence of employees hotline Russian representation Valeo (where we were switched to answer questions) was in doubt. What's going on at Valeo's site Nizhny Novgorod, they could not name exactly, and when asked about the production in Togliatti, they answered that there was no certainty that it was working at all, although the AvtoVAZ press service firmly confirmed the opposite.

Generator: Valeo brand, made in Türkiye

same generator french brand Valeo, but already Turkish production at first we were embarrassed - instead of the usual orange transformer varnish, the winding is covered with a non-uniform color protection. However, as they say, “speed should not be affected”. But the fact that the conclusions from the winding were not soldered, but simply crimped, we consider it a disadvantage. Not durable.

In addition, the dismantling of the component (replacement) is extremely difficult due to its location. The generator is clamped by the air conditioner compressor from below and its tubes - from the end and from above, and from the side of the belt drive, as well as the tension roller, - by the wall engine compartment. As a result, when replacing the generator, you will have to remove the air conditioning compressor (if any, of course).

Three more Valeo components discovered: starter (Poland), release bearing and a microclimate control unit (Czech Republic). The French company is one of the world's main manufacturers and suppliers of components for car factories, including, of course, fellow countrymen from Renault, from whom it migrated to AvtoVAZ.

Fuse box and its housing: Renault brand, made in Romania

The entire fuse box came from the Logan model, as evidenced by both the Renault logos on the case and the Romanian manufacturer Capirom. True, AvtoVAZ reported that in soon the company will change the supplier to a local one - from the Samara region.

We didn’t have any questions about the block itself, but in the process of scrupulous study by electricians, a very interesting moment turned out. Attention was drawn to two fuses that were not indicated either on the diagram or in the instructions. The study of the electrical circuit revealed that with a sharp power surge (for example, when Vesta is “lighted up” with the engine running), these fuses can burn out, as a result of which the battery will stop charging. And what is most insidious, the driver of a discharged car will not know about it - there are no electrical "paths" to the dashboard ( control lamps) could not be found. Will the reason be revealed when connecting the standard diagnostic system in the absence of a pop-up error - also a question.

The controls also turned out to be imported - the steering rack of the famous German brand ZF, but made in Malaysia. And the CV joints are provided by the British company GKN and made in Poland.

Clutch assembly: LuK brand, made in Russia

The disc and clutch basket on Vesta are from the well-known German brand LuK, which is part of the global structure of the Schaeffler concern. The company has a production facility in Russia in the city of Ulyanovsk, from where its products are supplied to domestic enterprises, including not only AvtoVAZ, but also UAZ. We have no complaints about this component.

Brakes: TRW brand, made in the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, France, Turkey

In order for Lada Vesta to stop properly, manufacturers from almost half of Europe had to work hard. In total, we counted five producing countries brake system, including French SNR bearings pressed into the rear brake drums (combined with the hub) of the German ATE brand, but made in Italy. When a bearing needs to be replaced, it will be extremely difficult to remove it separately - most likely, you will have to change everything as an assembly. Although the name of the SNR brand, premium by the standards of the world of auto components, inspires hope for durability.

So the main brake cylinder and a vacuum booster came from Poland, front calipers and pads from the Czech Republic. Part of the brake hoses turned out to be made in Turkey by Teklas. Of the features — a reservoir of the brake system, one for two with a clutch drive.

The only question to the brakes arose when considering the front pads, on which the working trace of the cylinder remained - a quarter of the clamping surface extends beyond the pads. It is difficult to say whether this somehow affects the braking efficiency. When driving, we did not have any complaints about the braking system.

During the repair, you will also have to tinker with the suspension elements. According to the "foreign" patterns, the ball joint (produced by the Magnitogorsk plant BelMag) is assembled with a lever. Moreover, replacing the component will require a lot of additional actions to free up space around. By the way, according to servicemen, the play of ball joints and the knock of stabilizer struts are the most frequent treatment the first owners of Vesta.

Shock absorbers are one of the few Vesta components on which we did not see the English language. Racks were produced at the Skopinsky auto-aggregate plant in the Ryazan region. By the way, in terms of the balance of suspension characteristics, we recognize Vesta as one of the best in the class.

We saw the only inscription Made in China on the Bosch wiper motor, and with the logos of another automaker - Chinese company Chery

Various plastic parts

There is already a disparity between firms and producing countries such that it does not make sense to single out someone separately, so let's just list them.

The air filter and its housing turned out to be the well-known German brand Mann + Hummel, and original production. The assembly of the electric fuel pump module (with the Arsan pump) is Russian. Hose expansion tank Teklas radiator, but not from Turkey, but from Bulgaria. Washer reservoir with Renault logos, Continental washer pump made in the Czech Republic.

With the exception of the aforementioned Czech climate control unit, plastic parts interiors turned out to be Russian, in particular Izhevsk. Moreover, the quality of fastening (hence the country of production) of individual small parts could be determined by touch - they either played or fell out at the slightest touch.

Not without a Russian approach: the plastic frame of the gear lever (Italian-Russian company AE2) with inside sharpened (apparently, with a file) along the edge. The side plug of the front panel (on the side of the front right door) bounced off like a spring at the first attempt to snap it off (under what voltage was it installed?).

Considering some more flaws in the assembly of the cabin in the form of naked screws and gaps, it is worth saying that Salon Lada The Vesta is generally better assembled than you might expect from most modern Zhiguli, but it feels like over time, part of it will traditionally “come to life”. By the way, the assembly of the interior is almost completely imported Lada XRAY At first glance, we liked it better.

Some time ago full squad component suppliers were published by the Avtostat agency - there are a dozen more foreign brands not mentioned by us. Some of them, by the way, did not match the real ones - in particular, the tires on our Vesta were Pirelli, not Continental.

How the body is made

We admit: cute, in our opinion, Lada car Vesta on the "body" is assembled very well. The measured clearances are everywhere at the level of a couple of millimeters. Well, the softness and silence with which the doors close are completely worthy of applause. And everything would have been absolutely wonderful if we had not begun to study the car from below.

In general, of course, there is no "crime". The first thing that caught my eye was the inaccuracy anti-corrosion treatment from the category of "here we smear, but here it will do." It can be seen that some areas were processed over the protective film, which was then torn off along with the protection. Moreover, in the same place it was done with perfect different quality(neatly and tyap-blunder).

An incident was discovered under the hood - at the factory, a piece of paper was attached to one of the side members with adhesive tape, apparently with an example of a color called "platinum", in which it was necessary to paint the car from the inside. Actually, they painted with this piece of paper, forgetting to tear it off - under it, of course, there was a strip without coloring.

Rear beam mounts, apparently, are not native. One of the "lugs" for the bolts remained to bulge into the wheel arch.

Another point is the accuracy of internal folds and connections of individual parts of the body. Between some of them there are considerable technological holes, into which, of course, dirt, salt and road chemicals will clog. Considering that some of these compounds did not get anticorrosive, they are very likely to become centers of corrosion, especially in the wheel arches.

For the purity of the experiment, we looked under the bottom of the first one that came across competitor Vesta- liftback Skoda Rapid(in the database from 539,000 rubles). The one below has an armor-piercing shield, wrapped in processing without a single crack or speck, and even with two plastic sheets of protection on top.

What's the bottom line

The conclusions are ambiguous. The main one is the quality and assembly level of Lada Vesta among the products of our automotive industry, probably the most best car at least in modern history. However a large number of annoying and small "jambs" does not yet allow our sedan to catch up with Western competitors, and at a comparable price.

The second conclusion is that to call Vesta domestic, having decomposed it into spare parts, our tongue turns with difficulty. Especially if you remember that even those branded components that are produced in Russia are made on imported machines using imported raw materials.

Well, the third conclusion: you can forget about any Vesta service outside of a professional service. At the dacha, you can only change brake pads yes pump up the wheels. Apparently, this is also why car sales in the regions turned out to be worse than expected. In general, we will now monitor our ward and be sure to inform you about all the joys and hardships.

Many specialists automotive industry agree on the presence of some shortcomings in the chassis of most models produced by AvtoVAZ. This situation alerted the manufacturer, and when developing his progressive model Lada Vesta, he tried to take into account the identified problems and take measures to eradicate them, what features the front suspension and rear suspension have. Some car owners decide to carry out tuning.

Front suspension of Lada Vesta

The desire for excellence and competitiveness served as a pretext for a significant refinement of the Lada Vesta suspension, especially for the front of the car, tuning can often be found in this part. As a result, a subframe appeared in front, which was an innovation for models domestic manufacturer. The developers also used L-shaped levers. The subframe in the chassis appears as strength element, which gives the body rigidity and serves as protection for the motor, the device of which, at times, improved the car.

This approach made it possible to increase the level of safety of Lada Vesta and provide the car with good handling. Structurally, the front suspension is quite simple and provides convenience during repair and maintenance work. The steering rack from its usual location migrated to the lower area of ​​the engine compartment. Such a transformation made it possible to provide a kinematic connection of the steering rod directly with knuckle.

Previous AvtoVAZ models could not boast of this design solution. The modernization also affected the front levers, which are the plant's own design.

In the steering mechanism Lada Vesta is used electric amplifier. Here constructive solution in terms of its installation, it also has no resemblance to previous AvtoVAZ models, because the device ended up on the steering column.

transverse stabilizer has been slightly redesigned. As a result of some constructive transformations of the torsion bar, handling has become noticeably better. In older models, you can troubleshoot yourself by tuning.

Rear suspension of the domestic model Vesta

Any manufacturer, when developing their own models, strives for maximum unification of nodes. AvtoVAZ also adheres to this trend, which is noticeable in the constructive aspects of Lada Vesta. The stern suspension base was borrowed from Renault-Nissan. This is a cross beam, a device with spaced springs.

The manufacturer decided to leave the brake mechanisms of the stern drum. It's caused market value model that does not allow budget versions acquire disc brakes. With non-aggressive driving, the “drums” cope with their “task” with sufficient efficiency. If we touch on the station wagon body modification, then here the manufacturer replaces the springs with stiffer options and adjusts the entire suspension in a different way, which slightly changes handling compared to the sedan.

About Vesta's suspension malfunctions

Despite the significant modernization of the chassis in Lada Vesta, such an element as the front suspension or the rear suspension can upset the owners with various breakdowns. The appearance of a malfunction traditionally begins to be accompanied by tapping and squeaking when the car overcomes the roughness of the roadway. Here, the owner requires maximum attention necessary for the prompt detection of a breakdown and its subsequent elimination.

Knocks quite often "respond" shock absorbers. You can check the shock absorbers yourself. This should be done with the vehicle just stopped when the fluid inside the strut housings has operating temperature. To do this, you need to shake one of the sides of the car and observe the behavior of the body. The operation is done first on the front, and then on rear axle. If the body oscillates in a vertical plane no more than two times, then the rack is working. When this is not observed, it is recommended to replace the shock absorber.

Advice! When diagnosing a suspension, generally known safety rules should be followed.

For a more detailed check of the chassis, you will need to hang the wheel on one side of the car. Here, the following shortcomings can be identified.

1. If the brake pedal is not depressed, and when manually applied to the wheel, there is a noticeable play, then this indicates a malfunction of the wheel bearing.
2. When play is heard when exposed to levers or steering tips, then most likely the ball joints of these suspension elements have become unusable, which also implies their replacement.
3. suspension struts subject to detailed inspection working surface for fluid leaks. When it appears, the racks (two) are recommended to be replaced.
4. We also inspect the stabilizer fasteners (struts and bushings) for the absence of breaks in rubber components and anthers.
5. Noises and squeaks from the front can be caused by the lack of enough lubricants in thrust bearings racks.
6. In the suspension of the stern, noise effects can sometimes be eliminated by installing washers under the racks. After such a manipulation, a gap appears between the rack and the body support, which must be isolated in order to prevent moisture and dirt from penetrating there.
7. In some cases, a muffler may manifest itself with knocks. Here, the “culprits” are the fastening components, which also need to be lubricated or replaced.
8. wheel bearing LADA Vesta can also start to make noise and show play. This is due to the absence or not enough lubricant. Since the bearing separator is structurally closed, it will not be possible to replenish the lubricant. Although the manufacturer guarantees the effectiveness of the lubrication for the entire due date operation of the product, but in reality the situation may be quite different. If the presence of these shortcomings is detected, the bearing must be replaced. You can do it yourself if the owner has special tool(press, pullers, etc.) and has experience.

Important! If the car is jacked up, then during repair procedures for safety reasons, it is necessary to place suitable props under the body.

1. The lower shock absorber bushings in the rear suspension (pictured) are also capable of making knocks during critical wear.
2. Driving on a countryside is fraught with debris (stones) getting inside the brake drum, which provokes an unpleasant sound effect. Over time, these "artifacts" themselves fall out, however, there are cases when their removal requires the dismantling of the drum.

Important! If levers and steering tips (also rods) were replaced in the front suspension, then after the repair measure it is necessary to immediately adjust the wheel angles. If this procedure is neglected, the front tire tread will be subject to uneven wear, and controllability will deteriorate significantly.

Attention! Such an element as a cable of a manual brake mechanism. Here, it will be necessary to inspect its laying under the bottom and, if sagging areas are observed, take measures to tie them up.

Summing up

This is almost the entire list of faults that the rear suspension, or front, of the popular LADA Vesta can get. If you have any questions, we recommend watching this video on this topic:

Operating conditions in Russia place special demands on driving performance car, which is why the Lada Vesta suspension was developed with the active participation of AVTOVAZ engineers, and then it underwent various finishing tests both in our country and abroad.

The result of this approach was that Vesta's suspension turned out to be almost ideal for our conditions - big moves provide good running smoothness broken roads, but at the same time the car confidently holds the road on high-speed country roads.

Suspension Specifications

In general, running Vesta is one of its main advantages. Here the engineer of AVTOVAZ, what is called "guessed". The car behaves well on a variety of surfaces from asphalt to light off-road, including on our popular dirt roads.

• Base - 2635 mm;
• Front track - 1510 mm;
• Rear track - 1510 mm;
• Clearance - 175 mm.

Suspension on Cross modifications

It is the “chassis” that is the main difference between the Lada Vesta Cross modifications and others. A higher ground clearance required the change of some components, as well as a different configuration of the nodes themselves. The engineers managed to maintain the car's handling, even though the ground clearance was increased to 203 mm.

suspension video

Talk about Lada Vesta has not stopped for more than a year, the car has long been a regular on the list of the most anticipated new products and not a week goes by without another sensational publication about the merits of Lada Vesta. We decided to talk about what many write about only superficially, preferring to savor the trendy design, new engines, robotic box and other goodies. We will talk about the revolution in the suspension of the VAZ novelty and talk about what Lada Vesta has ground clearance.

Change of platform - change of concept

It all started in the middle of the 2000s, when the Volga auto giant first ventured to start developing a class C sedan. But then there was not enough money to complete the project, and the 2008 crisis put an end to those plans. A few years ago, they returned to the developments gathering dust in the archive, deciding to put them in the basis new platform, but already for class B cars. At the same time, a very revolutionary task was set - to create a modern platform that can not be inferior in terms of quality and technological equipment to foreign counterparts.

As a result, the LADA B platform was born, which formed the basis of the Lada Vesta sedan. The developers call this project completely unique, because for the first time AvtoVAZ applied a whole range of innovations that had not previously been used at all on the products of the Volga auto giant. When creating the platform, the successes of the mid-zero project were taken into account, but with the introduction of a huge number of edits and improvements, some technologies used on Prior were used, as well as technologies from the Renault-Nissan concern, which provided, for example, most of the components of the brake system.

Revolution from the front

The largest number of innovations revolutionary for VAZ was applied on the front suspension. First of all, this is a change in the concept of its architecture. For the first time on Lada cars, the front suspension is arranged on a subframe, which will increase its rigidity and geometry accuracy while increasing vibration-acoustic characteristics.

No less revolutionary is the location of the steering rack, which moved down, which made it possible to get rid of the need to turn the wheels through the levers - now the rods are connected directly to the hubs. This approach will significantly improve the vehicle's handling characteristics, bringing them to the European level, which has been expected from VAZ products for several decades. Of the usual elements, only the electric power steering remains, which will be mounted on the steering column in order to simplify the design.

Lada Vesta has a fully independent front suspension, with a castor angle of five degrees. Uses MacPherson struts and L-arms own development. Russian engineers also introduced a new stabilizer, which received a different shape, elongated racks and a different metal composition. The result is a much more responsive system that contributes to improved handling, smoothness and handling of the sedan on the road.

Despite new layout, the developers managed to maintain an acceptable clearance (ground clearance) for Vesta, which for the sedan is 185 mm from the ground to the crankcase protection.

This means that the novelty will feel quite confident on Russian roads Oh. As for other numbers, wheelbase Lada Vesta is 2635 mm, the front wheel track is 1510 mm, exactly the same amount went to the distance between the rear wheels.

Progress behind

Speaking of "back". New layout rear suspension not here, and it is not necessary budget car. The rear suspension of Vesta is made according to the classical scheme with a semi-independent twisted torsion beam courtesy of Renault.

But AvtoVAZ nevertheless introduced some innovations for Lada. Firstly, this is a spaced arrangement of springs and struts, which for the Volga automobile industry can be considered a mini-revolution. Secondly, a completely different approach to suspension tuning, carried out in Europe on the equipment of the Renault concern. As a result, Vesta's feed receives more modern suspension that affect comfort rear passengers and on the stability of the car at any speed with such a worthy ground clearance for Russian roads.

New level technologies

In addition to the above, it is worth noting other features of the new Lada Vesta platform, directly or indirectly related to the suspension and its functioning. First of all, this is the use of latest generation Bosch ABS systems, EBD and ESP. Also, one cannot ignore close cooperation with the Renault-Nissan concern, thanks to which the VAZ novelty will receive a high-quality power steering from Nissan Qashqai and reliable brake system components from Renault Megane and Logan. All this in total allows us to hope that the quality of VAZ cars with the advent of Vesta will be completely new level, which fans of the domestic auto industry have long dreamed of.

The car must meet modern safety requirements, and the Lada Vesta suspension is responsible for this. The designers of AvtoVAZ tried and created a fundamentally new, and not modernized from previous models front and rear suspension design. From how high-quality suspension and what technical features controllability, comfort and safety of driving on Lada Vesta depends.

The front suspension device, according to AvtoVAZ, is independent, with gas-filled double-acting shock absorbers. Barrel-shaped coil springs are mounted on the front suspension struts, the lower wishbones and stabilizer roll stability mounted on a stretcher.

There are two engine attachment points (stretching) on ​​it. The other two remained on the spars. This can be seen from the front in the photo. The suspension device uses MacPherson struts the same as on previous models. The front suspension of Lada Vesta is completely original, two new parts have been added:

1. L - figurative levers;
2. Front subframe.

The use of new parts allowed:

• Significantly increase body rigidity;
• Improve driving comfort;
• Contributed to an increase in the level of security.

The steering rack, engine, suspension parts and some parts of the chassis are mounted on a subframe. What is fundamentally different from the attachment of nodes on previous models. The torsion bar was modified, and the anti-roll bars received a new design.

This made it possible to improve the energy intensity of the suspension, and became significantly better handling Lada Vesta. Steering car received from Renault Megane. Vesta's suspension has the main difference from previous models in the presence of an L-shaped lever with a castor of 5 0, which is clearly visible in the photo.

This device effectively perceives transverse and longitudinal loads. New scheme suspension provides a significant improvement in vehicle handling.

Rear suspension device

The rear suspension of Lada Vesta is used the same as on Renault Megane cars. This scheme is provided by the Renault-Nissan concern. The rear fret has barrel-shaped coil springs on a cross beam with spaced shock absorbers and brake drums.

Photo suspension Vesta gives an idea of ​​the changes:

• Designers pioneered a new split-mount spring and strut arrangement;
• The tuning was carried out according to the original technology at the European factories of Renault;
• The rear track has been increased to 1510 mm, as a result of which the rear wheel arches have also been enlarged.

It can be concluded that Vesta received a new suspension device capable of providing passenger comfort, and most importantly, smooth running. The suspension device is shown in the photo and consists of:

1. rear suspension beam;
2. barrel springs;
3. Double acting gas shock absorbers

In addition to the features described, the suspension on the Lada Vesta has a number of other equally important innovations.

Suspension innovations

This application of the ABS, ESP and EBD electronic systems offers a number of advantages. First of all, the built-in stabilization system, which makes it easy to cope with drifts and drifts of the car while driving. It also allows for traction control.

A properly tuned Lada Vesta suspension, together with electronics, allows you to simulate a differential lock, which makes it easy to overcome impassability. Getting into a difficult situation, the included stabilization system can significantly improve the car's cross-country ability.

This technology was first used on the Lada. The stabilization system received positive feedback from the owners. And now, no matter what challenging road, Vesta will cope even with difficult off-road conditions.